Column: Pat Mulso, Preserving the Past

A week from today, on Sunday, Jan. 29, the Freeborn County Historical Museum will host an open house for our traveling exhibit, “Electrifying Minnesota” from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is any donation which will be designated for our museum building expansion fund. We also have a display from Freeborn Mower Cooperative Services that tells the story of their 75-year history. You may enter through the front doors or the gate by the Fairground arches. We will host a second open house on Feb. 12 from 1 to 4 p.m.

We have many school tours booked to see the exhibit and a scout troop has already toured this month. If you have a group that would like to set up a special viewing, please call to make arrangements soon. The last day the exhibit will be here is Sunday, Feb. 12.

This exhibit, from the Minnesota History Center and The Bakken Museum, was made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. It is administered by the Minnesota Historical Society.

The Freeborn County Historical Museum is also hosting a Defensive Driving Refresher Class from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 6. The cost is $19 per person, and you must pre-register for the class. You will receive your certificate at the completion of the class. The refresher class is required every three years after you have completed the initial eight-hour class to continue receiving a discount on your auto insurance.

The museum is also having a Library Lock-In in February, but that class is already full.

If you are interested in attending a workshop and receiving one-on-one help with your family research, please contact Pat or Linda at the museum to get your name on our waiting list for the next class we schedule. Our phone number is 507-373-8003.

We are looking for Girl Scout items for a display we will be making to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. If you have Girl Scout items that you are willing to loan the museum for an exhibit, please call or stop by the museum.

Membership renewal time is here. Membership renewals need to be paid by Jan. 31 to avoid a lapse in your membership and to continue receiving our quarterly newsletters. Letters and reminder calls will be made soon. We want to thank the 350 members who have already paid their 2012 memberships; this saves many dollars for the museum in postage, paper and staff time. We encourage the public also to consider being a member to support the preservation of the history of our county and its people. Household memberships start at just $25. Any donation above $25 is tax deductible.

The month is only two thirds gone and I have attended funerals for six friends and/or family members ranging from 51 years of age to 96 years old. Some were expected and some were not. This makes the idea of writing things down that I want my children, grandchildren and future generations to know seem a little more pressing. As I was going through some boxes in our storage area I came across a notebook that my mother had kept notes in during one of the trips to visit with us here in Minnesota and with my sister in South Dakota. Her daily writings were not extremely long, but they told her whereabouts, the events of the day and how she felt about them and it certainly brought memories back of her visit. If you haven’t started writing about your own history, now is the time, we don’t know what tomorrow holds! Remember what happens today is history tomorrow.

 

Pat Mulso is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum in Albert Lea.