Unlock History

Heritage Hall Museum & Archives, located in the southwest portion of Freeman, will be closed Oct. 1-10 for a renovation project that will expand the lobby/mercantile area of the museum. The museum will reopen Monday, Oct. 11 and with winter hours, weekdays from noon to 4 p.m. and other times – including mornings and weekends –- by appointment. 

The museum and archives will be open those hours through April. 

The upcoming project is the latest step in a summer of renovation that includes an exterior facelift – new paint and a welcome sign.

“We’re really excited about these improvements,” says Marnette D. (Ortman) Hofer, the museum’s executive director and archivist. “They demonstrate the momentum we’re seeing as we expand our presence as an educational organization and a destination for visitors, both local from across the country.”

“We’re in the process of revamping many of our exhibits and the renovations to our lobby and mercantile are part of those plans.”

“We appreciate the support of the museum board and our members in making these improvements,” Hofer said. “That includes a grant from the Freeman Community Foundation.”

 Phyllis Schrag will take the stage as Francis Perkins in Freeman Sunday afternoon, Oct. 10. 

Schrag, a former Freeman community resident who appeared in leading roles in a number of Schmeckfest musicals, is presenting “Francis Perkins - A Powerful Influence.” The one-woman show is scheduled at 3 p.m., at the historic Bethel Church located on the Heritage Hall Museum & Archives complex. 

Schrag, who is a South Dakota Humanities Scholar, is providing a first-person encounter with Perkins, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945 and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. Perkins was also an American sociologist and workers-right advocate.

Because of limited seating – with Covid-19 protocols and social distancing – tickets are being sold in advance. To order tickets or for more information, call 605-925-7545, email info@heritagehallmuseum.com or stop at the museum, which is open 9-4 weekdays and 1-4 weekends. Note that the museum will be closed Oct. 1-10 for renovation. Ticket orders should be placed by Wednesday, Oct. 6.

This is not Schrag’s first appearance at the Freeman museum. In 1983 Heritage Hall Museum & Archives and the Freeman Arts Council sponsored her in portraying Emily Dickinson in a one-person play titled “The Belle of Amherst.” Schrag later presented that production in the early 1990s throughout the state with a Touring Program Grant from the South Dakota Arts Council. 

Schrag and her husband, Larry, are now residents of Ames, Iowa. 

The program is sponsored by Heritage Hall Museum & Archives with support from the South Dakota Humanities Council.

In the second week of January 1888, a massive winter storm roared south from Canada through the Great Plains of the United States. It left untold devastation in its wake. It is commonly referred to as the "schoolchildren's blizzard" because many country school students were caught off guard and became victims of the sudden winter storm. The number of people who died in that storm has been estimated as high as 500.

Heritage Hall Museum & Archives, the museum that shares the history of the larger Freeman community, is sponsoring several programs about that historic blizzard on Sunday, Sept. 19. That includes an evening conversation with author B. Lois Thieszen Preheim, who recently published a book titled "Trailing the Schoolchildren's Blizzard." 

Preheim, a retired educator who grew up in Henderson, Neb., now lives in Newton, Kan., with her husband, Freeman native Ron Preheim. 

Her book, described as historical fiction, shares captivating stories of families living in ten locations along the trail of the 1888 storm stretching from Canada to Texas. One of those stories is familiar in this community. Five boys from three families died while seeking refuge from the storm east of Freeman. 

The museum is sponsoring two afternoon tours that will enable people to trace the route from the rural Turner County school five miles east of Freeman that students left on Thursday, Jan. 12, 1888 in search of refuge and to the place the bodies of the five lost in the storm two-and-a-half miles away were discovered three days later. 

The tours, which will be led by museum staff, will start at the Diamond Valley School on the museum complex for an orientation at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; CDC guidelines will be followed. Each of the tours – lasting about two hours – is limited to 25 people; pre-registration is required to ensure a spot by contacting the museum in person, by email or phone (contact information is listed below). Transportation will include 15-passenger vans provided complimentary by Freeman Academy and Freeman Public schools. Because of Covid-19 protocols, the van will be available for those who are fully vaccinated; others, including those who are more comfortable, can use their own vehicles. 

The evening program will start at 7 p.m. at the historic Bethel Church on the museum complex; social distanced seating is planned; CDC protocols will be followed. It will feature a conversation with Preheim, who will talk about her interest in the story, the research that grew out of that and, ultimately, the 128-page book that shares the stories of the storms through the experiences of families caught unexpectedly by the sudden cold, wind and snow.

"The January 12, 1888 blizzard is well-known and has been the subject of books and newspaper articles," she writes in the introduction to her book. "But many stories have not yet been widely shared. In some cases, we have a written history; in others, oral history. Sometimes there are lots of details and other times very few. I've taken the liberty of blending what we know with what we can imagine. Thus, consider this book historical fiction – rooted in truth with observations and speculation to help tell these rich stories more deeply and fully. 

"It occurred to me that by following the blizzard trail with stories of families encountering the blizzard, I could document the larger picture of the storm's path in an interesting way," she says in a press kit for the book. "The piece-meal experiences of people could be bound together by the common thread of experiencing the storm's fury."

Preheim begins each chapter with a first-person poem by the central character in that chapter. And each chapter concludes with a recipe that ties the culture and tradition of that family to a food.

Admission will be charged for the Sunday afternoon tours, scheduled at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and the 7 p.m. evening program; a combo rate is available for those who participate in one of the Sunday afternoon tours and attends the Sunday evening program. There is also a discount for HHM&A members. For details call 605-925-7545, check the HHM&A Facebook page, go online to heritagehallmuseum.com/1888blizzard or stop in at the museum, which is open 9-4 weekdays and 1-4 weekends.

In addition to the Sunday programs, Preheim will be at the museum's mercantile Saturday afternoon, Sept. 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to visit with people personally and sign books, which are for sale at the museum. The Saturday book signing is free and open to the public. The museum will be open, as usual, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. that day. The museum is following CDC guidelines.

In mid-August the U.S. Census Bureau released additional 2020 Census results that include county population totals. The report shows that the population in Hutchinson, McCook and Turner counties all increased slightly. The total population of the three counties now stands at 21,782, up 2.2 from 2010s 21,308

Initial results from the United States 2020 Census Bureau were announced the last week of April. They show the United States has a population of 331,449,281. An increase of 7.4% from the 2010 Census, it's the second-smallest increase since 1790, when the first census was conducted.

"We were interested in the South Dakota trends, particularly local counties," says Tim L. Waltner, communication/education coordinator at Heritage Hall Museum & Archives in Freeman.

"While the state population grew by 72,487, statewide 33 – exactly half of the state's 66 counties – lost population," he said. "Most of that came in Lincoln, Minnehaha and Pennington counties – Sioux Falls and Rapid City, the three counties with the largest populations in the state.

Lincoln (#3), at 65,161, is up 45.4%; Minnehaha (#1), at 197,214, is up 16.2%; Pennington #2), at 109,222, is up 8.2%

Hutchinson, McCook and Turner counties were among those that gained population, although at a significantly lower rate than the "big three."

Hutchinson County, at 7,427, is up 1.1% from 7,343. McCook County, at 5,682, is also up 1.1% from 5,618. Turner County shows the largest of the local three; 8,673, up 3.9% from 8,347. That reflects its proximity to rapidly growing Minnehaha and Lincoln counties.

"We also took a closer look at the population trends since immigrants arrived here in the 1870s." he said. "In a nutshell, population in Hutchinson, McCook and Turner counties grew steadily until the 1930s. The total of the three-county area in the 1930 Census was 39,111. The 2020 Census reveals it has steadily declined to 21,782, a loss of 44% of the population over the last 90 years."

"It's a fascinating trend, reflected in the accompanying graphics," he said.

That reflects a combination of fewer farms, smaller families and outmigration – primarily young people, Waltner said.

The 2020 Census reveals changes in the size and distribution of the population across the United States. The population of U.S. metro areas grew by 9% from 2010 to 2020, resulting in 86% of the population living in U.S. metro areas in 2020, compared to 85% in 2010.

"Many counties within metro areas saw growth, especially those in the south and west. However, as we've been seeing in our annual population estimates, our nation is growing slower than it used to," said Marc Perry, a senior demographer at the Census Bureau. "This decline is evident at the local level where around 52% of the counties in the United States saw their 2020 Census populations decrease from their 2010 Census populations."

It showed that the adult (age 18 and older) population group grew 10.1% to 258.3 million people over the decade.

"More than three-quarters, 77.9%, of the U.S. population were age 18 and over," said Andrew Roberts, chief of the Sex and Age Statistics Branch in the Census Bureau's Population Division. "The adult population grew faster than the nation as a whole. By comparison, the population under age 18 was 73.1 million in 2020, a decline of 1.4% from the 2010 Census."

Additional details, including small-town populations, will be available in 2020 Census data releases scheduled for later this year.

 It's the start of a new school year and Heritage Hall Museum & Archives (HHM&A) is extending an invitation to educators across southeastern South Dakota to use the museum as a classroom for their students. 

A letter recently sent to regional educators notes, "Heritage Hall Museum & Archives is filled with great history and more than 25,000 square feet of a wide array of interesting artifacts and exhibits. The items in our museum tell the immigration story of settlers who arrived in southeastern Dakota Territory in the 1870s, persevered and helped build the Freeman community.

"With more than 20,000 artifacts, our exhibits are an excellent resource for studies on South Dakota and Native American history."

Tim L. Waltner, whose responsibilities at HHM&A include working with the museum’s educational program, said the idea isn’t new; area schools have scheduled field trips as part of their studies over the years.

"But with concerns about Covid-19, that didn't happen last year," he said. "We’re looking forward to welcoming students back this year." However, he added, the museum continues to follow CDC guidelines to ensure all guests feel safe when visiting.

"The history of this part of South Dakota is rich and diverse," he said. "We believe that students and educators alike will be fascinated by what they can discover at our museum.” The museum has developed special interactive activities for youth throughout the year and Waltner said museum staff will adapt them to fit specific requests from educators.

The museum staff includes Terry Quam, a retired school administrator who is curator and part of the team that can help create a unique classroom experience for visiting students. 

"We're looking forward to partnering with teachers in developing specific curriculum as part of a special focus or age group," Waltner said.

"Our 1927 bi-plane, the horse-drawn hearse and ice coffin, our general store, town jail, summer kitchen, print shop, doctor and dentist offices, vintage cars and motorcycles, and agriculture exhibits tell stories of the Germans-from-Russia immigrants who settled in this region nearly 150 years ago,” he said. “Plus, we’ve got a working model railroad.”

The complex includes two large exhibit halls, two historic churches and a one-room country school that can be used literally as a classroom. A historic 1879 home is under restoration and scheduled to open in spring. 

The neighboring Prairie Arboretum offers a complementary experience for both education and recreation.

The museum offers special package admission options for schools to make field trips affordable and will recognize businesses and organizations who sponsor/underwrite school trips to the museum.

“We’re happy to give teachers a complimentary tour of the museum to see what we have to offer,” Waltner said. “Just give us a call.”

To learn more about the museum's school program, call 605-925-7545 or email info@heritagehallmuseum.com. 

2020 census shows steady three-decade increase in South Dakota population

Initial results from the United States 2020 Census Bureau were announced the last week of April, showing a total of331,449,281 residents of the United States. That represents an increase of 7.4% from the 2010 count of 308,745,538; it’s the second-smallest decade-long growth rate since the first census was taken in 1790.

The 2020 census shows that 37 of the 50 states grew more slowly in the 2010s than in the previous decade. Three states lost population – Illinois, Mississippi and West Virginia; that the largest number of states that saw a decline since the 1980s. 

However, South Dakota was among the 13 states that showed an increase in rate of growth from 2010 to 2020 – 8.9% compared to 7.9% from 2000 to 2010.

“We were curious about how that compares to previous decades,” says Tim L. Waltner, communication/education coordinator at Heritage Hall Museum & Archives in Freeman. “So we did a little digging into the history; that’s what we do. Here’s what we discovered.”

A review of census numbers going back to 1860 shows South Dakota has seen a steady rate of population growth in the past three decades; from 696,004 residents in 1900 to886,667 in 2020. 

“But, as the accompanying chart shows,” Waltner says, “the most dramatic increase in population in our history came in the last three decades of the 19th century.” Census figures show that the territory/state grew from 4,837 residents in 1860 to 401,570 residents by 1900. That growth continue until the 1930s when it reached 692,849.

“The Dust Bowl and the economic impact of the Great Depression resulted in many South Dakotans leaving the state,” he said. “The state’s population declined by more than 50,000 – a loss of about 7% between 1930 and 1940. It remained relatively stable for most of the remainder of the century before the steady increase since 1990.”

“But if we want to look at the real big picture of South Dakota’s population,” Waltner said, “that means going back a lot farther.”

The land we know as South Dakota has been home to humans going back several thousand years, he noted. The first inhabitants, Paleoindian hunter-gatherers arrived as glaciers that covered the northern half of the North American continent began to gradually melt. That exposed new land for occupation around 17,500-14,500 years ago. Those Paleoindian hunter-gatherers disappeared from the area around 5000 BC. Later residents included the Mound Builders, Arikara, Hidatsa, Mandan and Sioux (Dakota and Lakota). European contact began in the 1740s, when French explorers and fur traders began exploring the region. In 1762 the region became part of Spanish Louisiana. 

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory and President Thomas Jefferson organized the "Lewis and Clark Expedition" to explore the newly acquired western portion of the country that included what today is South Dakota. An American fur trading post was established at present-day Fort Pierre in 1817; that began American settlement of the region. In 1858 the Yankton Sioux signed the 1858 Treaty, which ceded most of present-day eastern South Dakota to the United States. 

Land speculators founded two of eastern South Dakota's largest present-day cities: Sioux Falls in 1856 and Yankton in and 1859.

Dakota Territory was established in 1861 by the United States government (today North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Montana and Wyoming). The 1862 Homestead Act drew thousands of European immigrants as well as people from the eastern United States. 

“That’s where our community’s story begins,” Waltner said. “The influx of Germans-from Russia-immigrants who settled in Hutchinson, McCook and Turner counties established the larger Freeman community we know today. The arrival of the railroad in 1879 spawned our local towns.”

The 2020 census results are being released in several stages. This first release of total populations for states was scheduled for December 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters delayed the release until now. Much more detail about population trends is expected to be shared later this year, including changes in cities and counties.

“We’re eager to learn what that will tell us about our part of South Dakota,” Waltner said. “We look forward to sharing that with folks as well.”

“Our archives are filled with history about the story of our roots, immigration and settling on the prairie nearly 150 years ago. We’re open daily weekdays and weekend afternoons. We’re also open by appointment; call 605-925-7545,” Waltner noted.

A quick look at a few 2020 census numbers

Utah is the fastest-growing state at 18.4 percent compared to 2010. 

Idaho is the fastest-growing second at 17.3 percent.

Our neighbor North Dakota grew by 15.8% in the last decade.

West Virginia lost the most population, down 3.2 percent from 2010.

California is the most-populated state at 39,538,223

Texas is the second-most-populated state at 29,145,505

Florida and New York swapped rankings from previous census; Florida is now third and New York fourth in population.

South Dakota remains 46th in population ranking in the United States.

Wyoming is the least-populated state at 576,851.

Vermont is the second-least-populated state at 643,077.

Improvements, new exhibits emerge in year of Covid-19 

FREEMAN: Heritage Hall Museum & Archives is gearing up for its summer season and looking forward to rebounding from the impact of Covid-19 in the past year. The museum is resuming summer hours May 1; it will be open daily through September. Winter hours are weekday afternoons only.

Located south of the Freeman Academy campus and sitting on the northern edge of the 40-acre Prairie Arboretum, the museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from May through September. The museum is also open by appointment. 

“We’re eager to resume welcoming an increasing number of guests in the upcoming months,” says Marnette (Ortman) Hofer, executive director and archivist of HHM&A. “Last year we saw less than 10 percent of the visitors we have come to expect in a year. We’re looking forward to the return to a more normal year.”

And the museum is offering a special incentive to families to visit.

“We’re pleased to announce that, starting April 30, we will be open until 8 p.m., the last Friday of every month,” Hofer said. “We’ve created “Family-Friendly Final Fridays” to encourage families to visit the museum. We’re admitting all children 12 and under free those evenings when accompanied by a paying adult.”

In addition, she said, “we’re planning a fun ‘discover more about your museum’ activity for kids – with a chance to win a prize.” The “final Friday” promotions will continue through September.

Museum tells immigration/settlement story

The Freeman museum tells the story of Germans-from-Russia immigrants and others who settled in southeastern Dakota Territory in the 1870s. The museum has 25,000 square feet of displays featuring everything from old cars and buggies to Native American artifacts to agricultural equipment to local business history to household items and musical instruments. 

In addition, the complex also includes four historic buildings: a one-room school house, two early rural churches and an 1879 pioneer home. 

“Unfortunately, the Deckert House is closed because we moved it to a new location where it will be part of an outdoor farmstead exhibit that’s being developed,” Hofer says. “We’re excited about that, but it means the house is not ready for guests at this time.”

However, Hofer says, guests – even those who visited in 2020 – will discover some major additions, improvements and upgrades undertaken in the past 12 months inside the museum.

“One of the unintended benefits of the reduced traffic at the museum over the past year is that it’s enabled us to make some dramatic changes,” she said. “We’ve revamped many of the exhibits, added some new ones and significantly expanded our mercantile that features the work of local artisans. I think these changes will be a highlight for people visiting the museum.”

New gas station exhibit

One of those highlights is a new gas station exhibit­­ that debuted several weeks ago.

“I’ve been intrigued by the number of gas stations in our community in the first half of the last century,” Hofer says. “We’ve been wanting to consolidate elements scattered throughout the museum for some time and creating a gas station exhibit seemed like a fun project.”

Hofer and her staff decided to utilize an area in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing, which is home to the agricultural and transportation exhibits, for the project.

Once we got started we saw the potential to do something even bigger,” she said.

That led to the decision to model the exterior after the Main Street Freeman Junior College Service Station that operated in the 1930s and 40s on the site where Stucky Electric is today. The distinctive peaked-roof profile of that station was a common design in that era.

“It’s been a fun project,” she said. “The ideas just kept flowing.”

That includes putting a Model T inside the station “for repairs,” she said. The interior also includes tools, parts and other items one would expect in a gas station of that era. The exhibit includes a brief history of the FJC Service Station. 

The new exhibit bears the name “Graber’s Service Station,” honoring Linden Graber and his late father, Cleon, who both played major roles in the museum’s development, particularly in the transportation exhibits.

Other updates

Another major change in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing is new LED lighting that replaced the sodium-vapor bulbs and the difference is remarkable, Hofer said.

“Not only is it brighter, the colors are much truer,” she said. “The colors of the cars, trucks and tractors are much more authentic in the new light.”

Other new exhibits feature:

• local dairy farming

• the history of the Freeman Fire Department

• Abe Kautz, a Freeman entrepreneur who began making harnesses and transitioned to the era of automobiles.

There are refreshed and updated displays throughout the museum, renovations at the Bethel Church and a new welcome area for visitors.

“We’ve made some major changes in the entrance lobby area of the museum,” Hofer said. “It includes a new welcome/orientation area that helps introduce our museum and a quick review of who we are as a community.”

This rearranging includes an expanded mercantile/gift show that features, exclusively, local handcrafted items ranging from stained glass to pottery to photo/art prints to notecards to knitted items. 

“Our mercantile has quadrupled in size with the increased participation from local artisans whose creations we’re thrilled to share with the public,” she said. “We also have books for sale by local authors or about our community.”

Hofer said that the museum remains committed to being cautious about Covid-19. Guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks and groups larger than 10 are asked to contact the museum.

Heritage Hall Museum & Archives traces its roots back to the winter term of Freeman College in 1911, but today operates as an independent, non-profit organization. 

Although there is an admission fee to tour the museum, both the archives and the mercantile are open to the public at no charge. People are welcome to call 605-925-7545 or email info@heritagehallmuseum.com for more information or go online to heritagehallmuseum.com and to the Heritage Hall Museum and Archives Facebook page.

Gas station modeled after FJC Station

FREEMAN: A new gas station exhibit­­ debuts in the transportation exhibit area of­­­­ Heritage Hall Museum & Archives this week and some folks who see it­­­ may feel that it looks a bit familiar.

That, says Marnette (Ortman) Hofer, executive director and archivist of HHM&A, is no coincidence.

“I’ve been intrigued by the number of gas stations in our community in the first half of the last century,” Hofer says. “We’ve been wanting to consolidate elements scattered throughout the museum for some time and creating a gas station exhibit seemed like a fun project.”

Ortman and her museum staff decided to utilize an area in the Unruh-Tieszen wing to do that.

“Once we got started we saw the potential to do something even bigger,” she said.

That led to the decision to model the exterior after the Main Street Freeman Junior College Service Station that operated in the 1930s and 40s on the site where Stucky Electric is today. The distinctive peaked-roof profile of that station was a common design in that era.

“It’s been a fun project,” she said. “The ideas just kept flowing.”

That includes putting a Model T inside the station “for repairs,” she said. The interior also includes tools, parts and other items one would expect in a gas station in that era. The exhibit includes a brief history of the FJC Service Station. 

It bears the name “Graber’s Service Station,” honoring Linden Graber and his late father, Cleon, who’ve played major roles in the museum’s development, particularly in the transportation exhibits.

The new exhibit is part of a major renovation of the Unruh-Tieszen Wing, which ­­houses the museum’s transportation and agriculture historical exhibits. 

“I think people will enjoy the new look,” she said.

Like everyone, Heritage Hall Museum & Archives felt the impact of COVID-19, Hofer noted.

“We saw less than 10 percent of the visitors we have come to expect in a year. That’s why we’re so looking forward to being open during the Freeman Academy Auxiliary “Drive-thru Schmeckfest” this weekend and next.”

The museum will be open both days both weekends from noon to 8 p.m. March 19-20 and 26-27. (Normal winter hours are weekdays from noon to 4 p.m.)

The extended hours also offer free admission for children age 12 and under when accompanied by adults. Hofer noted that the popular model train exhibit will also be running those days.

“We’re also looking forward to showing visitors our expanded mercantile, which features unique handcrafted items from local artisans,” she said.

Hofer says one unintended benefit of the reduced traffic at the museum over the past year is that it’s enabled the museum staff and volunteers to make some dramatic changes, particularly in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing.

“We’re excited to share what we’ve been working on,” she said. “I think that will be a highlight for people visiting the museum.”

And speaking of highlights, one of the projects has been installing – literally new “high lights,” – in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing.

New LED lighting has replaced the sodium-vapor bulbs and the difference is remarkable, Hofer said.

“Not only is it brighter, the colors are much truer,” she said. “The colors of the cars, trucks and tractors are much more authentic with the new light.”

Hofer noted that Donovan Friesen, recently elected as museum board chair, has spent scores of volunteer hours assisting Brian Skinner, facilities manager at the museum with projects, including the upgraded lighting.

And Friesen is not alone. 

All the updated, revamped and rearranged displays in recent months wouldn’t have happened without a core group of volunteers, she said. Volunteers were instrumental in helping with the gas station project, particularly painting, she noted.

“I can’t say enough about how important our volunteers are to us,” she said.

Although there is an admission fee to tour the museum, the mercantile is open to the public at no charge. People are welcome to call 605-925-7545 or email info@heritagehallmuseum.com for more information or go online to heritagehallmuseum.com and on the Heritage Hall Museum and Archives Facebook page.

The exterior of a new gas station exhibit at Heritage Hall Museum & Archives is modeled after the Freeman College Service Station. Museum staff named it “Graber’s Service Station” in honor of Cleon and Linden Graber, who together have provided more than 35 years of leadership at the museum with particular interest in the transportation exhibits there. The Freeman College Service Station opened at Fifth and Main on July 1, 1933 as an enterprise to support the school. It remained in operation until 1948, when it was sold. The building was later used by Fred Haar Co. and Stucky Electric. It was demolished in 1984 when Janver Stucky put up a new building on the site for his business.

 FREEMAN: Normally, staff and volunteers at Heritage Hall Museum and Archives (HHM&A) would be busy this time of year gearing up for an influx of visitors as part of the annual Schmeckfest activities at the adjacent Freeman Academy campus. 

“Of course, nothing been normal since Covid-19 spread across the globe and reached South Dakota in early March last year 2020,” says Marnette (Ortman) Hofer, executive director and archivist of HHM&A. “The cancellation of Schmeckfest 2020 was the start of a dramatic drop in visitors to our museum over the past 12 months.” 

Although the traditional Schmeckfest activities have been cancelled this year as well, the Freeman Academy Auxiliary is planning a “drive-thru Schmeckfest” with homemade ethnic food items and Schmeckfest sausage to be sold March 19-20 and 26-27. Hofer says the museum staff and volunteers are also preparing to welcome guests those days.

“We will be open with extended afternoon-evening hours Friday and Saturday both weekends, so people can stop by at their convenience,” she says. “We invite everyone coming to pick up their Schmeckfest food items to include a visit to our museum.”

The museum will be open both days both weekends from noon to 8 p.m. (Normal winter hours are weekdays from noon to 4 p.m.) As a special promotion, the museum is offering a “family package” those four days; children under the age of 12 will be admitted free when accompanied by adults. 

“Although the numbers of visitors has been down significantly this past year, we’ve been busy with some major projects all year long and we’re eager to show people what we’ve been up to,” Hofer says.

That includes:

• New lighting in the Tieszen-Unruh wing;

• A rearranged and revamped transportation display that includes the addition of a gas station exhibit;

• A new Abe Kautz display;

• A dairy exhibit;

• Refreshed and updated displays throughout the museum; 

• Renovations at the Bethel Church;

• A new welcome area for visitors;

• A new look for the lobby including an expanded mercantile, a gift shop that features items handcrafted by local artisans – stained glass, artwork, notecards, handmade soap, knitted items, etc. – as well as books by local authors. 

“We’re looking forward to sharing these new features at our museum during the 2021 version of Schmeckfest and we’re hoping to see a return of visitors as we come out of this pandemic phase of life,” Hofer said.

She noted, however, that HHM&A is continuing to take precautions because of COVID-19; masks are required. 

Although there is an admission fee to tour the museum, the archives are open to the public at no charge; anyone wanting research assistance is encouraged to call 605-925-7545 or email info@heritagehallmuseum.com.