A Rich Swedish Heritage in Stanton
Stanton, Iowa (pop. 678) is our featured rural community this week! We'll be sharing success stories throughout the week from local leaders and business owners who are making an impact here.
Today's guest blog post is from Carroll Peterson, President of the Swedish Heritage & Cultural Center, which celebrates Stanton’s rich Swedish heritage both past and present.
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The Swedish Heritage & Cultural Center is a museum in the former school building, most of it built in 1885. As a museum its primary role is to remember its origin and early development as a Swedish immigrant settlement. Of course, the development of Stanton and the area is also a main theme intimately involved with the Swedish actors (immigrants, farmers, carpenters, tailors, humans, fathers, mothers, etc.).
In the entry hall already you may notice a large mural illustrating the immigrants’ journey from Sweden to Stanton over 2300 miles via ship, train, and foot.
Usually the visitor(s) will then be directed to the Halland room devoted to the origins centered around the actions of the founder Bengt Magnus Halland. A thoroughly Swedish impersonator (Jon Honette, not a robot) tells you via video pastor Halland’s history. After 12 minutes or so, you may start touring that room which provides more details including trunks (travel luggage) and other artifacts of the late 1800s in the Swedish settlement.
The tour is only beginning. There are three other rooms on the main floor: school room, gift shop, walls of photos, etc of 1900-1950, and coffee when available (usually is).
The upstairs may be even more interesting: baseball, photos of old and new main street business, barbed wire, FFA, a bank of the early 1900s from Essex, farm tools, and school memorabilia.
For those who want further details, the research library has information, digitally and on paper, to read at leisure. It keeps some people for days at their own volition/compulsion.
The current “director”, also a total Swede and osta kaka lover, has been working on area history for most of his 80+ years. Along with dozens of others, the reward is knowing that this record of their heritage is preserved and appreciated. They are all volunteers. Come and appreciate!
Find out more about the rural revival happening in Stanton, Iowa here:
EPISODE 147 // JENNA RAMSEY OF STANTON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND KEVIN CABBAGE OF FMTC
SUPPLYING YOUR SMALL TOWN FIREARM, FISHING, AND GROCERY NEEDS
AN UNEXPECTED PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO TURNED EVENT SPACE
We’re challenging small towns to create opportunities and shift the mindset of our kids so they choose to stay in our rural communities instead of leave.