Name of Community: Henderson Population: 986
Name of Project: School House at Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park
Name of Contact Person: Kelsey Bergen
Day Phone: (402) 723-4228 Eve Phone: (402) 723-5478 Email: hchamber@mainstaycomm.net
Category: Economic Development
Subcategory: Tourism Promotion and Development
Date Project Started (mo./yr.) 08/2009 Dated Completed: 05/2010
Is the Project Annual/Ongoing: Ongoing
Volunteer Hours: 500 Number of Volunteers: 15
1) Brief Description of the Project
It has been said “you don’t know who you are until you know where you came from.” From this quote came the desire for Henderson to create a place where community members, alumni and the general public could learn about the history of Henderson and the Mennonites who migrated to the Henderson area in 1874. As a result the Henderson Heritage and Tourism Committee was created in 1999 to make this dream become a reality. The mission of the Heritage and Tourism Committee is to educate visitors about the journey of the immigrants from Russia to Henderson, Nebraska. This is a remarkable story displaying much perseverance as the 35 families prepared to travel to settle in America and what they discovered upon their arrival. Over the past ten years this committee has been extremely active in the development of the Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park. In 2002 a house, which was built in Henderson in 1900, was moved to the park. In 2004, construction began on a replica of the Immigrant House, where 35 Mennonite families crowded into the long narrow building and anxiously awaited the completion of their own homes before winter set in. This roughly constructed building served as the Mennonites first home in America and symbolized their determination to seek out a place where their way of life could be preserved. The most recently completed project at Heritage Park was the restoration of the District 73E Schoolhouse, which was completed in May. This will not be the last project completed at Heritage Park, but it was a very important project none the less. With the addition of the school, the park now can provide guests with a look at what school was like 60 years ago. This building was the original schoolhouse for the area, so it adds more nostalgia and history to the park.
2) Identify the planning and implementation of the project
a) Describe the methods used to plan and implement the project
When the idea for Heritage Park began, an overall layout of the property was designed. This layout included the immigrant house, a farm house, horse barn, general store, schoolhouse, a church and train depot. Over the past 10 years these buildings have moved onto the property as funds have allowed. At this point the immigrant house, horse barn, farm house, general store and schoolhouse are complete. During the summer of 2009 the old schoolhouse was moved onto the property beginning the process to incorporate the newest building into the park. The immigrant house and the general store are the only structures that have been constructed from scratch. All of the other buildings are original and have been moved onto the property.
b) Describe how the project relates to the community’s overall goals
The community of Henderson has a goal to continue to increase the quality of life available in Henderson and there are several ways that Heritage Park contributes to this. One way they contribute to this goal is through economic development. Part of economic development is bringing visitors into town to increase sales in business and tourism. A great way to bring individuals into a community is through tourism, which is why Heritage Park contributes to the community’s goal of increasing sales in town especially by non-residents. In addition the community realizes that the story of the Mennonites is unique and this story needs to be passed on to future generations. It is important for our youth to understand their heritage and the history of this community. If they are able to be proud of their community and are able to find value in the community they will be more likely to move back to the community for employment and to raise a family, which also contributes to one of the communities goals of retaining our youth. Finally the community wants to encourage involvement in specialty organizations and social opportunities within the community. Heritage Park is able to do both with their dedicated group of volunteers and their great schedule of activities happening throughout the year.
c) Describe how the project was identified as a priority for the community
As the older generations of our community begin to pass away, many of their stories about Henderson in the early years are lost forever. In order to document and retain these stories for years to come it was imperative that the Heritage and Tourism Committee began compiling stories and artifacts. Without this valuable information our future generations may never know the history of the Mennonites and how they migrated from Holland to Henderson. This is why the work of the Heritage and Tourism Committee and the artifacts at Heritage Park are such a priority for the community. In the short ten years that Heritage Park has existed we have already seen the positive effects of teaching this history to the youth of our community. For example, each year the Heartland Community School 4th grade class has a project connected with Heritage Park. This has given the students an interest in the history of their community. For their projects they collect stories from various community members, create a book, which is sold at Heritage Park, and give a presentation at the park during the school year.
3) Describe volunteer involvement in planning and implementing the project.
a) Describe how responsibilities were delegated among volunteers.
Most of the responsibilities for the restoration of the school house were covered by members of the Heritage and Tourism Committee. Since many of these members are retired they were able to commit a large amount of volunteer hours to complete the project in a timely manner. Based on the volunteers that were available, responsibilities were delegated to each volunteer by skill level and time that could be committed to the project.
b) Describe how volunteers were recruited for the project.
Volunteers were recruited for this project based on their skills and knowledge in renovation work. While many of the volunteers came from the Heritage and Tourism Committee, other volunteers were enlisted to assist with the large projects such as moving the school house onto the property. Volunteers were contacted directly by members of the Heritage and Tourism Committee or special interested groups would be contacted as a whole to assist when general help was needed.
4) Identify Project Outcomes
a) What did the community intend to change as a result of the project?
This project was intended to enhance Heritage Park and change the parks offerings to include information about education in this community through the actual schoolhouse students attended school in. By adding new buildings and attractions to Heritage Park, there is something new and different for visitors to learn about each time they visit the park. This will encourage people to visit the park on at least a yearly basis, which will enhance the awareness of Henderson’s history and stimulate financial support for the park itself.
b) Describe community wide support of the project.
There are many ways that the community of Henderson and the surrounding area have shown support for this project and Heritage Park in general. One way the park has been supported is through monetary donations throughout the year. Without this type of support the park would not have as many completed projects and there would be fewer completed buildings at the park. The community has also shown their support for this project through volunteering material and labor at Heritage Park. Organizations such as the Henderson Chamber of Commerce have held work nights at the park to volunteer their labor for tasks needed to be completed. In addition, local businesses have donated either materials or labor to various projects that have taken place at the park over the past 10 years. Finally the community has shown support for Heritage Park by attending the various events that are sponsored by Heritage Park each year. In February Heritage Park has a booth at the Henderson Home Show, which is staffed by volunteers from the Heritage and Tourism Committee. In April and May Heritage Park hosts the 4th Grade Research Project and Book Signing. During this project various items are donated for use at the park based on the topic of research. In June the Heritage and Tourism Committee organizes the Annual Garden Tour fundraiser, where residents volunteer their gardens to be on display. During Community Days in July, Heritage Park hosts a pancake feed, which is highly attended. They also host a special display at the park during this time of the year. Heritage Day is held every year at Heritage Park in September. During this event many community members volunteer to present demonstrations throughout the day. These demonstrations show those in attendance how the Mennonites lived when they migrated to Henderson and the struggles they faced just to wash their clothes, make food and care for their livestock. In December the Heritage and Tourism Committee organizes the Holiday Tour of Homes fundraiser. For this event community members volunteer their homes to be on display.
c) Describe how the final project impacted the community, including measurable data (Measurable data includes both qualitative and quantitative information).
One obvious way Heritage Park has impacted the community is through the number of people that Heritage Park has brought to Henderson. Every year the number of guests that visit Heritage Park grows. In 2005 the park had approximately 100 guests. In 2006 there were 200 guests that toured the park, About 400 guests were documented in 2007 and the park reached 1,000 guests in 2008. At this point in 2010 Heritage Park has had a bus tour, several family reunions, several class reunions and individual weekend visitors bring about 400 people to the park to-date. It is anticipated that 500-600 people will attend Heritage Day on September 11, meaning the park attendance for 2010 will be over 1,000 people. As more projects are completed at the park and the park is enhanced with landscape, artifacts and demonstrations the number of guests visiting the park each year will continue to grow. This directly impacts the businesses community as visitors of Heritage Park will likely eat at our local restaurants, visit our specialty shops and boutiques, and spend more money in town than their admission at the park.
5) Describe how resources were identified and used to successfully implement the project.
a) Monetary (grants, fund-raising, bonds, etc.)
The School House at Heritage Park was renovated with private donations, through fundraising done by the Heritage and Tourism Committee, and a grant from the York County Visitor’s Bureau. The process of raising money for this project took place over several years through various events hosted at Heritage Park and organized by the Heritage and Tourism Committee. These events include: the Annual Garden Tour, the Community Days Pancake Feed, park admissions, Heritage Day and the Holiday Tour of Homes.
Heritage Park as a whole has received several grants over the past few years for various projects and events. They received the 2006 Nebraska Community Enhancement Program Grant, which was an 80/20 matching grant. With this grant the Heritage and Tourism Committee was able to landscape the front of the park along Highway 93A. This grant was funded through the Nebraska Department of Roads and administered in cooperation with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Implantation of Landscaping Projects, which works to improve the state’s transportation corridors.
The most recent grant receive by Heritage Park is from the York County Visitor’s Bureau Improvement Fund, which they received in 2009. Through this grant they were able to receive $10,000 to move and reconstruction the District #73E Schoolhouse.
b) Material and supplies (purchases and donated)
The actual school house building was donated by an area resident who was using the school house as a garage. Materials for the reconstruction of the schoolhouse were purchased from local vendors. Many of these businesses sold the material to Heritage Park at a discounted rate, due to their 501 C 3 status and because this park is highly supported by the community. The Heritage and Tourism Committee also volunteered their time to build this project and donated the use of supplies needed to complete the construction such as hammers, ladders, paint brushes and other such material.
c) Labor (volunteer, in-kind, and paid services)
Labor for the reconstruction of the schoolhouse consisted of volunteer hours. The Heritage and Tourism Committee, completed all of the reconstructions for the schoolhouse on their own time.
6)Future Plans
a) How will the community build upon or follow-up with this project in the future?
Work has already begun to build upon the schoolhouse project and follow-up projects for Heritage Park are already in the planning process. The Heritage Committee continues to build upon this project by incorporating the schoolhouse into the Annual Heritage Day in September and using it for different events throughout the year. With the addition of the schoolhouse, people who have visited the park in the past are able to visit the park again and learn something new. The Heritage Committee has also built upon this project by selling bricks, which lead up to the schoolhouse. Several students and classes who attended District 73E were able to purchase bricks that financially support the park and enhance the history it offers. With the schoolhouse completed, the Heritage Committee is already planning for their next project, which will be a machine shed. While this project is in the early planning stages, the committee continues to draw more interest to the park with each project and event that is created.
b) What has the community learned from this project that can be applied to future development efforts?
Through the school house projects and the greater success of Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park, the community has learned how important our history, and in effect Heritage Park, is to the community and the surrounding area. By cultivating an interest in our communities history in the younger generations, they will be inclined to pass this history on to the next generation as well. The community can also learn what is possible with a clear goal and volunteer involvement. The Heritage Committee and Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park, is a product of volunteer work and it was amazing to see what this group of driven people have been able to accomplish over the past 10 years, creating a historical attraction from the ground up.
7) Please describe what aspects (if any) of the project were especially unique or creative?
Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park is unique for two reasons. First, it is unique that a town with less than 1,000 people can develop, sustain and grow a park such as this on donations and grants alone. Many communities our size would not be able to accomplish such an undertaking. Secondly, Heritage Park is unique because it tells the story of a specific group of people, the people that made Henderson what it is today. Other living history farms show the life of pilgrims or the early Midwest, but this was made specifically to share the hardships and trials of the 1874 journey of 35 Mennonite immigrant families who migrated from Holland to Russian and then to Henderson, Nebraska. Descendants of those 35 families still live in Henderson today and through Henderson Mennonite Heritage Park their story will never be forgotten.
York News-Times Article
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