FREEBORN – This small town will open a building to the public that has been in the works for the last two years.

Through fundraising the Freeborn Area Heritage Society raised $41,000 to build a display for the town’s first fire truck, a 1946 Ford, which has been in storage, and a 1926 Ford Model T that was donated in 2010 by Dixon Smith in memory of his wife, Jane Smith of Freeborn.

“In a town of 300 people we did very very well,” Dr. Al Mendenhall, president of the Freeborn Area Heritage Society, said about the fundraising.

Mendenhall said a lot of the money came from small donors, but there were four large donors including Smith, Pride Builders of Freeborn, Canon Valley Communications Foundations and Kevin Savick, a former Freeborn resident who died in 2011 who made a $23,000 donation to the Heritage Society.

What started as an idea to build a garage for the car quickly expanded to a building that includes a bathroom, heated floors, flower garden and strand board walls so memorabilia can be hung on display.

Some items have already been planned for display.

One of the items is a plaque signifying that the Camp Courage corn drive originated in Freeborn.

The corn drive is a fundraiser conducted by FFA chapters and the proceeds are donated to Camp Courage, a summer camp for children and adults with disabilities.

Other memorabilia planned for display are trophies and photos from Freeborn High School.

“Hopefully we’re going to have a full blown local type museum,” Mendenhall said.

The grand opening of the new building will be May 5. In conjunction, a pancake breakfast will be served from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Freeborn American Legion.