Wow! This is column number 370, and it is my last column as the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum. In March of 1990, when Marlene Behle, Albert Lea Tribune family pages editor, and I discussed the possibility of a column twice a month, I had no idea what I would write about. Here I am, 370 columns later, saying “farewell.”

When I announced my retirement in June, we didn’t know how long the search and hiring process would take. With so many interested (and interesting) applicants, this has been an unusual three months, and now I am looking forward to the future with excitement and nostalgia.

Just for fun, I recently pulled from the file a copy of the first column I wrote for the Tribune. It contained my enthusiasm for history and my excitement about some new displays we were doing at the museum.

In my 18 years at FCHM, that enthusiasm has never waned. I still believe that “History is…” and I’d like to tell you why.

It all started with “Gone With the Wind” when I was a little kid. The life journey of the fictional Scarlet O’Hara during the Civil War era caught me up in adventures that I thought occurred only in the movies. More than 30 years later, Dr. Richard Guentzel in his American History class at Austin Community College, allowed me to see that history is adventures, but it is more than that. When he described the conversations that took place at the federal level prior to the Civil War, I wanted to shout, “Why did you say that? Don’t you realize what is going to happen? It will affect our fives for generations!” Dr. Guentzel made history come alive. He defined history as real people. People like you and me. He made me realize that the decisions we make, as we go about out daily lives, are important to the future of our family and our community. Each choice we make has an impact.

What has happened in New Orleans recently is a perfect example of that. Some people have chosen to make personal sacrifices to help the victims of Katrina. Others have chosen to take advantage of the horror, and to create even more horror. Choices! We are all a part of history.

These past months for me have been a time of remembering.

When I was hired in 1987, the board of directors did not really know what the future would hold, and neither did I. The museum was open for three hours a day in the summer, and most of the board members enjoyed a few hours a week on the grounds painting and pounding and maintaining the village buildings. There were school tours in the spring and a couple of demonstration days in the fall. Except for these special days, the museum and village were closed from September through May.

I remember coming in to a dark museum at 8 in the morning, sitting alone at my desk, and wondering “What will I do today&uot;’

Now we are open year round, and the staff of six people cannot keep up with the work. We are recognized as the source of area history for genealogists, researchers, and visitors from around the world. All of the treasures in the museum, village, library, and archives are being used and appreciated for their historical value. It’s exciting for me to have played a role in the growth and development of the complex.

One winter, volunteer Georges Denzene and I decided to open 14 display cases, repaint the interiors (from various shades of green), and create new exhibits. We moved the mix of dolls-guns-clocks displays into chronological and subject order.

Other volunteers helped to create temporary exhibits in Heritage Hall ranging from items in our own storage areas to temporary displays from other organizations. When we brought in the University of Minnesota exhibit called “Folk Arts in Minnesota,” the semi driver opened the door of his trailer, and we all gasped. The trailer contained several coffin-sized boxes, each weighing hundreds of pounds. There were four of us to unload the exhibit cases, me and three men in their 70s. We did it!

Several years later, I suggested to Bidney Bergie that the rock’n’roll star, Eddie Cochran, might someday be an attraction that could bring visitors from across the U.S. and maybe even other nations. He couldn’t equate that with historic corn planters and log cabins.

When we applied for our first grant to the Minnesota Historical Society, we asked for help with reorganizing the library and archives into a more useable and accessible area. They turned us down. They said that we needed a lot more expertise than we had available. Gradually, using our own resources, we’ve grown the library into one of the most significant areas of the museum.

When we did our “Recycling” exhibit and equated underwear made from feed sacks to today’s biweekly pick-ups of newspapers, glass, and magazines, people questioned the connection. My mother’s words came to mind. “People don’t really change. We just change the labels.”

We’ve grown our membership income from $800 to almost $50,000, our hours from summer afternoons to full-time year around, and our school connections from occasional tours to programs that are a part of the school curriculum.

We’ve come a long way, and I am so glad that I have been a part of the process. Through these columns, you have shared my journey. A very special THANK YOU to everyone who helped along the way. We couldn’t have done it without you!

(Bev Jackson is the executive director of the Freeborn County Historical Museum.)