Museum Houses County’s Stories

    According to Ivan Besse, Marshall County’s Prayer Rock Museum was started “as a challenge and a dream.” Besse was one of the museum’s original founders who started working towards the project in 1962. Over six decades later, the founders have since passed but Prayer Rock Museum is still going strong. With the support of the community, the museum’s board hopes to continue that for the next several years.
    All those years ago, the Prayer Rock Museum started as a project through the Britton Lions Club. In his write-up about the museum in the Britton Centennial book from 1984, Besse noted that the goal was to “better Britton.” 
    When Besse agreed to tackle the museum project, he put together a committee. He was the president, Russell Fortner was named vice president, Bill Hauck would be treasurer, John Owens was secretary and Chuck Card was tagged for publicity. 
    “For the first few years, we were just spinning our wheels,” wrote Besse. “We couldn’t seem to get anyone to move- lack of money, lack of manpower and lack of interest seemed to bog us down.” 
    The founders eventually bought the namesake Native American prayer rock with their own money for $600. After a few stops, they moved it into the lower floor of the old hospital, the Continental Apartment building, where they received a ten-year lease from the city and the museum was born. 
    After a few hiccups with the city and the building, the museum moved a block to the south where it resided for many years. Then around 20 years ago, it hopped across the street to its present location at 723 Main Street. 
    For a smalltown museum, the building is packed with interesting exhibits that tell intriguing stories of locals. As Besse himself put it, “Prayer Rock Museum is as nice a museum as you will find any place” and tells the story of the area from the time of the Native American until the present. 
    There are exhibits and displays for everyone regardless of interest. Military history buffs will enjoy the dozens of uniforms displayed, many of which were worn by local heroes. The outdoorsman can take in the wildlife collection donated by Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Olson made up of dozens of animal mounts. The tepee and log cabin are still on display and visitors can enjoy viewing some of the Ivan Besse film collection in the theatre area. 
    The individuals who work hard to keep the doors open to the public include many unpaid volunteers and above all, the museum’s board of directors. Presently, that group is made up of seven enthusiastic locals who love history, Marshall County and all the stories it holds. 
    As Board President Lorene Bender emphasized, “There a lot of interesting little things in here that people might not know about. More than ever, people are searching for their own histories and stories, and we would encourage them to come and take a look. So many Marshall County tales are on exhibit here.” 
    As they invite people to visit for the first time or rediscover the Prayer Rock Museum (free of charge for visitors), the board also acknowledges that it takes both a lot of manpower and funds to keep the doors open. The building itself is not inexpensive to maintain and the exhibits within require a special environment. 
    Bender explains that they have to control the temperature and humidity to preserve materials, especially paper. And even though they may not be open in the dead of winter, they have to keep the utilities on. “It’s not as if we can turn the heat off when we’re not here,” said Bender. “People entrust us with their donations, and we take their preservation seriously.”
    The building is also getting on in years and requires work. “The outside needs tuckpointing sometime soon,” said board member Ali Tonsfeldt. The roof has also been problematic and requires spray foaming, but the board is pleased to note that the Britton Area Foundation has donated funds for that big project. The local attraction also receives annual contributions from the city and county. 
    The board emphasizes that they are very grateful for such assistance but acknowledges that they can always use additional help going forward. With that in mind, the board is planning a fun event in a few weeks that they hope people will enjoy while helping raise funds for the museum. 
    The event planned at the Britton Event Center for February 10 is called “Cruising for Murder: A Murder Mystery Dinner.” The night entails dinner and a fun whodunit type of adventure where attendees play a character while trying to track down a killer at sea. Upon purchasing your ticket, you will be assigned a character to play and even receive costume suggestions. Throughout the night, there will even be prizes given out for best detectives, actor, actress and the best costume. 
    Museum board member Ali Tonsfeldt who is orchestrating the murder mystery said ticket holders can expect a fun night. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an introvert who might mostly listen or someone who enjoys acting and getting into character, this can be a great time for everyone,” she noted. Tickets can be purchased through Feb. 9 and can be accessed through the event on the museum’s Facebook page. Or reach out to Tonsfeldt at 402-750-4273 for more information. 
    Tonsfeldt and the board explain they hope to use funds raised from the event for preserving, maintaining and updating exhibits.  “In the future, we want to modernize and give the space a fresh look,” said Tonsfeldt, who is not only a board member but museum expert. “The way people learn and take in exhibits these days is different from the past and we want to enhance that experience.” 
    If you are unable to attend the murder mystery event, you can always send a donation to PO Box 194, Britton SD or reach out to a board member.
    There are also other opportunities to be helpful. Board member Roger Furman added that they also rely on volunteers to help them year-round. “To stay open in the summer, we rely on people donating their time,” he said. “Even if you don’t have the means to give financially, we are always looking for people to show up and give a few hours here and there.” 
    Tonsfeldt said that it is estimated that a third of museums in the U.S. will close in the next several years. There is an endemic lack of funding, fewer volunteers and aging boards nationwide in the museum world. “We don’t want that to happen in Marshall County,” she stressed. “We want you to be able to come and explore the stories in your backyard.” 
    The Marshall County Prayer Rock Museum will reopen weekends starting in April and then be open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Thursday through Sundays.