Fall 2009 Newsletter

The new exhibit at the Frahm House was assembled by our summer intern, Ryan Herman with the assistance of our curator, Faith Norwood. It is on the schools of Washington County. We have short pieces of information on each of the schools and several books and other items on display to help bring back the memories of all the good old days of school.

For the rest of the story, we hope that you become a part of the exhibit. Individuals with ties to the county will be asked to fill out memory sheets to add to our scrap books on all these bastions of education and hallowed halls of life as once existed in the hills of Washington County. Over 50 schools have existed here at one time or another.

We are looking for pictures, old records, mementos and year books from all these old schools and hope that you can bring them to share with the museum and alums of this rapidly ending educational scene. We would love to have the items donated, but if you are not able to do that, maybe you would consider at least letting us photograph items or scan the pages for our records.

Each Saturday from 1-4pm we will have designated schools for reunions. We hope that students and staff who attended those schools will find there way to the Frahm House to meet and reminisce. Check out the web page for when your school is listed. A partial list follows:

• September 12: Herman Schools
• September 19: Brinkman, Wranch, Goll and Telbasta
• September 26: Fontanelle, Brederson, Coming City and Garryowen.
  This is also National Museum Day and all are invited to attend with free admission. Tea will be served at the Frahm House.
• October 10: Kindred, Riverview, LeCrone and Timpe
• October 17: Vacoma, Sutherland, Rispin and Cruikshank
• October 24: Nashville, Pleasantview, Lallman, Whitford

Fort Calhoun Exhibit at the Museum

Continuing our tour of communities around the county the current exhibit in the bank building deals with Fort Calhoun. Included in the exhibit are examples of products made by the Wilkinson Company including an example of the first tray used for “TV Dinners.” Additional items are from the Sievers-Sprick mortuary, including the only part remaining from the original hearse that started the five generation family business.

Several unique Volunteer Fire Department items are also on display. A video on the importance of corn and its ties to this community can be played and there are information and coloring pages to take home on fire departments and Lewis and Clark.

Items from the Fort, the local hotels and restaurants are also available for your perusal to round out this interesting exhibit.

We hope you will stop by to see this before it goes off display at the end of the year.

From the Executive Director

It is hard to believe that I have been here eleven months. The time has gone quickly. It is an invigorating time to be at the museum. We are making plans for the winter season and they look exciting . We had a successful summer program and are making plans for next summer to make it bigger and better.
This summer we had an intern from Dana College, Ryan Herman. He learned about life at a small museum and also created the new exhibit on Washington County Schools at the Frahm House. Stop by and see his work on upcoming Saturdays. We also had Dustin Burrack helping us this summer through a federal program. He brought his friend Jesse Long on several occasions for much needed assistance. Collin Coon volunteered with the education program. You might want to think about volunteering with us. We can always use the help.
Membership is our next objective. Check out the enclosed information. Budgets are always tight and we appreciate any assistance you can give. This year we are spelling out what we have to offer and what benefits you will receive from being a member. This newsletter is one of those benefits. We are no longer sending this letter out to anyone that asks. It will be posted on the web page in a different form. It is the hope that we can eventually put most of this letter in electronic format, so when you join, please include your email address.
A special thanks to Marv and Judy Rohwer for all the work on Tractors Tall and Small in August. It brought the community together and was a success because of all the hard work. Now help us convince Marv and Judy we should do it again.
September 26 is National Museum Day. Everyone is admitted free and tea will be served at the Frahm House. . . .Mark

Tractors Tall and Small A Success!

The day dawned(?) bleak and dark. Rain came down in spurts and sheets and several folks were not sure they wanted any part of the event. Then you saw Judy’s smile and you knew all would be well with the world. After an interesting set up, shortly after nine the rains ended and the sun peeked through to make for a beautiful day for a tractor event.
Over five hundred attended. They saw over 40 different tractors, hundreds of toy tractors, a pulley exhibit, hand carved farm equipment, youth art work, vendors pedaling their wares and several farm exhibits. It was a success in all aspects. Winners of events included:

• Youth Art: 1st Jack Clarke, 2nd Meg Lashier, 3rd Leo Clarke and Honorable Mention Chelsea Lukasiewicz

• Farm Exhibit: 1st Marv Rohwer, 2nd Felix Recek

• Indoor Exhibit: 1st Bob Fey, 2nd Jack Lorsch, 3rd Glen Mohr

• Outdoor Tractors: 1st Denny Baehr, 2nd Tom Shirley, 3rd John Honaker & Lori Trede

We hope to see you all on August 14, 2010, for another major event. Put it on your calendar now, you won’t be disappointed.

Halloween At the Museum And Mystery & Mayhem?

The annual Halloween Event will be held on Saturday, October 31, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the museum. This years theme is currently being discussed by Doug Cook and his capable committee. It is always an adventure and this year promises to be more of the same. Last year over 400 attended the affair and there is always room for one more. We encourage all youth in the county to stop by and enjoy this haunting experience. We can always use volunteers to help with this event. Let us know if you would like to help. It is a great way to do service hours for school or work.
Speaking of the mystery and mayhem (a slight stretch maybe) if any of you are interested in participating in a quarterly mystery book club group at the Frahm House, please contact the Executive Director at info@newashcohist.org Mystery writers from Nebraska would be emphasized. Day and time TBD.

Christmas at the Museum and Frahm House

This year is another instance of bigger and better at the museum. The Frahm House and the Museum will be open the first three Saturdays of December. There will be entertainment and programs at both sites. We have been promised a group from Dana and a local family group might also put in an appearance. If you know of a group that might like to perform, give us a call.
At the Frahm House cookies and punch will be served and you can see the beautiful trees decorated by the capable volunteers led by Ms. Catherine Genoways. There is always something a little different every year. Memories are made of this and we hope you all can come.
There will also be special activities for the youth at the Second Saturday adventure at 10 am. Come and find out about the traditions and history of Christmas.
At the museum the theme is “Santa Around the World. “ There will be several trees decorated by volunteer groups and activities will also be going on Saturday and Sunday each weekend. A special collection of Santas from around the world will be on display as well as Christmas items from the museum collection.
In the spirit of the season, we would ask that if you come to the museum you would consider bringing items for those less fortunate. Donations will be given to Joseph’s Coat .

• December 6, is Mittens at the Museum.

• December 13, is Undie Sunday

• December 20, is Diaper Day

Santa will also be at the museum. With three weekends to choose from, we hope you can find a time to attend and take a moment to relax in time past.

Nebraska History Day Northeast District Hosted by WCHA at DANA

Mark your calendar for March 6, 2010, at Dana College. That is that date that the Washington County Historical Association and Dana College will be hosting Northeast Nebraska History Day. This will be a first for both institutions.

History Day is a national program that encourages students in grades 6-12 to create a project that is history related. This years theme is “Innovation in History: Impact and Change.” The projects can be a research paper, an exhibit, a dramatic presentation, a historical documentary, or a web page. The displays and presentations will be judged and the top three winners in each category will advance to state competition in April at Nebraska Wesleyan University. A national event is also held in June for state winners.

Dr. Iain Anderson of Dana, will be in charge of the judges. He has participated in state judging for a number of years and history students at Dana will also assist with the event. All three high schools and the middle schools in Washington County have indicated an interest in participating. It is hoped that over ten schools will participate this year and more in the future. Home schooled students are welcome to enter as well. Further information will be available on our web site and you can contact Mark Schulze at info@newashcohist.org if you have any questions.

Summer Programs On the Move

Dinosaurs, weaving and Indigenous Culture crafts were big hits this summer. Weather affected some programs while others appealed to a wide variety of youth. All in all, attendance was up and all seemed pleased with what was done. We have had several give praise for our efforts and offer suggestions for next summer . Several youth entered their projects in competition at the county fair and won ribbons. Youth learned about Lewis and Clark and how to do primary research. One young lady spent parts of three days with our curator, Faith Norwood, and found out what that job is all about.

If you stayed around until noon on Fridays, you could also enjoy a hot dog, chips, cookie and soda for only $1.00.

We are already making plans for next year. Your input is important, so let us know what you think we should offer. Lace making? Advanced weaving? Re-enactors? All possibilities to explore at WCHA Museum.

Contact us at WCHA 402-468-5740 or at curator@newashcohist.org  or
info@newashcohist.org  or come to the museum: 102 N 14th in Fort Calhoun.
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