A devoted group of volunteers are not only working on reviving a Morden historical society but now also have at least a temporary space to store and develop an archive they hope to eventually make available online.
Karen Mah with some of the documents Morden History & Archives is in the process of digitizing
The former Morden Historical Society had its ups and downs over the years, and while it is not necessarily coming back in the same way, the volunteers behind the effort are committed to collecting and preserving historical documents and materials.
“It was felt we needed to focus on the archives in particular because it’s the basis of all history. Any kind of historical writing or exhibits,” said Nancy Stunden.
“So we began to go through the records that had been collected by the historical society over time … and some of them even coming from the old Morden museum. We then inventoried all of the written records as well as the photographs.”
Their effort now has been boosted by a couple things, including getting a grant from the Morden Area Foundation.
“So with that, we are kind of up and running again,” said Stunden. “And now the City has been able to provide us with space at least for the foreseeable future in the old land titles building.”
Fellow volunteer Lenore Laverty, chairperson of what is now known as Morden History and Archives, noted they had been using a very small bit of space at the library, but it offered no room for them to go any further with their efforts.
“For years, we couldn’t collect any more documents or photographs because we had absolutely no space,” she said. “Now that we’ve got the space, it enables us to reach out to the community … probably first to see if people have records, minutes or financial records, photographs and so on from organizations from over the years.
“Some people have been holding on to old records of organizations and clubs they were involved with, often because they didn’t know what else to do with them; others may have inherited them from grandparents or found them in their old houses,” she added. “The archives will inventory the documents and provide them with safe storage to ensure that they are preserved for future generations.
“We’ll be able to take in some new records and materials now and expand our collection,” added Laverty, who noted in example that Mayor Nancy Penner recently contributed a couple boxes of documents and materials from the local horticultural society.
With the grant from the community foundation, the archives has acquired the supplies needed to identify and store the photograph prints and negatives. They have also purchased the equipment and supplies needed to receive larger documents such as minute books and financial records.
Morden has over the years had a strong tradition of heritage preservation. The Pembina Hills Historical Society, led by Adolph Dack, was founded after the Second World War, and the Morden Historical Society spearheaded the production of the history book in 1982 to mark the community’s centennial.
The Morden and District Museum collected and stored many photographs and other historical items until it closed to make way for the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre.
Darryl Toews has also been digitizing Morden newspapers for several years and was recently working up to 1954 editions of the Morden Times. At the present time, all digitized newspapers from Morden, Nelsonville, and Mountain City are available through the Pembina-Manitou Archives.
The longterm goals of the society now don’t necessarily involve reestablishing a local museum, but having a place to store and sort material is certainly a welcome start.
“We hope at some point it gets a more permanent home. We’re very happy to be in this space and to be able to expand,” said Laverty. “Really, the goal for us is to digitize all of the records so that they are very much more accessible to the public.”
The group agreed that there seems to be renewed interest in the history of the community and area, and that is reflected through the Vintage Morden Facebook group.
“We started with just a few hundred members last year and we’re up to just over 1,700, so there is a lot of interest,” said Karen Mah. “Before, nobody in the community knew that we existed, so now we’re trying to get our name out there so that people know we exist.
“Having an online presence is really important, so we’re going to be starting an Instagram account as well. That should be coming in the next two weeks or so,” she added. “It’s important for us to be able to be seen online so that people can learn about Morden history from the comfort of their own home.”
“It’s actually kind of interesting to see the back and forth on the Facebook page … as we go through the photographs from what was left over from the museum and the historical society,” Man added.
“Some of them aren’t labeled, and we have no idea what they are, so it’s really helpful to be able to put that on Facebook and say to people who have been long-term residents of Morden what is this, who are these people and when was this taken.
“I think it’s really important to kind of foster a sense of community between people who have just moved here and people who have been around for perhaps decades.”
The group plans to expand its digitization work to include many of its photographs and make these available through the City of Morden website.
