History Comes To Life Again For 2013

Oskaloosa Boy Scout Troop 77 presents the flag for the opening of Nelson Pioneer Farm in 2013.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The weather has been all Iowa this past week, anything but predictable. For those reasons, the opening of Nelson Pioneer Farm for the 2013 season was moved to a more predictable location, inside Bradbury Hall on the grounds of Nelson Pioneer Farm.

Once again Boy Scout Troop 77 helped start the new season by presenting the flag. Those gathered then joined in by singing the National Anthem.

Kelly Halbert, the curator at Nelson Pioneer Farm has been working at updating the displays at the museum and on the grounds. She hopes to be able to tell a story in the displays. In this way, a visitor will be more engaged about the subject.

This type of display also allows for the museum pieces to be rotated in and out of display. Halbert explains that it’s hard on the artifacts to always be exposed, and with this type of system in place, it will allow for something new to be seen on a regular basis.

Halbert took over the job during the off-season. Halbert comes to Oskaloosa after having been a part of various other programs, like the Des Moines County Historical Society where they “bought” an old library for $1. That donation ended up taking years and 2.5 million dollars to finish. Eventual budget cuts had Halbert on the move, where her last job before Oskaloosa was at the Sawmill Museum located in Clinton, Iowa.

Continuing to hold new events that engage visitors is also a goal of Halbert. Upcoming in May is the “Memories and Mayflowers” on Saturday May 25th, starting at 10 am.

Crafts and exhibits that day will be making a tussie mussie and learning the language of flowers. Also a scrapbook history exhibit, and there will also be a scrapbook craft. Oskaloosa Year Books and Civil War memorabilia will be on exhibit as well.

To learn more about Nelson Pioneer Farm, call 641.672.2989 or visit their webpage at www.nelsonpioneer.org