MOVE UNDERWAY TO BUILD NEW MUSEUM IN MENNO

Land on Fifth Street has been donated; funds are being raised

A centennial celebration in Menno in 1979 was a direct link to the establishment of the Menno Heritage Museum a few short years later.

Today, a new effort to further preserve the memories that matter to the larger Menno community is well underway, and it could very well lead to a new building to serve as home to the Menno Heritage Museum.

That what museum officials hope, anyway.

According to minutes from the Sept. 9 meeting of the Menno City Council — published on page 4B of this week’s Courier — Roberta Stoebner and Mary Knodel, who have worked closely with Menno’s museum for years, informed city officials that were seeking donations to help fund construction of a building to serve as a new home for the vast collection of artifacts housed by the Heritage Museum.

The current buildings being used — the Gottlieb and Karolina Schmitt house located just west of Fifth Street starting in 1983 and the Johann Preszler home next door to the east starting in 2001 — are overcrowded and in poor condition.

Replacing the foundations of both would cost $135,000, the council learned, and that would do little to alleviate the need for additional space for future exhibits.

A new building is desired, Stoebner and Knodel said, and all displays would be on the ground level, making them accessible to all.

No action was taken by the city council, but a news release issued to The Courier this week — titled “Help keep the memories alive” — provides additional information.

As of this month, $34,758 has been raised through various fundraisers, memorial money and other donations, and $9,758 has been raised toward a $25,000 match. Not only that, but the Menno Community Development Corporation has donated a lot of land between Country Girl Floral and Hair by Lori — north on Fifth Street of the current buildings being used — for construction of the new building.

The information submitted to The Courier also includes the following:

n urrent displays are from the late 1800s to the 1940s. No more room in the Schmitt and Preszler houses make it impossible to display additional furniture and memorabilia from the following decades.

n he winters of 2021 and 2022 damaged the foundations of both houses and the Schmitt House needs new wood siding, wood-framed windows, and wood doors in addition to repairing the front porch.

n nitially, it would have cost $45,000 to make the necessary repairs to the Schmitt House. With the additional damage to the foundations of both houses, it would be an additional $90,000. With repairs estimated at $135,000, it was decided by the museum board to pursue the construction of a new building.

n n addition of the gift of land by the Menno Area Development Corporation, the museum has received letters of support from the Menno-Olivet Senior Citizens group, Menno City Council, Menno Community Club and Rames-Bender Post 152.

“Through the years, we have realized that not everyone can view the museum displays if they have difficulty walking up steps or using a wheelchair for mobility,” Stoebner wrote. “Currently, people have to walk up the steps to enter the houses and to access the exhibits on the second floor. However, the new building will have all displays on ground level making it more accessible for everyone. The 40-by-80-foot building will be large enough for the current and future exhibits. If additional space is needed at some point in time, there is room to build onto this building.”

While museum personnel are still giving tours of the Preszler House, for safety concerns, the Schmitt House is no longer available to the public. However, virtual tours of the Schmitt House will be available later this year; watch The Courier and Facebook for information on the premiere showing of a video that includes interview with Marilee Hauck and Donna Zeeb and the former owners of The Hutchinson Herald, Bill and Judy Headley, who were the third-generation owners of the Menno-based weekly newspaper.

To tour the Preszler House, contact Zeeb at 605-387-5577 or  Stoebner at 605-387-5642.

Donations to be used to help fund the construction of a new museum can be mailed to Menno Museum at: Roberta Stoebner, 512 S Fifth St., Menno, SD, 57045.