V is for Violin

Pope County Museum A-Z is a continuing feature of our blog. Periodically, I will highlight an item or items from our Museum collection.

Today’s post features Pope County Violin Maker Tollef Erickson, who lived in Cyrus, Minnesota (and later Glenwood) in the 1890′s.

We have 2 of his hand crafted violins in our collection.

The following article from the Glenwood Herald, January 1, 1897 tells his story very well, so I will reprint it here.

“An interesting industry now being carried on in Pope County is that of violin Making. To be sure, it is on a small scale, and in an obscure kind of way, but the instruments made have an admirable finish and tone.
It is now about twenty years since Tollef Erickson, then a young man of 21 years, commenced to learn violin making in Santa Cruz, California. He remained on the coast ten years until 1887, when he came to Pope County where he had some brothers, and settled down on a farm in New Prairie, where he had lived ever since, devoting himself to the care of his mother for some years and since she went to love with another son, he has lived a hermit life, employing himself exclusively in the manufacture of violins. In fact the only work he has even done since he came to Pope County, outside of violin making was a couple of weeks’ threshing last fall.
To make a good violin is a work of art. The wood must be carefully selected and nothing but skilled workmanship will do. Mr. Erickson gets his material from Lyon and Healy, Chicago, and Howe & Co., Boston, some of it being grown in Switzerland, though he considers the curly maple and fir pine obtained in the southern part of the United States full as good, if not better than imported woods. He makes three violins at a time in order not to loose any time waiting for the clue to dry after putting the parts together.
Since he came to Pope County Mr. Erickson has made fully 215 violins, of which he has about 50 on hand at the present time, so that if you should call on him one of these days you would see violins hanging in all parts of his home. He sells his instruments at from $5 to $35, according to the finish and perfection of tone he has been able to produce in each violin. Until a few weeks ago, Mr. Erickson made little effort to dispose of his intruments except among his neighbors and friends in the country, but he has recently placed some with O.J. Johnson & Co., where those desiring may satisfy their curiosity as to the character of his work.”

We also have a beautiful Hardanger Violin in our collection.

U is for Uniform

Pope County Museum A-Z is a continuing feature of our blog. Periodically, I will highlight an item or items from our Museum collection.

We have MANY uniforms in our collection: military, firefighter, railroad, even pastor’s vestments, but this week I chose a World War I Red Cross Uniform – worn by Agnes Skaare Engebretson Ostrom.

T is for Tours!

Today we hosted the first graders from Brooten Belgrade Elrosa. We just LOVE this time of year with all the school groups that come in for tours. The energy and enthusiasm of the kids renews our excitement for preserving history.

We have over 400 students from Pope, Douglas, Stevens, Todd and Stearns Counties visit us each spring.

Thank you teachers and volunteer tour guides for helping us share our love of history.

Students enjoying a steam engine demonstration.

Students blowing the whistle on the steam engine.

Checking out the trunk.

S is for Stove

Pope County Museum A-Z is a continuing feature of our blog. Periodically, I will highlight an item or items from our Museum collection.

Today’s item is the wood stove in our kitchen exhibit. It is all white enamel and nickel trimmed. The wood was burned in a small compartment on the left and the heat transferred to the burners and the oven. This model is particularly fancy as it has warming areas above and a water tank on the right. The tank took advantage of the heat of the oven and provided a source of hot water for cooking and cleaning.

The stove was manufactured by the Engman Matthews Range Company. It was called the Range Eternal. This one was manufactured in Goshen, Indiana. Since that factory was built in 1920, so we can assume the stove was manufactured after that date.

The stove was the property of Judith Erdahl of Starbuck, Minnesota. Donated by Judith Erdahl, Ruben and Orlean Eliason.

R is for Rope – Hair Rope

Pope County Museum A-Z is a continuing feature of our blog. Periodically, I will highlight an item or items from our Museum collection.

This hair rope belonged to Anna Wrolson. She married Andrew Torguson 1/6/1872 and died 11/11/1889.
The rope makes sort of a necklace. It is woven in several different patterns and forms a complete loop. The center of the loop has a sliding bead – also made of hair.

According to Joanne Haug, “During the mid-nineteenth century hair work became a popular drawing-room occupation, as fashionable as the much-practiced knitting, netting, and crocheting.  By acquiring knowledge of this art, ladies were able to manufacture the hair of beloved friends and relatives into bracelets, chains, rings, earrings, and thus insure that they could actually wear the treasured memento they prized.  The objects which were made in hair are more numerous than is generally supposed.  An ingenious Victorian hair-worker thought of many little domestic articles which could be either made of hair or ornamented with it. The following were some of the commonest applications: bracelets, brooches, earrings, rings, chains, necklaces, shawl pins, cravat pins, purses, bags, book markers, pencil cases, guards, studs, stud chains, scent bottles, walking sticks and even riding whips.”

Q is for Quilt

Pope County Museum A-Z is a continuing feature of our blog. Periodically, I will highlight an item or items from our Museum collection.

We have many quilts in our collection, but this week I am highlighting a large quilt made by the East Zion Ladies Aid Society.

Quilt blocks were sold to individuals as a money maker for the church for 15 – 25 cents. The buyer then wrote his or her name on the block in chalk. The Ladies Aid group then embroidered in the names and stitched the blocks together. “East Zion 1924 L.A.S.” is printed in the center of the quilt.  There are 288 6 x 3.5″ signature blocks.

The quilt was purchased by Gilbert G. Berge in the fall of 1924 at an auction sale and later donated to the museum.

Museum Closed Today 4-11

Due to the winter storm and poor road conditions, the Pope County Museum will be closed today, Thursday, April 11. We plan to be open again tomorrow for regular hours 10-5:00.