Isanti County Historical Society

A Food Guild ad from September 6, 1945. Great prices at Oleson Bros. in Isanti. Our purchasing power would greatly expand if we could use these prices today. If only … 
 
A few weeks have passed since my last update. Our recovery work has been very slow-going. A bright spot in the day is finding that interesting tidbit of history, an old ad, or anything that leads us to compare life today against that of the past. One such advert is from a local grocer and tells the cost of groceries in days gone by. Oh, if only we had those prices today to offset rising gas costs.                       
We have received replacements for several of the family histories in my last update, and as a result we can just dispose of the burned version and forego the dirty salvage work …YEAH! We are thankful for such small victories. Below is a list of several more family histories that we need to replace. Pass the word to those you may know, and if they do the same, we can get a few more replacements.  
    1.    Eric Strom Family, One Man’s Reach by Silvia Strom Osborne.
    2.    Anderson Dalarna, Tom’t Mats Anderson Family
    3.    Fred Soderberg Family History
    4.    Swenson Family Genealogy
    5.    Arvid & Clara Swanson Family History
 
This is Week 39 after the fire, and the arrival of an early spring signals a new beginning. Everyone is eager to plant, clean, refresh, and, in some cases, add on an addition or remodel their home. ICHS is working toward all of those things this spring, and would like the community to join us at each new turn.  
As our plantings around the Heritage Center emerge, I need a gardener or a garden club to transplant our flowers from around the slab to a temporary location so that they could be replanted in the future. Can you or your club volunteer to determine how and when this should be done? If so, please contact Kathy at 763-689-4229.  
Here are other ways to support ICHS during our marathon journey in recovery and rebuilding. Donations
    1.    By US Mail to 1700 E. Rum River Drive S., Suite K, Cambridge, MN 55008
    2.    At www.ichs.ws
    3.    At Cambridge State Bank.
Contact Us
1.      Follow Us on Facebook
2.      Call us at 763-689-4229
3.      Email to ichs@izoom.net
4.      US Mail to the above address
We are open by appointment only at this time. Thank you to all for their support as we continue on our journey.  
 
 
Kathleen J. McCully, Executive Director
Isanti County Historical Society

Three items after freeze-drying: A very old Swedish family history (L) with the first pages destroyed, but other pages partially usable. McCall Pattern News, was originally encapsulated, but this too is brittle and must be replaced. The Wireless from CHS Sr. Class of 1912, a yearbook that was only water damaged, but very brittle and wavy.

 

Over the past two weeks we have begun to reorganize the contents of 61 boxes of salvaged archival materials. Since there is no order to how the items were crated at the time of the fire, we must now put everything back in order so we can begin to assess what we are able to use again, or what we will have to replace or toss. Because not everything we have saved can be replaced, we have to find a way to preserve the information in them as well as the original damaged item. It could be a very old family history, a one-of-a-kind scrapbook, a very old yearbook, a legal document, or organization records.

 

All of the freeze-dried materials are very brittle. After speaking with Belfors, the folks who generously donated their freeze-drying services to us, they state that the molecular structure of the paper has been compromised because of the fire, the water and chemicals used to put out the fire, and by the process of freeze-drying itself. Therefore, even though we have been able to rescue these items either in part or in whole, the life span of the paper has been shortened.

 

So what does this mean and how does it affect our work? Well, it means that . Next we must determine if the damaged item should be kept or tossed. If we want to keep the one-of-a-kind, or irreplaceable original document, then it must be treated with a deacidification spray and encapsulated to minimize exposure to the air and oils from our hands during future handling. Encapsulation is similar to lamination. The difference is when something is laminated, it is heat-sealed between sheets of clear film. Since the adhesive touches the original, it can never again be separated from the laminate. With encapsulation, the item is free-floating between two sheets of film, and the edges beyond the page are sealed with a double-sided tape. This way, you can see both sides of the item, you can handle the page, but it won’t be touched by air or the human hand. If need be, the edges can be opened and the original removed.

 

As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. This is Week 34 and the journey again seems rather daunting when I see all of the items that need work. While there will be many steps during our recovery process, scanning will take a huge part of the time. I would be interested in speaking with anyone that has computer/scanning experience that would commit to a certain amount of time each week for several months to help with the task of scanning. Training would be provided. As we move ahead with recovery, there will be many more volunteer opportunities available, so please do not hesitate to contact our office and provide your skills and availability.

 

If you want to support ICHS, donations are greatly appreciated and can be made by mail, at our website, or directly at Cambridge State Bank. For volunteering and all other inquiries, visit www.ichs.ws, follow us on Facebook, call us at 763-689-4229, email at ichs@izoom.net or drop us a letter at 1700 E. Rum River Drive S., Suite K, Cambridge, MN 55008. We are open by appointment only at this time.

 

Kathleen J. McCully, Executive Director

Isanti County Historical Society

___Santa Claus and Kathy Lindgren McCully, c. 1950s. “I don’t remember what I asked for then, but now I would ask for time to be turned back to before the arson fire. But since this cannot happen, my wish is for a better year ahead, a new Heritage Center, more volunteers, new members (young and old and in between), and a renewed appreciation of Isanti County history. What do you think?” Merry Christmas from the Isanti County Historical Society…Enjoy those gifts!

by Kathleen J. McCully, Executive Director
Isanti County Historical Society

As it happens, Week 24 after the fire falls just before Christmas. This is a time when everyone is looking forward to giving and receiving gifts from their friends and family. So while your gifts will be wrapped in festive paper and bows, ours are freeze-dried and packed in sixty-one boxes.  

A plan has been formulated on how to inventory and process each box. ICHS has been very lucky in having Marilyn McGriff, the first executive director of the society, working with us. Marilyn set up all of the filing systems during her tenure, and was familiar with many of the documents and items that were in our collection. Now, after having worked with technology and libraries, she is volunteering time to assist in the identification, prioritizing, processing and cataloging. Her time and talent is a gift that is truly beyond measure.

While we will not be processing and cataloging in full force until after the first of the year, Marilyn has been going through a few of the boxes to see if our process will work. After the fire, we had a crew of about 12-15 folks retrieving items, sorting, wrapping and freezing them. Opening each box now is like opening a Christmas present to ICHS. As Marilyn has been doing so, she has discovered a few things that are almost unscathed: Several scrapbooks of newspaper clippings from the local area; records of the Cambridge WCTU; Isanti County Arts Guild records with some photos of events; memorabilia from the Cambridge American Legion; Justice of the Peace dockets from Braham, 1950s; and file folders of information about several of the cross-roads communities in the county. We do celebrate these small gifts as we move forward.

However, there are many more items that were partially burnt in these boxes as well, and this is still a very dirty, sooty, smelly job. We can’t wear nice clothes, must wear masks and gloves, we have a hepa-filter air purifier running to pull stray particles from the air, and expect that we will be making a grand mess of things as we move forward. In spite of this, my staff and many volunteers continue to come back, day-after-day, week after week-to-work and clean up daily. They are all a gift to me and to the history of Isanti County, because this task could not be accomplished by one or two people alone.

As you celebrate this season with family and friends, Isanti County Historical Society thanks you for your gifts, whether they are photos, historical information, old business or civic organization records, oral histories, family histories, volunteer time and talent, monetary donations or moral support. Remember, this is a marathon for us all, not a sprint and we thank you for accompanying us on this journey.

Donations are greatly appreciated and can be made by mail, at our website, or directly at Cambridge State Bank. For all other inquiries, visit www.ichs.ws, follow us on Facebook, call us at 763-689-4229, email at ichs@izoom.net or drop us a letter at 1700 E. Rum River Drive S., Suite K, Cambridge, MN 55008. We are open by appointment only at this time.