SCRIBE Want to help make

Christmas in the County a

success?

Here is how you can help us make

Christmas in the County successful:

Donate baked goods to sell on

the bake sale

Donate items for the silent

auction or make a auction

basket

Assist during the event at one of

the stations

Assist volunteers and staff with

decorating for the event

If you’d like to help with Christmas

in the County, please contact us

at (507) 437-6082.

In This Issue

A Debt of Gratitude p.2

An American Sport p. 6

The Collections Care

Corner p.8

Preserving Memories

p.10

World War II in Mower

County p.11

Kids lined up at the Fall Harvest Celebration to make a scarecrow puppet to take home. Despite the weather, many people came out to celebrate the harvest season with us.

Christmas in the County to take place December 14! What is more fun than taking a sleigh ride in the snow, getting some Christmas

shopping done, and completing your holiday baking? Well...nothing! Come to the

Christmas in the County celebration at the Mower County Historical Society to do

all of that. This year’s festivities will take place on December 13 and 14.

As always, the Pre-Sale Bake Sale will be held on Friday, December 13 to get

your holiday baking completed in plenty of time. A change this year is that is

extended by 1 hour! The bake sale will begin at 3 PM and go until 6 PM.

Bring the family back on Saturday, December 14 to enjoy a wide variety of

activities. Take a ride in the snow with our horse and mule teams, make a new

Christmas ornament to hang on the tree, bid on a wide variety of baskets and

items at the silent auction, get a raffle ticket to win a fabulous prize, or enjoy a hot

cup of chili.

Get in the Christmas spirit at the Mower County Historical Society this December!

Thank you to those members who renewed their membership and

welcome to our new members!

Mower County Historical Society Newsletter Fall 2013

MOWER HISTORY

2 Mower History Scribe

Mower County Historical Society Board of Directors

Garry Ellingson, President

Glenn Medgaarden,

Vice President

Pat Kitchings, Secretary

Diana Witt, Treasurer

Miguel Garate

Don Konken

Jackie Holst

Terry Donovan

Royce Helmbrecht

Ardis Jensen

Board meetings this quarter will

be on October 1, November 5,

and December 3. All meetings

begin at 7 PM unless otherwise

noted.

Staff and interns from Hormel Foods Corporation helped out in July to get the buildings ready for the Fair. We are very appreciative of their efforts to tackle this big task!

Mower County Historical Society Staff

Dustin Heckman,

Executive Director

director@mowercountyhistory.org

Sue Doocy,

Research & Archives Manager

research@mowercountyhistory.org

Jaimie Timm, Curator

collections

@mowercountyhistory.org

John Morgan,

Museum Assistant from

Experience Works

A Debt of Gratitude It’s two words that can’t be said enough: Thank you!

The last few months have really shown the genuine caring spirit of people who

want to help the historical society succeed. People play a little part where they

can to help keep the wheels moving and progress going forward. You never know

how good you have it until you see it play out in front of your eyes.

First of all, we have the Hormel Foods Corporation. Starting in 2012, the company

has made it an annual event to bring their interns out to our site to assist with the

cleaning of buildings ahead of the Mower County Fair. As one can expect this is a

big operation. In past years, we’ve worked to spread the cleaning and prep work

out over a few weeks leading up to the fair. Now we can get it done all in a couple

of hours with the help of the Hormel interns. This has been a tremendous help for

us to get ready for our biggest event of the year.

Next, the AMAZING volunteer base that we have here at the historical society. It

never ceases to amaze me. With a week to go before the Fair, I was getting

worried. We had many holes to fill especially on the weekend. But our volunteers

and members stepped forward to fill the gaps above and beyond what they had

originally committed. Every shift was filled and we were able to open all of our

buildings to the public during Fair Week.

Lastly, the family here at the historical society. Yes you read that right...family.

For five years, I’ve gotten to build an extended family here at the historical society.

This year has definitely been filled with ups and downs. Like all families we

celebrate little wins together and other days we don’t see eye to eye. But we’ve

gotten through it together. There have been many people that I’ve gotten to meet

along this journey and I’m sure a few more in the years to come.

Three members of our family will move on in December from their official

capacities. Diana Witt has served as our Treasurer since 2008. She is always (Continued on page 4)

Summer 2013 3

Upcoming

Events

October 17 2 PM

“Preserving Memories”

presentation at the

Mower County Senior

Center

November 7 6 PM

Annual Meeting at the

Hormel Historic Home

November 19 2 PM

“World War II in Mower

County” presentation at

the Mower County Senior

Center

November 28 & 29

Office Closed for

Thanksgiving

December 13 3 to 6 PM

Christmas in the County

Pre-Sale Bake Sale

December 14 3 to 7 PM

Christmas in the County

December 24 & 25

Office Closed for

Christmas

January 1, 2014

Office Closed for New

Year’s Day

Help Raise Funds for MCHS during the Great Minnesota Give Together on November 14 Once again, the Mower County Historical Society will be participating in Give to

the Max Day through GiveMN.org. This year’s event will take place on Thursday,

November 14. Just like in past years, those wanting to make a donation can go to

the GiveMN.org website and search for the “Mower County Historical Society”

then make a donation using their credit or debit card.

A big incentive is the opportunity for the historical society to win additional prizes

with the help of each donation. Every hour, one nonprofit and one school will be

chosen to win a $1,000 golden ticket prize. Additional prizes are given based on

overall donors and donations, power hour donations, and fundraising campaign

uniqueness.

Give to the Max Day begins at 12:01 AM and goes through midnight. All

donations will be recognized after the event. This year all funds will go towards

the general operations of the historical society.

If you would like more information on how Give to the Max Day works, please

contact Dustin.

@MowerCoHistory

Use #dighistory to tell

us how you dig

history!

4 Mower History Scribe

Thank you to

these donors!

Pat Kitchings

Neil & Mary Hanson

David Ebertz

Sarah Broadbent

Lillian Fetterly

Colette Chaffee

Susan Logas

Diana Tizard

Anonymous (total of 3)

Garry & Sharon Ellingson

Austin American Legion

Post #91

Dr. Dick & Belita

Schindler

Betty O’Brien

Jim & Linda Lind

Craig & Nancy Welken

Mayer Funeral Home

Mayo Clinic Health

Systems - Albert Lea &

Austin

Scott & Erin Felten

Jeanne Poppe

Ruth Collette

Jeffrey Frank

Ryan Lee

Kieth Eilertson

Pat Sorenson

Royce & Karen

Helmbrecht

Glenn & Judy

Medgaarden

Don & Leah Konken

Josie Cummings

Olivia’s Family

Restaurant

Accentra Credit Union

Holiday Cars of Austin

Artesian Fresh Inc.

Greg & Amy Baskin

Gene & Polly Jelinek

Casey’s General Store

Ivan & Mary Witt

(Continued on page 7)

quick with a smile and a friendly greeting. Garry Ellingson served as Vice

President from 2010 to 2012 and has served this year as President. He has been

known as our handyman when things need fixing around the site. Miguel Garate

has helped on the Special Events and Nominating Committees for six years. He

is always looking for ways to be more inclusive and get different cultural aspects

into the historical society. All three of them started on the board the year I was

hired. It is sad to see them go, but I’m sure we’ll still see them around.

Since the middle of August, the family here has been extremely helpful and caring

to me personally. My wife and I were trying to cruise through a “normal”

pregnancy when it became anything but normal. Lynn was hospitalized and that

meant, I had to be away for an extended period of time. My co-workers stepped

right in to fill the gaps, including helping me write two grants and get them

submitted on time. Board members and volunteers came to the office to see if

additional help was needed. After my daughter was born, the family helped out to

make the best of not so great circumstances. Cards, well wishes, and prayers

that helped us get through the bad days and celebrate the good days as well. For

that I am ever so thankful!

Gratitude is not always an easy thing to learn. But it always starts with the same

two words: Thank you!

(Continued from page 2) A Debt of Gratitude

Frank Bridges poses for a photo with attendees from his Lunchbox History Series talk about the early history of theatre in Austin.

Summer 2013 5

Historical Society Wish List

Want to help the historical society

out? We have a few items on our

wish list that use a lot or need for a

special project or event.

Office Supplies

8 1/2 x 11 paper

11 x 17 paper

Paper clips

Stamps

Cleaning Supplies

Microfiber clothes

Tall kitchen garbage bags

Large garbage bags

Bathroom cleaning supplies

Christmas in the County

LED Christmas lights (interior and

exterior)

LED Lawn decorations

LED Hanging decorations

Extension cords

Multi-plug adapter

Interior Christmas decorations

Silent auction baskets & items

Big Ticket Items

Cordless power drill

Visitors perused the Minnesota Homefront traveling exhibit during Fair Week. The historical society had a record year for attendance during the 2013 Mower County Fair!

Membership Dues Change for 2014 Starting in January 2014, membership dues will be due on a rolling basis.

Currently all dues are to be paid on January 1 of each year. With the change,

members can pay their dues in any month and their membership will be due the

1st of that month in the following year. This change is being made to allow

members to receive their full benefits for a whole calendar year.

An example of how this will work:

John and Jane Doe pay their family membership on March 15, 2014. The

membership will be due again on March 1, 2015.

Anyone who pays their membership during the remainder of 2013 will still be

subject to the current stipulation of their membership being good from January 1

to December 31. After January 1, it will move to the rolling basis.

If you have any questions on how this change will work, please contact Dustin for

more details.

6 Mower History Scribe

An American Sport by Sue Doocy, Research & Archives Manager

The All-American sport of football has been around for over 100 years, and it was

accepted in Mower County just like any other village in America, with gusto and

excitement of a new challenge. Who could win a game of brute strength and

strategy.

At first, college games in Duluth and Chicago were noted in the Austin Daily

Herald along with people campaigning against the brutal sport, working to abolish

the game with anti-football bills and attempting to place football in the same

category as prizefighting in 1896. Then in December 1896, the Herald explained

that the football field was called a gridiron because of its shape and markings, not

because the game often ended in a broil, and explained some of the rules.

The Herald announced in November 1898, that Austin High School Football

Eleven traveled by train to Osage, Iowa and then won the game. The editor

encouraged people to support the team by welcoming the team home and by

attending the next game against Osage on Thanksgiving Day, in which he

promised it to be “one of the hottest games in Southern Minnesota”.

On September 30, 1902, injuries suffered in football games were treated at home

as was the case when Edward Bertram and John Gilligan collided and Gilligan

was taken home with a broken leg. Drs. Knight and Macreklein made a house call

and provided medical attention.

An inaudible cringe appeared in the Herald on October 18, 1902 as it reported that

the Mason City team weighed an average 176 pounds and one player weighed

250 alone, compared with Austin’s team average of 145 pounds.

Criticizing football officials is not new to the game, and officials were publicly

scolded by the Herald reporter on November 3, 1902, after Austin High School

team was “unjustly treated” by the officials and Rochester people. The reporter

stated that one Rochester player, the officials and Rochester fans wanted to win

by any means possible and “conducted themselves on a plan too low to be worthy

of being called by any such name”. With a score of 5 – 0, the reporter praised the

Austin team, aside from their treatment, they played a fair and good game on their

part.

(Continued on page 7)

The Question of Citizenship There was a time, between 1906-1922 that if an American woman married a foreigner she lost her citizenship. And when other women gained the right to vote in 1920 she had to wait until 1940 when Congress repatriated women’s citizenship rights. She may have regained citizenship if her husband became a naturalized citizen or she became a widow. But if she lived abroad in her husband’s country for five years, it was assumed that she had renounced her citizenship.

This in a sense kept many people from becoming citizens because of other issues.

On the flip side, an American man who married a foreigner did not lose his citizenship, and his wife became a citizen, providing that she might be lawfully naturalized and was able to vote in 1920.

The following websites give more information about citizenship and varying degrees of becoming or staying a U.S. citizen.

U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/104346.pdf

National Archives

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/summer/women-and-naturalization-1.html

Grand Meadow Football Team early team circa 1940s

Summer 2013 7

Austin High School football team played in October 1908 on Corbit Field against

Spring Valley.

On November 13, 1911, the Herald reported Grand Meadow played football

against Cy Thomson’s Sunday School Class and beat their opponent 5 to 0. Of

course, the Grand Meadow players outweighed Cy’s boys by 115 pounds. The

reporter added that Cy’s team spent the night in the homes of the boys of the

Congregational Church and both teams attended church services in the morning

and evening.

In September 1925, Grand Meadow Coach Russell Hall was optimistic of a

successful football season, providing that infantile paralysis or better known as

polio cases did not increase. Grand Meadow went on to win 7 straight games in a

row that season with 230 total points, surpassing state high school records. And

just a few years later Coach Lutter found a way for Elkton High School to enjoy the

sport and lined up a six-man team in October 1938.

Mower County men who played football in high school went on to play for the

Spring Valley Oilers semi-pro team in the 1930s and were considered “one of the

most feared football teams in the state”. One player, “Red” Berg would take the

snap from the center, run the wrong way confusing the other team and then, spin

around and fire the ball for an 80-yard pass. He would have gone to college but

the money he saved was lost when the banks closed.

Research is not complete as to how many area teams enjoyed a great string of

victories like the Grand Meadow football teams of 1958 to 1967 that went

undefeated for a remarkable 10 year stretch.

Mower County men have gone on to play college and professional football. John

Madden, who was born in Austin, spent a lifetime playing and talking football,

college ball, joining the Oakland Raiders and then coach and commentator.

Austin High School graduate Dave Simonson played for the NFL from 1974 to

1977. St. Augustine (renamed in 1957 to Pacelli) graduate Richard Cotter played

for Notre Dame 1948-1950. Grand Meadow graduate Duane Benson played for

Hamline University and pro teams from 1967 to 1975.

Today, Mower County football players, like generations before, are looking to

make their own mark in football history, by brute strength, skill and strategy in a

game that is sure to be around for another 100 years.

(Continued from page 6) An American Sport

In memory of Helen

Garbisch - Bill

Schlichting

In memory of Richard

Scheffel - Chris & Cathy

Roser

In Remembrance

of Those

Members Who

Passed On

Marjorie Mudra

Christmas lights

will go live

Thanksgiving

weekend! Drive

through the

fairgrounds to

enjoy the

decorations put

together by our

volunteers!

8 Mower History Scribe

The Collections Care Corner: Ready for Fall by Jaimie Timm, Curator

The fall-like weather of the past few days has me in the mood for cooler temps, scarves and sweatshirts, and drinking lots of hot coffee! Of course, the change in season also means that there is much to do in order to get the buildings and the collection ready for fall. I’ve been really busy this past summer with exhibits and programs, so its time to dive back in and focus more on the collection. Here’s what I’m getting ready to work on –

The end of September means the end of tour season. We had a great time with our tour groups this past spring and summer, but its time to give our exhibits a break. Even museum exhibits need a rest now and then! I’m going to be trying something new this fall and “close” each building in the next few weeks. This means that I’ll give every exhibit a thorough cleaning (according to museum best practices and standards), try to identify those objects that I think are especially “at risk” and may need special attention in the future, look for pests or insects that may have found their way inside, and just generally keep an eye out for any potential problems in the buildings. This also gives me the chance to evaluate each and every space – are we using it to its fullest potential? Does this exhibit need a little facelift? I want to be sure that we are using each of our buildings in the most efficient way possible to provide great exhibits for our visitors and still be able to store all of our collection so that we can protect and preserve the objects.

In preparation for the new exhibit next summer, I’m evaluating all of our “military” items in the collection. We have many military items that were donated throughout the years with very little information. This makes it challenging to use these pieces in exhibits or displays. Through my research, I’m trying to find out who used it, if it has a connection to Mower County, and then estimating available storage space. I may even get the chance to “re-house” some items in new acid free storage boxes by the end of the year!

I’m continuing to meet with the Collections and Exhibits Committee. As a group, we’re always looking for new exhibit ideas that might be interesting, ways to improve current displays, and fill gaps in our collection. One of our main projects for the fall and winter is going to be

(Continued on page 9)

Dr. Tracy Barber’s Medical Bag & Instruments An MCHS Collections Spotlight

Dr. Barber earned his medical degree in 1943 while he was serving in the Navy during World War II. Shortly after the war, Dr. Barber came to Austin to work for the Hormel Company. He began as a doctor in the clinic at the plant in 1948 but became the Company Medical Director in 1952. Then, in 1960, Dr. Tracey Barber became the Corporate Medical Director until his retirement in 1973. Dr. Barber’s medical bag, instruments, and photographs tell the story of a man who made an impact at Hormel – he discovered a special strain of pneumonia that circulated through many workers, and attended Jay C. Hormel when he passed away. Dr. Barber worked at a time when medicine was advancing, but still very different from what we know today. I look forward to studying this fascinating collection more in the future.

Dr. Tracy Barber in his Hormel

office

The Schoolhouse hasn’t changed much in the last few years. Every few years, it

needs a little updating and “sprucing up”.

Summer 2013 9

Thank you to those members who renewed their membership and welcome to our new

members!

Paul & Kris Olson

Hoversten, Johnson,

Beckman & Hovey, LLP

David Gerlach

Karen Mattson

John & Mary Nystrom

Lois Van Denover

Wagner Construction Co.

Fox Electric

R&S Grain Systems

Thomas & Barbara Laska

Freeborn County Co-op

Oil Co.

Marian Vaughan

Studio Ten Design

M&H Tent Rentals

Austin Area Amateur

Radio Club

Greg & Amy Baskin

Weldon Johnson

Ankeny’s Mini Mart #5

Acme Bail Bonds LLC

Grand Meadow Lions

Club

Terry Donovan

Pete & Kari Werner

Karen Kendall

Central Valley

Cooperative

Mantorville Seed

Lee Sackett Inc.

Dan & Sue Franklin

Jeanne Poppe

Scott Murphy

Harold Lechner

Cynthia Heimer

Lou’s Forever Framing

Barbara Corbin

Linda Gallaher

Peter Handke

Holiday Inn of Austin

(Continued on page 11)

Just a small fraction of our military items are on exhibit in the Headquarters Building. I

wonder what stories will be discovered hiding in storage with the rest of our collection?

looking at what kinds of objects we have and what kinds of objects that we are missing. Right now, we know that most of our objects are from before World War II. But Mower County didn’t stop living after the war. That’s almost 70 years of history and stories that aren’t represented in our collection. The committee will look for ways to fix these “gaps” in the collection.

Finally, I’m trying to update the display in the Excelsior Schoolhouse. Nothing major, but I’d like to freshen it up a bit and add some real stories from schools in Mower County. I have most of the research done and I learned a lot about going to school in the 1800’s. I’m excited to add this new information to the school and hope that everyone finds it as interesting as I do!

Well, that’s a very quick list of some of the things I hope to accomplish in the next few months. We’re always looking for volunteers to help in the Collections and Exhibits Department – if any of these projects sound interesting to you, please contact me at the historical society!

(Continued from page 8) Ready for Fall

Find out the latest event information and

see photos from our events.

You may even get in on a special Dig

History promotion!

10 Mower History Scribe

Preserving Memories Mower County Senior Center

Thursday, October 17 at 2 PM

Have you ever wondered what you can do to save your family heirlooms? What about those family albums collecting dust in the attic or mold in the basement? Join us at the Mower County Senior Center on Thursday, October 17 at 2:00 p.m. to learn what you can do to save the items that mean the most to you. Mower County Historical Society Curator, Jaimie Timm, will talk about the common “threats” and easy solutions to help preserve your memories. You might be surprised at the things that most threaten your treasured possessions, but you can save your family treasures with a few simple steps – and you don’t have to live in a museum to take care of them!

Get Your Raffle Ticket! The historical staff and volunteers

are selling raffle tickets for our

Christmas in the County raffle!

Have your chance to win 1 of 19

prizes and know your money is

going to a great cause!

Tickets are $1 each and the

drawing will be held on Saturday,

December 14 at 6 PM.

Here are the list of prizes that you

could win:

1st prize: Handmade stretched

star quilt and 2 pillows

2nd prize: “Evening Reflections”

painting by Derk Hansen from the

First State Bank of Minnesota in

LeRoy

3rd prize: Processing for 1/2 hog

at Rose Creek Meat Market

4th prize: Gift certificate for a

complimentary suite at the Holiday

Inn of Austin

5th prize: Schlage Keypad

Deadbolt Lock from Viking Glass &

Lock

6th prize: Gift certificate for a

complimentary standard room at

the Holiday Inn of Austin (2

winners)

7th prize: $100 gift certificate to

the Old Mill Restaurant

8th prize: $50 gift certificate

towards a Car Spa Day at Holiday

Cars

9th prize: $50 Visa gift card from

Accentra Credit Union

10th prize: A pie of your choice

from Bubble’s Café in Adams (3

winners)

11th prize: $10 gift certificate to

Olivia’s Restaurant (4 winners)

12th prize: Gift card for a dozen

donuts from Casey’s (2 winners)

The above quilt and painting are the top two prizes in our raffle drawing at Christmas in the County. Get your tickets today for a chance to win some great prizes!

Summer 2013 11

In May, Harvey & Belva Fiala shared their World War II experiences with the historical

society staff. Join us on November 19 to share your story.

First State Bank of

Minnesota - LeRoy

Austin Power & Sport

We hope your

turkey is tasty….

Your blessings

are many…

And your new

year is joyous!

Thanks for a

great 2013!

(Continued from page 9)

World War II in Mower County

Mower County Senior Center

Thursday, November 19 at 2 PM

The temporary World War II exhibit may have come to an end, but the stories from Mower County during World War II continue! Mower County Historical Society Curator, Jaimie Timm, will be talking at the Senior Center about the war and sharing stories from the area. She may also give a special peek into the new World War II exhibit scheduled to open next summer. Do you have a story to share? Please come to the Senior Center for the presentation! We’re trying to collect as many personal stories as possible for the new exhibit – learn how you can share your story and how it will be preserved for future generations at the Mower County Historical Society. Put it on your calendar – we look forward to swapping stories with you!

Notice: Increase in Research Service

Fees Beginning January 1, 2014

Beginning January 1, 2014, there will be a small increase

for research performed by staff and in per copy charges.

The increase is to assist with costs to preserve research

materials, staff to perform research, and technology

needs. The new fee schedule is as follows:

For members:

25 cents per copy

$15 for the 1st hour of research (performed by staff)

$10 per hour for each additional hour (performed by staff)

For non-members:

35 cents per copy

$20 for the 1st hour of research (performed by staff)

$15 per hour for each additional hour (performed by staff)

Contact Us

To learn more about

Mower County’s history

and our programs,

please feel free to

contact us.

Mower County

Historical Society

1303 6th Ave. SW

Austin, MN 55912

(507) 437-6082

info@mowercounty

history.org

Visit us on the web at

www.mowercounty

history.org

Have you renewed your membership for 2013? Check your label! Is your label highlighted? This means that we haven’t received your 2013

membership renewal! Please renew your membership today.

Benefits for all membership levels include subscription to our quarterly newsletter,

enrollment in the Time Travelers program, a vote at the Annual Meeting in

November, free tour admission for membership holders, reduced fees for research

services, and free or reduced admission for programs and workshops.

Fill out the membership form enclosed in this newsletter to renew today.

Invite friends to become members A great way to help preserve the history of Mower County and grow the efforts of

the Mower County Historical Society is to invite friends, family, and neighbors to

become members. Share our newsletter or membership forms with them. You

could even buy a gift membership for them! Help us expand the reach of the

Mower County Historical Society.

Mower County Historical Society

1303 6th Ave. SW

Austin, MN 55912

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID AUSTIN, MINNESOTA

PERMIT NO. 150

Preserving today for tomorrow’s history

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED