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Breaking Ground
Saturday, October 31, was a "treat" for the members
and friends of the Fremont County Historical Society for
on that day ground breaking ceremonies were held to begin
the construction of the Rodeo Museum. A large crowd representing
all areas of the county was there to celebrate. This event
represents another significant milestone for the Society.
The Historical Society is in its fifth decade. The founding
group of county-wide representatives named the new organization
the Fremont County Historical Society. Its organizing meeting
was held July 10, 1962. Officers were elected and the group
established its mission: "To preserve the heritage
of southwest Iowa and the stories of its people." The
Society was ready to begin.
In 1966, the Society acquired its first building for a $1.00-
the Baptist church on Cass in Sidney. The Society's growing
collection of donated historical items now had a place to
be stored. In 1969 a second building was added when the
Fremont County Farm Bureau Women moved the Sunnyside Country
School to its current location north of the museum church.
The search started for a permanent home to display museum
exhibits. In 1972, the Historical Society paid $10,000 for
801 Indiana Street in Sidney. The building that had been
a feed store and a car dealership was about to be transformed
into a museum.
Volunteers gathered building materials from an old house
to create rooms in the museum. A general store and early
Penn drug were completed during the nation's Bicentennial.
Grant money at that time was secured to continue upgrading
the building. (The Society's Resource Center has many news
stories and pictures from this busy time.)
The eighties were a time of compiling information. The records
of the museum are full of information meticulously collected
and archived by willing volunteers. Today thousands of obituaries
are organized because of these efforts.
In 1995, the Historical Society became involved with the
Ferrel House in Randolph. Thelma Ferrel left a trust to
turn her home into a beautiful area in the town of Randolph.
She asked the Society to take on that task. The result is
a completely restored home that reflects the style of the
late 1800's. Today, work continues to restore the Ferrel
wash house and to beautify the grounds.
In 2000, efforts began to renovate the museum's church.
A Vision Iowa CAT grant and hours of volunteer work resulted
in the building becoming the Gathering Place. It now serves
as a county-wide performing arts center that features a
community theater and meeting place.
At the beginning of the new century, leaders of the society
realized that the museum exhibits were in need of major
repair. The decision was to renovate the exhibits and to
acclimatize the building. The project was expanded in 2006
to include the Rodeo Museum.
The ground breaking held on Saturday was just another step
in the many that have been made from 2006 to the present
in moving the whole project forward. But to Historical Society
members, the ceremony insures that the organization will
continue. It ensures the volunteer work in the past will
remain important. The next chapter of the history of the
Society has officially begun.
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