Ryan Harren was charged with what could euphemistically be called squeezing 170 years of history into a 50-year bag.
As the Brown County Historical Society’s collection curator, Harren during the summer researched and wrote text and gathered archives for the “170 Years of the City of Charm and Tradition” exhibit that fills the main second-floor gallery to note the city’s birthday.
“It’s a small space and we don’t have fancy exhibit walls here, so I had to be very selective about the events or subjects that we cover,” he said. A couple sides of the gallery overlook the first floor.
The permanent exhibit on that first floor shares about the founding of Brown County, and the third floor is an updated exhibit on the U.S.-Dakota War. Because of those, he could focus on such subjects as the city’s founding, disasters, religion, education, the world wars and businesses while referencing the others.
A large cash register from the Corner Drug Store creates a visual starting point for a panel about Kraft, 3M and AMPI, for example, along with a New Ulm Monopoly game. Those came about later in the city’s development as foundational flour mills closed down.
“The city wanted to bring new industries, you know, for jobs in the city. So, they were able to attract those three, and they have grown to be three of the largest in the city.”
But the limited space didn’t allow him to include events to bring the history up to present day.
“The City of Charm and Tradition” is one of the many nicknames New Ulm carries. Well-known today for festivals, that could be a facet covered in a later exhibit so it’s not a dominant feature in this exhibit, Harren said.
He has noticed that many visitors to New Ulm don’t know about the city’s history, so the exhibit was an opportunity to bring those elements forward and provide a taste of what is there.
The section on the founding talks about the group of German immigrants who in 1853 formed the Chicago Land Company. It covers the May 1856 arrival of men from the branch of the Cincinnati Turners who were looking to escape anti-German sentiment and wanted to establish a town built on Turner values. The two groups eventually merged.
It also covers the 1856 creation of the New Ulm Turners chapter and construction of Turner Hall in 1857, which is still the center of many town festivals. While there was so much to say, subjects such as the Hermann Monument, a real tourist draw, got attention.
Also included is George’s Ballroom, a nearly 80-year business that is being demolished to make way for additional housing opportunities. Originally built in the 1930s, it was lost to fire and rebuilt in 1947. Since about 1991, however, it has been vacant and fell into dangerous disrepair.
While many of the artifacts in the building could not be reclaimed, some items, such as the sign out front, have been saved. The role the ballroom played in the community is included in the exhibit.
In the meantime, a corner of the second floor is being transformed into the holiday seasonal display. Decorations are also going up on the first floor of the former post office. And the city rolls into its 171st year.