Scientist Emil O. Deere
“After the move ..., you will find one of the finest museums of this kind in the mid-west...” -- County Museum Director Tib Anderson. -- 1966 *
5,000 Bethany College Museum items were added to the 500 McPherson County Old Mill Museum items in 1966**
5,000 Bethany College Museum items were added to the 500 McPherson County Old Mill Museum items in 1966**
Bethany College Museum Collections' New Location,1966
The final chapter for this fine museum would come with the College plan to raze its Old Main home in 1968 for the building of the new Wallerstedt Learning Center. In the Museum's eighty-two (82) years of college history, Deere would be its last curator, and, by his side, Swedish American professor of biology Dr. Leon Lungstrom would be destined to play a major role in the disbursement of its collections, and, thus, transferring his service to them, for a while, at their new home, the McPherson County Old Mill Museum (the County Museum). Add to that, Lungstrom would become the sole, unofficial, first and last historian of the Bethany College Museum.
- The New Location -
- McPherson County Old Mill Museum -
- Overlooking the Smoky River -
In his chapter on the Museum, Dr. Leon Lungstrom writes that Deere, at eighty-nine (89), was preparing for the Museum's final College end, for the distribution of its two major collections, the Natural History Collection which would include the Taxidermy Specimens; and the Pioneer Collection which would include museum founder Udden's American Indian Cliff Dweller Pottery Collection of 300 items and Emil O. Deere's Pioneer Life Collection of 900 items. There would be a total of about 5,000 Bethany College Museum items added to the 500 items at the McPherson County Old Mill Museum.
For the move to take place in the summer of 1966, with well planned out directives by Deere, he worked diligently with colleagues and friends: Swedish American Bethany College seventh president Dr. Kenneth Andeen; professors of biology Dr. Leon Lungstrom and Dr. Glenn Bellah; professor of history Jerry Shannon; professor of Physics Emeritus Christian Swenson; and Bethany graduate Sandzén Memorial Gallery Co-director artist Carl Peterson.
To ensure the safekeeping of the Collections, it was made very clear between both parties that should the County Museum be closed or moved out of Lindsborg, the College Collections would go back to Bethany College, i.e.:
".... Bethany College Board of Directors .... donated the items to the county museum with the stipulation in the contract that if the museum is ever discontinued or moved out of Lindsborg, ownership of the items donated will revert back to Bethany College." ***
Deere would not live to see his planned summer move take place, for he died in January of 1966. Thus, this responsibility would fall to the one closest to Deere and with the most vested interest in the project, Dr. Leon Lungstrom, with the help of two professors in charge of the inventory list, Dr. Glenn Bellah and Carl Swenson.
For the move to take place in the summer of 1966, with well planned out directives by Deere, he worked diligently with colleagues and friends: Swedish American Bethany College seventh president Dr. Kenneth Andeen; professors of biology Dr. Leon Lungstrom and Dr. Glenn Bellah; professor of history Jerry Shannon; professor of Physics Emeritus Christian Swenson; and Bethany graduate Sandzén Memorial Gallery Co-director artist Carl Peterson.
To ensure the safekeeping of the Collections, it was made very clear between both parties that should the County Museum be closed or moved out of Lindsborg, the College Collections would go back to Bethany College, i.e.:
".... Bethany College Board of Directors .... donated the items to the county museum with the stipulation in the contract that if the museum is ever discontinued or moved out of Lindsborg, ownership of the items donated will revert back to Bethany College." ***
Deere would not live to see his planned summer move take place, for he died in January of 1966. Thus, this responsibility would fall to the one closest to Deere and with the most vested interest in the project, Dr. Leon Lungstrom, with the help of two professors in charge of the inventory list, Dr. Glenn Bellah and Carl Swenson.
After the move, ten years later, in September 1976, a "glowing report," was found in Wichita's Antique & Collectors Mart, by Lindsborg's Betty Hanson, on the popularity of the County Museum which reads as follows:
"....Although the shops on Main and Lincoln Streets intrigue the tourist, it seems many travelers make their first and long stop at the McPherson County Old Mill Museum Complex by the scenic Smoky Hill River on the southern edge of town. Paid admission figures for the first seven months of this year show that 7,666 people have streamed into this historical attraction. An all time high attendance of 1,499 was recorded for the month of July.
"The museum began as a small collection housed on the first floor of the Smoky Valley Roller Mill. The present rustic building, built in 1968, now houses 11,000 items in realistic displays. In addition to local private donations of family heirlooms, the museum has received the 300 item Udden Indian Collection, the 900 item Emil O. Deere Pioneer Collection, and the Bethany College Natural History Collection, giving a record of the untamed—present and prehistoric. Besides the pioneer rooms: parlor, dining room, kitchen, post office, and general store one can view a collection of over 200 pieces of Barbwire, quilt blocks, and other handicrafts, a children's toy display, a Svensk Stuga (cottage) with authentic Swedish costumes on mannequins, and other fascinating relics."
"....Although the shops on Main and Lincoln Streets intrigue the tourist, it seems many travelers make their first and long stop at the McPherson County Old Mill Museum Complex by the scenic Smoky Hill River on the southern edge of town. Paid admission figures for the first seven months of this year show that 7,666 people have streamed into this historical attraction. An all time high attendance of 1,499 was recorded for the month of July.
"The museum began as a small collection housed on the first floor of the Smoky Valley Roller Mill. The present rustic building, built in 1968, now houses 11,000 items in realistic displays. In addition to local private donations of family heirlooms, the museum has received the 300 item Udden Indian Collection, the 900 item Emil O. Deere Pioneer Collection, and the Bethany College Natural History Collection, giving a record of the untamed—present and prehistoric. Besides the pioneer rooms: parlor, dining room, kitchen, post office, and general store one can view a collection of over 200 pieces of Barbwire, quilt blocks, and other handicrafts, a children's toy display, a Svensk Stuga (cottage) with authentic Swedish costumes on mannequins, and other fascinating relics."
Four years later, in 1980, Director Tib Anderson would retire from his post as the McPherson County Old Mill Museum director, and Bethany College professors Leon Lungstrom and Christian Swenson and Lindsborg resident Howard Patrick would then become co-directors temporarily. In 1984, Jeanne Mogenson, a Lindsborg resident since 1967, who had been working at the County Museum for a time would become a very capable director until 1986 when Dorman Lehman, former director of the Grand Rapids Minnesota Central School Museum, took over. He would be assisted by Lindsborg resident Lenora Lynam who had been with the museum for several years in an administrative position, while Lungstrom and Swenson would then become board members. In the 1990s, McPherson resident Lorna Batterson Nelson would become the director with Lenora Lynam playing the added roles of archivist and curator. They continue to operate the County Museum today.
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McPherson County Old Mill Museum's Taxidermy Exhibit
from the
" Bethany College Museum Natural History Collection "
(Photographs of November 1, 1999)
from the
" Bethany College Museum Natural History Collection "
(Photographs of November 1, 1999)
These early taxidermy exhibits were created by professor Dr. Deere and his students, most all from the classroom in Old Main which was Deere's for over four (4) decades. Here he is, as shown below, with some of those same exhibits shown above in the McPherson County Museum, preparing them with his students.
- Deere's Old Main Classroom Taxidermy Class -
Photograph by Lydia Sohlberg Deere
Photograph by Lydia Sohlberg Deere
- Deere's class with students working on a science assignment with taxidermy exhibits in the background -
Photograph by Lydia Sohlberg Deere
In 2007, through director Mrs. Lorna Batterson Nelson, I was able to arrange a private visit of the College collections for the new Bethany College President Dr. Edward Leonard III, retired Biology Professor Dr. Glenn Bellah (a key person, with the late Dr. Leon Lungstrom, who saw to the fulfillment of the Deere 1966 plan to move the Bethany College Museum Collections), his wife Mrs. Bellah, current Bethany College Biology Professor Dr. Mark McDonald, and very interested persons: Harry L. Ylander, Karmon Almquist and another gentleman.
We were then also given the rare opportunity to go into Bethany College's "first" building, the "Bethany Academy" of 1882, historically Lindsborg's "first" school house of 1879. Closed to the public but opened to us, we saw some of the earliest Swedish College memorabilia and artifacts. We learned that the College's initial collection of 5,000 items given to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum in 1966 had become part of its growing collection adding some 20,000 items.
We were then also given the rare opportunity to go into Bethany College's "first" building, the "Bethany Academy" of 1882, historically Lindsborg's "first" school house of 1879. Closed to the public but opened to us, we saw some of the earliest Swedish College memorabilia and artifacts. We learned that the College's initial collection of 5,000 items given to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum in 1966 had become part of its growing collection adding some 20,000 items.
Around 2013, the "Bethany Academy" sign was removed and the College's early memorabilia and artifacts were returned to the Bethany College Archives, to showcase this building exclusively as "Lindsborg's First School House."
for more information on this
"first significant Swedish American educational building"
for
Lindsborg and the College,
"click" on it
"first significant Swedish American educational building"
for
Lindsborg and the College,
"click" on it
- The Bethany Academy building was at the very heart of the Bethany College beginnings. -
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To read two Articles on the Bethany College Museum Collections Move, 1966 to the McPherson County Old Mill Museum, go HERE.
For Dr. Lungstrom's Museum chapter click below:
For Dr. Lungstrom's Museum chapter click below:
| dr._leon_lungstrom_on_the_bethany_college_museum.pdf |
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* The McPherson County Old Mill Museum Director quote from Wichita's Antique & Collectors Mart, text by Lindsborg's Betty Hanson, September 1976
** 1966 Bethany Magazine, Old Dobbin Moves
*** Page 31 on The Museum chapter found in Dr. Leon Lungstrom 1990 book, History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas.
** 1966 Bethany Magazine, Old Dobbin Moves
*** Page 31 on The Museum chapter found in Dr. Leon Lungstrom 1990 book, History of Natural Science and Mathematics at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas.
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Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
