Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
In the fall of 1965, the Hulbert Schoolhouse was transported from the Hulbert Farm to an empty lot on the west side of New Rockford, and has been home to a growing number of artifacts ever since. Courtesy photo.
This portion of the winter display includes a children's push sled that belonged to Bird Miller of Sheyenne. She used it to transport her two daughters during the winters of the 1910s. Inside the sled lie a pair of long white kid leather gloves that belonged to Lou Arnold Fahrer in 1902. The white velvet hat embellished with white plumes belonged to Nellie Dykes and was worn in the 1920s. Also present is a horse hide robe which belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schaefer of Bremen and two pairs of ice skates: one set from the Charles Purdy Family and another from Mary Haas. Sylvester Wallace's kerosene lantern provides an important source of light. Slightly obscured by the angle of the photograph is a piece of original artwork by Henry S. Grinde in 1912 titled "Anxious Moments." It depicts a wolf attacking a stag in a winter scene. The whole display comes together with the inclusion of a snowy owl specimen. Courtesy photo.
Once upon a time, the Eddy County Museum was nothing more than a growing idea. That idea took root deeper when the board secured and relocated the one-room Hulbert Schoolhouse from Superior Township. I don't imagine the schoolhouse stood empty for long. The meeting minutes of the Pioneer Daughters reflected excitement as volunteers made arrangements to move items from storage to the schoolhouse.
Over the next two decades, the museum continued to grow in size and in number of artifacts. The Brantford Depot arrived in 1973 and the Stavanger Church was relocated to the grounds in 1984. This is the Eddy County Museum we have grown to love and cherish over the years. Just think how delighted our predecessors are to see the work of the museum and historical society has continued on!
It is important to remember, it doesn't stop there. One day we'll be part of the past too. There are future generations for us to think about as well.
We are striving to do more than just collect items to put on display. We are working to better curate our items so that we can understand the context and the history that surrounds both the artifacts and the people connected to them. For those of you not familiar with museum lingo, curation is the process of selecting, organizing and looking after the items in a museum. Sometimes bringing distinct artifacts together under overarching themes, can result in visually interesting displays and incredible cultural insights.
Our next step is to present our newfound information to the public. Archival Anecdotes is just one example of this endeavor. In the spring we will be working on interpretive signage and better labeling. And as always, a portion of our collections are available at eddycounty.catalogaccess.com.
Today the Hulbert schoolhouse contains the original teacher's desk, childhood items and artifacts related to summertime leisure. In the southeast corner of the schoolhouse is a display of winter-related items. In the center are yearbooks and scrapbooks available for visitors to browse. Along the northeast wall are items more related to adulthood in the early part of the 20th century. This includes women's hats, purses and accessories, but we also have combs and razors, shoe polish and pomades, and even a few undergarments as well. The southeast corner offers an impressive display of winter artifacts.
Now that you can grasp the contents of the schoolhouse, let me ask you a question, "Why do we have dishes and fine china against the south wall?"
The answer is simple – that is where they were put 60 years ago, and until we have more space, that is where they will stay.
