There are several details within the displays at the Freeborn County Historical Museum on North Bridge Avenue that serve as authentic and nostalgic reminders of the past. And some interesting parts of the displays are based on the lamp and light shades once used in area homes.

These electrical accessories help to reflect the Victorian Era themes of a century ago which served as the exterior and interior motifs for many residences.

All the older electrical lights in the museum’s exhibit areas originated somewhere else. Some were acquired from local homeowners who decided to modernize their furnishings. A few likely came from home remodeling projects. And still other fixtures reportedly may have been salvaged from homes in the former Grove Avenue neighborhood. The homes were either demolished or moved elsewhere in the early 1970s as part of the expansion of Naeve Hospital (now the Albert Lea Medical Center).

About a century ago these electrical fixtures were sold at several hardware stores, department stores and later at stores specializing in electrical goods.

One local store which once had a special section for electrical lamps and fixtures was Skinner Chamberlain on South Broadway Avenue. Also, these lighting fixtures could be purchased by mail order from the Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck firms.