Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Archival Anecdotes: A museum is made

It has been nearly 60 years since the Eddy County Museum held its first meeting and established a board of directors.

The founding board was led by chairman Alice Rindt and secretary-treasurer Addie Leske. Lenora Neuharth served on the museum board and as president of the Minerva Club. Edyth Piper was also involved in the Minerva Club in addition to the museum, and was president of the Pioneer Daughters. Elsie Dunham, Joyce Mattson, Ann Owens, Edgar Mattson, Joe Rindt, Edwin Horning, and Horton Starke were also active on the museum board.

The purpose of this new organization included the acquisition, restoration, display and keeping and disposition of properties, including properties of historical value/interest; to perpetuate the memory of those who, by their labors and heroism, contributed to making the history of Eddy County; and the stimulating of interest in the history.

One of their first tasks, however, was to define a space to house the museum. Amid the developments of these organizations, there was a reorganization taking place on a county level. Under the consolidation of schools, country schools were being closed and students were bussed to town. The opportunity in this was not lost on the board.

Owens stated, "What would better identify with the history of the Eddy Co, than a country schoolhouse, which always contained our country's flag, symbolic of our ideals of liberty and justice and the ten commandments, symbolic of the basic laws for sound character formation?"

Superintendent Joe Rindt led a committee to secure a schoolhouse for the museum. The committee selected Superior #2, which was located on the Hulbert Farm. The Hulbert Schoolhouse, as it came to be called, was relocated to a site directly across from the Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd on a set of lots that were donated by James and Connie Williams.

What a truly fruitful collaboration this was – the Eddy County Museum has since expanded and will soon be reaching a milestone of 60 years in operation!

 
 
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