In this week’s update: New exhibit displays being installed; Swedish Pavilion update; Ambassadala’s new home, and more!
With the Monday Morning Update “on vacation” last week, this edition of the Monday Morning Museum Update covers the last two weeks!
In this update, keep up to date on what staff and volunteers at the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum are working on to lift up the history of Lindsborg and the surrounding region. This weekly update both looks back at what happened and looks ahead at what’s coming.
For May 19-June 1, 2025:
- Thanks to funding from the Kansas Department of Commerce SPRINT Grant, we now have Display Studios very close to finishing installation of new exhibit displays in the museum back gallery. Remaining is a fabric wall display on the exhibit hall’s west wall, a two-sided “monolith” display for the middle of the room, and placing of relevant artifacts into the newly renovated display cabinets. Beautiful work and exciting new historical content to explore!
- Perfect Blend Construction has continued work the last part of the stability repairs work on the south side of the 1904 World’s Fair Swedish Pavilion!
This work on the “face” of the Swedish manor-style historic building includes installing two shear walls behind the exterior walls to either side of the entrance and attaching those to solid footings at the building foundation.
The work is estimated to be completed by early summer; and when completed, this will allow us to safely reopen the Pavilion to the public! In anticipation of the reopening, Aubrey has arranged a professional deep cleaning of the Swedish Pavilion so it looks great for receiving visitors again!
Thanks to everyone who donated to help us reach the $151,500 needed for these critical repairs! Tax credits are now available for the 2025 tax year, with proceeds going to help with a new planned Pavilion roof that will be more durable and with a more historically accurate look! Learn more at www.oldmillmuseum.org/save-the-pavilion.
- On May 21, we welcomed a new “guard” of the museum front door! We are now officially part of Hunt For The Wild Dalas again as the new home of “Ambassadala” by artist Shirley Malm!
Big thanks to the Lindsborg Community Library for sending us this beautiful dala horse who used to reside inside the library, to Corey of Hemslojd, Inc for helping to line up a new cement base for Ambassadala and get it installed today, and to Trigard Concrete Products for use of their portable crane and help with placing the concrete slab in a difficult-to-reach location.This dala is covered with many totems of Lindsborg history and culture – the Old Mill, the Swedish Pavilion, wheat, Swedish dancing at Lindsborg Midsummer’s Festival, the Messiah performance, Coronado Heights, visual art and more!It’s looking proud and tall at its new location – thanks to everyone who made this possible!
- On THIS Saturday, June 7, we have our next virtual Swedish Genealogy Workshop with four great sessions, including the return of Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective! The cost is $50, or $30 for museum members. Register and pay at the link HERE. Last Saturday, we held a “Pursuing YOUR Past” workshop with Sue Schlitching and 20 registrants.
- Aubrey will be presenting a budget allocation request at tonight’s (Monday, June 2) Lindsborg City Council meeting. Adam assisted her with preparation. We would encourage museum supporters to attend and speak in favor of the value of public support of history!
- Adam made minor edits and a design update to the museum 2025-2030 Strategic Plan and posted it for public access HERE.
- Lenora is working on a presentation about Svensk Hyllningsfest for the Swedish coffee group. It will be the morning of Friday, June 27 and is open to the public!
- On June 12 at the museum, Lenora will give a short presentation on the Historical Speaker Series and Svensk Hyllningsfest projects – both funded by Humanities Kansas – to the Humanities Kansas Board meeting.
- Aubrey continued to work on the museum mini-exhibit about ice-age fossils – arranging for artwork copyright permission and purchasing vinyl decals for the display.
- Aubrey is working with an anthropologist from Washburn University to receive assistance in identification of part of the museum’s current collection.
- Aubrey worked on arranging repairs for a leather belt in the Old Mill that was damaged during Millfest this year.
- Aubrey worked on thank-you cards for Millfest demonstrators and volunteers.
- Adam and Aubrey worked on prep for Aubrey’s appearance on an upcoming episode of the “Preservation Oaks” podcast talking about the museum. Aubrey recorded the interview with the host last Tuesday.
- Aubrey and Lenora worked on steps to replace the Swedish Pavilion roof and to install guttering.
- Aubrey worked on a letter of intent for a grant application to the Greenway Foundation.
- Aubrey arranged for adding gravel in several spots in the Old Mill Campground.
- In cooperation with the Smoky Valley Historical Association, Lenora worked on a grant to update and republish the Lindsborg Business Directory book.
- Lenora helped a couple from Kansas City to research family that had settled in Lindsborg. She also worked on two requests for Swedish research last week.
- Lenora arranged to do a taped oral history interview with Bob Lundgren later this summer.
- Adam and Aubrey met with a member of the Lindsborg community about a planned upcoming music performance idea.
- Aubrey attended the Cultural Directors meeting last Wednesday and confirmed the museum’s participation about the anniversary celebration of the Prairie Print Makers in 2030.
- Barnes Tree and Stump Removal trimmed the tree next to the West Kentuck schoolhouse, representing the final portion of the SPRINT Grant funds.
- Aubrey is working on a grant application to potentially repair leaks in the roof of the Implement Shop on Heritage Square.
- The museum will be applying for a grant to add hand-painted kurbit designs to the gift shop bookshelves.
- Lenora continued working through a donation of historic photographs.
- Tyler continued working on the Historic Image Database.
- Lenora met for coffee at Sunflower Terrace on both Tuesdays to gather local oral history.
- Lenora has continued working on an indexing project under contract with ArkivDigital.
- Need a great gift for the genealogist or history enthusiast in your life? NEW in the museum gift shop, you can now purchase a gift certificate good for a free registration to one of the museum’s Online Swedish Genealogy Workshops anytime in 2025 ($50) or a 2025 Pursuing YOUR Past presentation ($10). Your gift recipient will receive a one-time-use code by email or mail good to pay for the registration fee for one of these popular sessions!
Thank you to our weekly volunteers!
During the last two weeks, our volunteers included Cathy Ahlstedt, Jerry Hammerton, Mike Koch, Betty Amos, Karmon Almquist, Julie-Ann Neywick, Ava Toll, Leland Nelson, and Tim Stewart.