The exposition of the museum of Local Lore presents several official marks that belonged to various officials of the Russian Empire. Among them is the service sign “village headman”, made of bronze in the form of a round pendant. On one side of it is a relief image of the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and a circular inscription “village headman”. On the other in the center is the monogram of Emperor Alexander II, crowned with a crown, and the inscription on the circle “the 19th of February, 1861”. The mark was worn on a pin, chest, or a thin chain around the neck. The object was handed over in 1961 by a citizen of Polotsk Samoylenko.
The concept of "village headman" was enshrined in the "General Provision on peasants who left serfdom" of February 19, 1861.
The headman was elected by the village assembly for a three-year term. The village headman was involved in matters relating to the economic and social life of the community in his department: he monitored the timely collection of contributions, the condition of roads and bridges, dealt with family disputes, etc. If necessary, he had to organize the fight against fire, flood or epidemic. In addition, the headman could have put him under arrest for up to two days for minor offenses, fined up to 1 ruble, or appointed for public works.