New sights at the History Center

Big things are happening at the Montgomery County History Center in Red Oak.
Montgomery County History Center curator Dave McFarland said the biggest upgrade is to the former Cozad Log Cabin.
“We’re restoring the cabin, it used to be south of town and is one of the first buildings in Montgomery County, built in winter of 1865. We put a new roof on and we’re chinking the logs. We’re going to do the whole nine yards, get it all up to snuff and everything,” said McFarland. “The original owner came back from the Civil War and discovered the Confederate Raiders had burned down his cabin, so he bought a farm overlying into Montgomery County. He had been in Page County and he moved into Montgomery County, built this cabin and it’s been through a number of transitions. After the work is finished, it’s going to be back as close as we can get it to when it was originally constructed.”
Also at the center is a new feature, which was reconstructed with existing materials.
“We ran across an article told about Red Oak that said when the railroad first came in 1869, Red Oak was only second to Deadwood for being wild and wooly, and there were fights on Saturday night, so they decided they needed a jail. To be expedient, they took railroad ties and stacked them and made a little 10 by 10 jail cell,” advised McFarland. “When they tore down the old jail, we saved one of the door frames and one of the barred doors and one of the beds. We had our contractor pour us a concrete pad in between the schoolhouse and the Sciola Church, and we stacked the railroad ties and made a reproduction of our first jail. We’ve been laughing about the fact that it’s likely going to be a selfie opportunity.”
Some other changes have been made to the facility thanks to a donation from a former Red Oak organization.
“We had money came in from the Monday Club when they disbanded and we poured new sidewalks and put in a nice patio. We’re going to have kind of a reflection area on the south end of the building by the church, in between the church and the main building at the History Center. It will eventually have a dedication plaque on it when it gets a little warmer,” McFarland stated. “Out back, we had some money from an estate and we’re building a 40 ft. by 80 ft. machine shed so that we can store and display our farm equipment. It will be out of the weather and it will make a nicer venue as well as give us a little room to expand our exhibits and make other changes in the main building.”
McFarland added the Montgomery County History Center is approaching the threshold of having the most historic buildings in Southwest Iowa.
“In addition to the Cozad Cabin, we have the Sciola Church, which is the oldest church in the county, built around 1871. We have the Cozad Cabin and right below it, we have the Stipe Log Cabin, which is the oldest structure in the county, built around 1855. We have the Pittsburgh Country School. It had been down at the park near the fairgrounds and not quite getting the attention it needed, so we moved it up there. It was built somewhere around 1871, we don’t know the exact date,” McFarland explained. “The lumber for it was sawed in Minnesota, floated down the Mississippi River to Burlington, where it was milled into lumber, and then it was loaded and brought right up the railroad. From there, it was loaded onto horse and wagons and hauled three miles south of town and constructed into a country school. We’re getting it all fixed up and we’ve been using it somewhat, and we have plans to do a lot more with it. We also have the Nims barn which was constructed around 1884, and corn crib, and we’re going to try and keep adding to that.”
With all of the buildings on site and preserved to their original state, it’s allowed the history center to take over the Oregon Trail event that was held at Anderson Conservation in May of each year. Last year, the event, branded “Pioneer Days” was held, and McFarland said it’s going to continue being a regular event.
“The kids can experience what it’s like to be in a one-room country school. We have all the desks and blackboards instead of laptops and cell phones. They’re all set in the actual venues which gives it more immersive experience. As I said, we also have the oldest church for them to check out. In fact, the church is getting a lot of use outside of the new “Pioneer Days.” We have church services three Sundays a month in there, and the church serves as the site for a youth group that meets on Wednesday night,” commented McFarland. “They were down there the other night talking about how Christ was born in a manger, and with the location, they could actually see what a manger is like. I think it’s a good opportunity for kids and adults, to experience.”
Because he has such a special connection to history, being able to preserve these historic buildings, McFarland said, is rewarding and very personal to him.
“When I was little, I lived with my grandmother north of Villisca and we went to the church and I went to Bible camp there when I was a young boy. When the township trustees approached us about saving it, it became almost a personal crusade to get that moved over here. We’ve put a new roof on it and painted it and we’re doing some remodeling inside. We had it rewired and added air conditioning and heat so that we can use it,” said McFarland. “That’s also our goal for the country school, to get it heated and air-cooled so we can use it for things like the church is used for.”
The axe used in the Villisca axe murders, which is currently at the history center, remains one of the most frequented exhibits.
“We have a display area for it at the center, and we’ve taken it to Des Moines a couple times for displays and things. It’s a big piece of the county history, and every little piece you save is something that adds to it. That and the buildings and the other exhibits really draw people in. We’re getting more than 5,000 people a year through there. So, I mean, that’s pretty good for the community when you think about it. It’s not just people in the county. We’ve had people from Omaha and Colorado. In fact, we had a couple come earlier this fall that came all the way from Montana to see the axe from Villisca.”
McFarland credits the numerous organizations and businesses in the community for helping make the history center the undisputed hub for Montgomery County history.
“We have money set aside in endowments that earn interest and dividends for us and it keeps the lights on and pays the day-to-day, but when you want to do something new and add something, we’ve got to go out and pitch it and find people that are willing to contribute. We get funding from banks and grants from the Community Foundation. The Lijedahl family donated money to help with the cabin restoration, and the Monday Club, when they disbanded, left us a nice tidy sum we used for upgrades to make everything more accessible. It all just keeps building and enhancing the experience.”
Visit the history center at 2700 N. 4th St. Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment by calling 623-2289. The center is also available to rent for parties, meetings, and special events. McFarland said there’s something for everyone.
“We have pretty much everything from prehistoric times up to modern-day. We also have a lot of military memorabilia. Deb Frazee is currently reorganizing and enhancing our research library. There’s always something we’re adding to or working on,” stated McFarland.
You can learn more at facebook.com/MCHistoryCenter, or mocohistorycenter.org/.