Historical Times

Published by the Historical Society of Stanton County

Volume 3, Number 1 – June 2004

One who has pride in the past will soon

have a future of which to be proud!

Letter from the Editor

The heat of the summer is bearing down on Stanton County - a time for working in the garden and the fields - cultivating corn, sowing beans, mowing alfalfa, tending cows, fattening pigs, cattle, and chickens too!! A time for working on the Stanton Heritage Museum and restoring the Rural Schoolhouse in preparation for the grand parade in Stanton on the 4th of July. Then our efforts will move to the Pilger Museum where it will be time to prepare for Pilger Days on the 23rd thru 25th of July.

Our efforts to locate artifacts, photos, stories and funds for restoring the Rural Schoolhouse were less than successful. Letters were sent to 912 Stanton County rural addresses, however, the response was less than 3 percent. To those who responded - thank you very much.

In future issues of the Historical Times I would like to add a Letters to the Editor Section. It would be interesting to hear from our readers with opinions comments and/or questions.

Roland Jensen, Editor

New Sign at the EUB Church

Deon Quinn designed, built and installed a new sign (see photo) (an Eagle Scout project) at the Historic EUB Church in Stanton. Pioneer Cemetery Association President Rev. Gail Axen and Roland Jensen monitored and gave advice. Funding for the project was provided by the Hasenkamp family in Memory of Louise Fassnacht Hasenkamp.

History of Pilger Museum

by Irene Wolverton

Members of the Historical Society are proud of their museum in Pilger. Its artifacts are displayed in the former First Baptist Church which was built in 1901. The congregation of this church disbanded in 1960, and in 1967 the building and land was given to the Historical Society. The members than converted it into a museum.

Prior to this time the society had no regular meeting place. Meetings were held in the basement of the Stanton National Bank in Stanton and the United Methodist Church in Pilger. Members were eager to display artifacts that were available and were granted window space in store fronts in Stanton and Pilger. Therefore, they lost no time in readying the church for display purposes. Display cases were donated by several businesses from Stanton and Pilger. In them are housed collections of hats, military and religious items, toys from several eras, clothing and documents. Besides beautiful pieces of china, the dish collection in one case includes memorial plates from many U.S. States.

The military section includes scrapbooks from World Wars I and II and later wars. In addition to uniforms from several wars are mess kits, a gas mask, a Mae West life preserver, helmets, etc. A model of St Peter’s Lutheran Church accentuates the religious section. There are also artifacts from all local denominations including old Bibles, pictures and statues.

In this museum can also be found record books from several businesses, village records and county documents. A school section houses records from a number of rural schools, books, pictures, and items used by pupils.

Among many other items of interest are: a bed with feather mattress which belonged to Kate Peter’s grandmother, a Pilger Centennial quilt - each block depicts something unique to Pilger, a strong box which was used to carry money on the stage coach and a swatch of cloth which covered the bier which held the coffins of Presidents Lincoln and Garfield.

The basement also holds much of interest. In the kitchen is a hand carved bread mixing bowl and butter paddle, churn, sausage machine, lard press, kitchen cabinet, and an array of old waffle irons. The laundry room holds washing equipment, old irons and other articles including a time capsule placed there in 1987 from the Pilger Centenial celebration. In the main room is a yoke used by Harold Hansen’s father to carry water from the creek. There is also a spinning wheel and loom along with the examination chair of Pilger’s revered Doctor Reid.

Disaster struck when the basement was flooded twice. The first time from a frozen water pipe. No one knew anything was amiss until water was seen coming out the windows. So much damage was done that it was abandoned for several years. In 1977, several people decided to attempt a clean-up. The job seemed hopeless but soon the Civic Improvement Club joined the work force as did members of St Johns AAL. In time the basement was again open to visitors. Then, in 1985, the rains came. It rained and rained. Those who witnessed the second flooding said the water went down the steps like a cascade. Men and women of the society and the community got busy again. Rotted wood was replaced and cement was poured to raise the floor a couple of inches. Entry ways were improved and enclosed including a flood barrier. The basement was once again made presentable.

Since then, many improvements have taken place - an annex for displaying agricultural arifacts was constructed, new wiring, air conditioning and heating systems were installed. All due to many monetary contributions and volunteer work - thank you.

Patriotic Quilt Raffle

Members of the Historical Society of Stanton County are selling raffle tickets for a patriotic quilt.The Stanton Quilt Club, pieced, and quilted the quilt (see photo) for the Historical Society. Tickets sell for $1.00 for one ticket, or $5.00 for 6. The quilt is now being displayed at various locations in Stanton and Pilger. Tickets are available at each location.

Proceeds from the quilt sale will help in the restoration of the old Rural District 13 school house, which they are trying to get open to the public by July 4th, 2004. Tickets will be on sale at the Stanton Heritage Museum, in Stanton, on July 4th, and at the Stanton County Fair. Locations in Pilger include the Senior Center and others, yet to be determined.

Winners will be picked on July 24th, at the Pilger Days evening festivities near the firehall. Besides the quilt; 2nd place winner will receive a table runner (quilted); 3rd place will receive a pillow, and 4th place will receive a pillow. Table runner, and pillows were also sewn by the Stanton Quilt Club.

The members of the Historical Society wish to” Thank”, the Stanton Quilt Club for their time, generosity, and much needed support. Thanks gals!!!

Pilger Rest Stop Rescued

The Pilger Rest Stop was threatened in 2003 when Nebraska Roads officials planned to close the area as a cost cutting measure - blaming maintenance costs, low usage and future highway expansion for the decision to close. A November 1, 2003, closing date was scheduled. Area citizens, alerted initially by the Historical Society, strongly disagreed, and they gathered quickly a grassroots organization that lead to town hall meetings and an active letter writing campaign, bringing their dissatisfaction about closing the facility to public attention, to area legislators and to Department of Roads officials. Even over-the-road truckers lent their support, looking at the site as the perfect place to rest when traveling highway US 275. (see photo of present site).

At a cold and windy ceremony in February 2004 the “keys to the rest stop” were officially handed over from the State Department of Roads to the Stanton County Commissioners. Cost of the 10.7 acre property - one dollar.

A Governoring Board was formed in 2004, which includes the Historical Society, to oversee future expansion of the rest area. Current discussions center on building a gazebo this year and then adding travel trailer hook-ups and a large three season pavillion in future years. (see photo of future site).

The Stanton County Commissioners have reviewed this plan and instructed the Board to inform the public and start looking for sources of funding. If you want to help financially use the attached form. The Rest Stop Improvement fund contributions are tax deductible (501c).

Fifth Graders Visit Museum

On the 12th of May, some 36 fifth graders and their teachers from the Wisner-Pilger Middle School made a field trip to the Pilger Museum. They were greeted by Irene Wolverton who gave them a brief history and pointed out interesting things for them to view and study. This has become an annual event for the students who then go back to the classroom and write a story about what they experienced at the museum. Volunteer society members were docents and talked to the students about the artifacts. Since most of the volunteers are seniors they also were able to relate interesting stories along with the tour.

Rural School Restoration Progress

Great things are happening at the Rural District 13 “Country School,” relocated from northwest of Pilger, to the lot next to the Stanton Heritage Museum, will be open for the 4th of July celebration in Stanton. The interior now has a new ceiling, refurbished walls and light fixtures, restored blackboard, new window on the west where a door once hung, new handicap entrance on the north and new electrical wiring throughout the building with underground lines. (see photo of window), (see photo of inside), (see photo of underground wiring).

The outside now sports a newly sodded lawn complete with an underground sprinkler system. (see photo of lawn area).

The Village of Pilger delivered river rock for the west and east sides of the school. Warren Jensen Construction, Don Heller Electric and Mark Melcher (Green Stripe Landscapers) were the contractors and donated part or all of their labor costs. Ray and Carol Kingsley spent many, many hours on site working and monitoring contractor efforts. Great job - thanks for all your efforts.

More Rural Teachers Remembered

As of June 30, 2004, another 14 teachers have been remembered through our “Remember a Teacher” fund raising campaign. The total to date is 145.

The following is an additional listing of remembered teachers: Shirley (Goetsch) Murphy, Hyacinth Harsh, Dorothy (Wegner) Schmidt-Frank, Jeanelle Heerman, Louise (Ziegler) Gummus, Marvine (Belina) Kolika, Marjorie (Roe) Riber, Dorothy (Pugh) Smithberger, Esther (Johnson Pilger) Brown, Erna (Gadeken) Pohlman, Verna (Pugh) McMahon, Ethel (Barr) Weatherholt, Eleanor (Sokol) McIntosh and J. Paul McIntosh.

Their name plates will be engraved and placed on a plaque in the restored rural schoolhouse.

Buy A Brick Fund Raiser

We have received contributions for District 12, 18, 50, and 56 (still needs $65). The following school districts still need contributions for their bricks: 6, 10, 11, 26, 27, 31, 33, 35, 38, and 54 (needs $50). If you attended one of these rural schools in Stanton County please contact others that may have attended and try to gather enough contributions ($100) to buy your brick. Use the attached form to detail your contribution.

Annual Service at EUB Church

Eight of the attendees at the church services on June 6, 2004, were descendants of the original members of the Salem Mission of the Evangelical Church, organized in 1870, which became the E.U.B. (Evangelical United Brethren). Descendants of the John Boelter family, John G. Boelter and his sister, Cara (Boelter) Volkman; of the F. Freiberg family, Bob Freiberg, Jeanette (Freiberg) Throckmorton, Don and Joyce (Freiberg) Meilike; of the A. Zilmers, Joel Zilmer; and of the August Rottler family, Etta Kment Rottler.

A visit to this historic church, the first in Stanton, is “a step back in time,” since the Historical Society has preserved its original pews, pulpit and pulpit chairs, organ, clock, and books. The Boelter grandchildren were surprised to find the same hymnals used by their grandfather, the Rev. August John Boelter (1871-1946), who was born in Stanton Co. and raised in this church, then became an EUB minister and ended his career at Los Angeles First Church.

Mystery Photo

The photograph (see photo) was taken in June of 2004. The landscape shown is essentially unchanged over the past sixty years or more. The location is somewhere in Stanton County. If you can identify this piece of landscape, what it was used for and some history on why it was created, please write us a letter. In the meantime, the Historical Society will also do some research to prepare for a story in the next “Historical Times” newsletter due out at the end of the year.