Pat Mulso is the interim executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum, Library and Village, 1031 Bridge Ave.

Preserving the Past by Pat Mulso

I have just returned from my family reunion in Fort Recovery, Ohio, where 319 of my relatives gathered to renew family bonds, share stories, play games, visit, eat and to recognize and give a warm Hartings welcome to the descendants of our family member who was separated from the rest of the family 166 years ago. I have included one photo.

We had a great day and plan to have another reunion in three years when we hope to assemble over 1,000 of our relatives.

Relatives came from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, Montana, Colorado, Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Missouri and New York. We all enjoyed a fabulous dinner, which included roast beef, chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, noodles, corn, coleslaw and bread followed by cupcakes for all.

We had descendants of all the brothers who came over from Germany in 1850 and lived to have families. Name tags were color-coded so you could tell which brother was your direct line. Photos were taken of each descendant’s line and then of the entire family.

The museum will host a four-hour AARP defensive driving refresher class from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25. The cost is $20 for AARP members or $25 for non-members, which includes the class materials and administrative fee. Participants must pre-register for the class and will need their driver’s license to do so. The refresher course is needed every three years after the initial eight-hour class is taken to continue receiving a discount on your auto insurance. Call or stop by the museum to register during our regular business hours. You will receive your certificate at the end of the class. The next class will be from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

The museum and village will be open extended hours during the Freeborn County Fair, however, the museum library will be closed during fair week. The gate by the village church will be open from noon to 8 p.m. from Aug. 2 to Aug. 6, and from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 7. Admission to the museum and village is free to all fair attendees during fair week.

 

Save the date

“Echoes from the Past: A Journey into History” will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at the museum. Tickets are $7.50 and are available at the museum in advance or at the door the night of the event as space permits. This will be the museum’s 16th annual “Echoes from the Past: A Journey into History,” where the lives of four individuals who lived and were part of the history of the county come to life. Their stories will be told by re-enactors who have developed their story lines from data collected on each individual. Each presentation will be approximately 15 minutes. Refreshments will be available after the program.

Our annual Autumn in the Village will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17. In the past this event was held on a Sunday, but this year we are having the event on a Saturday. Watch for details next month.

We are still looking for individuals or small groups to adopt buildings in our village. This is not a huge commitment of time, but will truly be appreciated by all museum visitors and staff. The village is open from May through September. When you adopt a building you help us to keep the building clean and in good repair. Call the museum for further information or to sign up for a building.

Have a great week and we’ll hope to see you during the fair!