Wednesday Study Club Visits Museum at Westphalia

Sixteen members of the Wednesday Study Club met in Westphalia to view the Little School Museum and Convent on Wednesday, Nov. 9, in lieu their monthly meeting.   

Officer Doris Voltin of the Westphalia Historical Society showed members the many artifacts that the Society has collected over the years.  

The wooden school building was replaced in the 1980’s by a new school and remained empty until 1991 when the Westphalia Historical Society was organized.  It took until 1995 for a planned museum to begin.  The Little School Museum houses 595 wedding pictures of couples who were married at the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia.  Members were also able to see the construction and progress being made on the new structure.  

In the Little School Museum items such as old wooden school desks were on display along with school trophies and books.  Also displayed were a Nun’s habit, First Communion dress, organ, and many religious mementos.   

The group then viewed the Convent which houses 141 pictures of military men and women of the area from all wars.  This past year the Temple VFW, Post 1820, made a presentation plaque to family members of the military who died in WWII.  Those servicemen included:  PFC Leander “Dick” Hoelscher, PFC Walter B. Heese, Lt. Elmer L. Brod, CPL. Gilbert M. Lehman, SGT. Ervin J. Hoelscher, and PFC. Bernard A. Greger. and Lt. Arthur Lee Greger. Various military uniforms were also on display.  WSC members considered this viewing their Veteran’s Day Commemoration.

Members were able to view the upstairs of the Convent where at one time the Nuns had lived.  Beautiful hand-made quilts were also on display and especially noteworthy were the handkerchief ones.  On the first floor, members were able to relax in the beautifully decorated Cana Room.  Back in the day it had been used as a sitting area.  It  is now available to rent for events.  Also displayed in one of the rooms were the advertisements that had been placed on the walls of the old wooden Westphalia Hall before the new hall was built in 1983.

The two buildings house real treasures of the Westphalia area and members thanked Doris Voltin for allowing them to see the history of the community.

Members then headed to Miller’s Country Market in Lott for lunch.  Next meeting will be December 14 back at the community room of the D Brown Library.