As mentioned in the July 23 blog entry, there are many great stories to share from our recent 25th Anniversary Staff Tour. I’ve asked other staff to share some of their experiences and favorite moments firsthand from our two days of traveling through southwest Minnesota. Enjoy!
Insightful Stops at the Historic Jailhouse
Brad Kramer
Programs Specialist
While in Luverne, after our tour of the Historic Palace Theater, a sea of SWIF-blue shirts streamed across town to the Rock County Historical Jailhouse. The Jailhouse is now made up of the Brandenburg Gallery, Chamber Office and WWII Museum. When you approach the building, there are a couple of amazing monuments honoring the men and women who served during past wars. You almost have to take a moment and step back and look at all the people who sacrificed their lives so that we can live in the world that we do today.
As a colleague and I walked up the steps to go into the Brandenburg Gallery we talked about how when we were growing up, you only heard stories about people’s parents and grandparents being in past wars. But today, our school classmates, friends, and brothers and sisters are going overseas to protect and fight for our freedom. I personally have had friends, cousins and now a brother-in-law go to Iraq or Afghanistan. It is a really scary and helpless feeling when you have a personal connection with someone in the war…
Two of my favorite parts of the Rock County Historical Jailhouse were the Brandenburg Gallery and the WWII Museum. The Brandenburg Gallery was awesome! Jim Brandenburg is a southwest Minnesota native and has done extensive photography work for National Geographic magazine. He is most famous for his nature photos, especially his photos of wolves. After looking at some really neat photographs we went upstairs to the WWII Museum.
As you walk in, you are amazed by the number of uniforms, weapons, newspaper articles and personal letters that are there. Old newspaper clippings told the stories of the war as it was happening. Weapons from U.S. and Nazi soldiers spoke to ultimate sacrifices that were made. You could read personal letters from soldiers who wrote back home to parents and loved ones. There were also letters from the U.S. Government written to a family whose loved ones were killed or captured during the war. Reading these letters really made me pause and appreciate what our soldiers did during WWII.
The Rock County Historical Jailhouse is a great asset to the Luverne community. From the amazing photography in the Brandenburg Gallery to the historical items in the WWII Museum, I recommend if you are in the Luverne area that you stop in. I know it was a very humbling experience for me!
