Water is good &045; to drink, to cook potatoes in, to bathe in, to make coffee with, to swim in, to fish in, to freeze into ice cubes, to wash clothes with, to sprinkle the lawn so the grass will grow, to use as an engine coolant, even to enjoy watching little rain drops as they make intricate patterns on the window on a mellow day.

Water is not good when it is coming through the roof.

A few weeks ago, we were surprised to see a stain on the floor in the museum’s archives area. It couldn’t be from coffee or pop. That is strictly verboten in that area of the museum.

An inspection of the ceiling showed some small water stains on the tiles. As spring rains came, the stains grew larger and our concern increased. We contacted several area roofers and after reading through their bids, selected Rightway Roofing in Alden to do the roof replacement.

They will be removing the old tar covering, replacing any damaged or wet insulation and other materials and then replacing the roof with rubber.

We also will need to do some minor repair inside the archives.

Consequently, we are forced to go to the community and ask for help in replacing the ceiling. Our total costs will be $12,000. And, we would sincerely appreciate any donation you might be able to make.

It seems that in today’s world there are so many worthwhile causes. I hope that you will add this one to your list.

For anyone who is not familiar with the archives area of the museum, it is located south and west of the library. In this large section, all of the paper records are stored &045; information dating back to the mid 1850s of business, church, school, and organization records, photographs &045; three four-drawer filing cabinets plus the more than 6,000 images from the Bidney Bergie estate, county and city maps, city directories, high school year books, telephone books, genealogical research information, Sears & Roebuck catalogs (a great source for that unknown item that is donated &045; Sears sold everything), business mementos (give away items containing logos), books by local authors, Eddie Cochran and Marion Ross memorabilia, family papers, newspapers and many more paper items.

Many of these pieces are one of a kind, and oftentimes the only piece surviving from an earlier period of our history. For example, a receipt from Sigsbee, Minn., proving that in the early part of the 20th century there was a town in Freeborn County named Sigsbee and it had a general store.

Our library is the busiest part of the museum, year round. Students, genealogists, artists, engineers, city and county staff, authors, and a host of other people visit the library regularly.

That section of the archives area also contains the clothing that has been donated to the museum. We have ladies’ and men’s suits and children’s clothing that date back to the turn of the century &045; the 19th century.

Presently most of this clothing is wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and stored in acid-free boxes. It is brought out for special displays, fashion shows or for textile researchers. Any dampness or mold could destroy the fabrics, and thus another part of our history would be lost.

When I say “our history,” I mean exactly that &045; yours and mine. The papers, photos, maps and clothing items belong to all of us. They are not the property of a small, exclusive club.

The Freeborn County Historical Museum belongs to everyone in the county, whether you choose to support it or not. This history is your history.

The board of directors, the museum staff and the various committees are made up of people with a particular interest in history and its preservation. These people help to guide the museum to a secure future, so it will always be there for the next generations.

We are hoping that the people in Freeborn County will understand and feel a little responsibility for the care of these artifacts.

When I said “water is a good thing,” I was having fun with words, and I was not referring to the water that is finding its way into the archive area. That is scary to me. We caught the problem early enough that it cannot do serious damage if the repairs are done now.

Your donation can be sent to the Freeborn County Historical Museum, 1031 Bridge Ave., Albert Lea, MN, 56007. Indicate &uot;Roof Fund&uot; in the memo area.

We sincerely appreciate your help. Thank you.

(Bev Jackson is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum.)