ONE MILESTONE REACHED

DAAHA's dedicated volunteers have reached a milestone and a mixture of excitement and relief permeates the museum galleries. Mif and Paula along with new volunteer Tom have described over 1000 photographs in the museum original collection. These knowledgeable volunteers have recognized the types of plants growing in the fields and the various pieces of equipment used in agriculture. Many times, they were able to describe a process that was illustrated by the photograph.

Each photograph was described on a worksheet. This information will be entered into the collection software program and the photograph scanned to capture an electronic image. Once all of the images are scanned and the information checked for accuracy, it will be posted to the DAAHA website (www.daaha.org) under the collections tab. Anyone will be able to search the photographs by keyword to find certain subjects.


This is an exciting endeavor and the photograph segment of the collection is getting ever closer to being available to the public.

Patrick McGuire, Collections Intern

Patrick has been working with Elizabeth Horoszko this past spring processing the many DeKalb Ag materials in the DAAHA collection. Over 100 boxes of documents have been organized into many subjects such as, Sales & Marketing, Publications, Corporate Records. The picture shows Patrick beginning to describe the scrapbooks.

The DAAHA collection contains over 600 posters and ads illustrating the great variety of artwork utilized by the DeKalb Agricultural Association, Inc., representing many different products. The product most commonly associated with DeKalb Ag is corn. However, the posters and ads also highlight the characteristics of sorghum, cotton, alfalfa, soybeans, pigs and chickens.

Some posters and signs, such as these DeKalb Chix signs, were used by the company.  Other posters were intended for public display. 

NOON PRESENTATION:: DEKALB - 100 YEARS STRONG

“DEKALB – 100 Years Strong”

WHEN:   Wednesday, March 21 – NOON

WHERE:  Ellwood House Visitor Center – 509 N. First Street, DeKalb

FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact DAAHA at 815-756-8737

The third and last “Brown Bag” lunch program of the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association’s (DAAHA) three-part lecture series – Agricultural Heritage Programs – will be presented this Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at the Ellwood House Visitor Center beginning at noon.  The audience is encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.

In January 2012, a new coffee table book was published, honoring the 100^th Anniversary of DEKALB and its formation on Jan. 20, 1912.  DEKALB – 100 Years Strong commemorates a century of making farming better.  DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association (DAAHA) and the Northern Illinois Regional History Center furnished the pictures used in this mostly pictorial 100 year history.

The book was published by DEKALB brand owner, Monsanto, for a specific group audience and is not available to the general public. DAAHA board member and book editor, Emerson Wells, will offer a

PRESS RELEASE – DEKALB – 100 Years Strong – Page 2

PowerPoint presentation showing most of the pages from the 104-page book and give the reasons those particular photographs were selected for publication.  Mr. Wells will also give a view of the issues that prompted a group of farmers, businessmen, bankers and newspapermen to gather in 1912 and form the original DeKalb County Soil Improvement Association – and then later reorganize in 1917 into two groups.  One of these groups evolved into the DEKALB Ag (as it is locally known), and the other into the DeKalb County Farm Bureau.

Emerson Wells started working for "The Ag" upon graduating from Purdue in 1962 and worked in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota before moving to DeKalb in 1984.  He retired in 2000.  He is a past president of DEKALB Alumni Association and a founding member of DAAHA. 

 The DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association (DAAHA) is an organization focused on the collection and preservation of the storied history of agriculture and agricultural innovations in the northern Illinois area.  Its exhibits are open to the public on Wednesdays and Sundays from 2 – 4 p.m. in the second floor Nehring Gallery in downtown DeKalb.  Please call 815-756-8737 for more information.  Find DAAHA on the web at: www.daaha.org.

NOON PRESENTATION:: ORAL HISTORY OF THE ILLINOIS AGRICULTURE PROJECT

“Oral History of the Illinois Agriculture Project”

WHEN:   Wednesday, March 7 – NOON

WHERE:  Ellwood House Visitor Center –  509 N. First Street, DeKalb

FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact DAAHA at 815-756-8737

Dr. Robert Warren

The second “Brown Bag” lunch program of the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association’s (DAAHA) three-part lecture series – Agricultural Heritage Programs – will be presented this Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at the Ellwood House Visitor Center beginning at noon.  The audience is encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.

The title of the program is “Oral History of the Illinois Agriculture Project”. The presenter is Dr. Robert Warren, Curator of Anthropology at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield.  In 2007, Dr. Warren received a national leadership grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to develop oral-history interviews that document the history of agriculture in Illinois.  The project digitized old audio interviews with Illinois farm families, recorded new ones, and indexed all of the recordings.  Everything is now accessible on a website called “The Audio-Video Barn” (avbarn.museum.state.il.us) where users can browse 130 oral-history interviews with people involved in agriculture and rural life in all parts of Illinois.  Many of these interviews are with farmers and farm families in northern Illinois.

This free program is the second of three presented by DAAHA as part of  their “Agricultural Heritage Programs” series.  The next program, also to be held at the Ellwood House Visitor Center, is on March 22^nd – “DEKALB 100 Years Strong”– presented by Mr. Emerson Wells.

Noon Presentation:: Toys of the Past

“Toys of the Past”

WHEN:   Wednesday, Feb. 22 – NOON

WHERE:  Ellwood House Visitor Center – 509 N. First Street, DeKalb

FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Contact DAAHA at 815-756-8737

The first “Brown Bag” lunch program of the DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association’s (DAAHA) three-part lecture series – Agricultural Heritage Programs – will be presented this Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at the Ellwood House Visitor Center beginning at noon.  The audience is encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.

The program, “Toys of the Past” focuses on antique and collectable toys representing farm machinery, tools, and everyday farm life.  Mr. Vernon Johnson of Kirkland, Mr. Marvin Hawbaker of Kirkland, and Mr. Roger Watson of Genoa, who have been collecting these toys for many years, will display portions of their collections.  In addition, they will talk about their specific collections and about their collecting experiences.

Mr. Johnson will present farm toys and Lionel trains; Mr. Hawbaker’s farm toys are all sized to 1/32 and 1/64 scale, while Mr. Watson will display wooden farm machinery made by Peter Mar Wooden Quality Toy Company.  The audience is encouraged to examine the collections and ask questions about the toys and their history.

This free program is the first of three presented by DAAHA as part of  their “Agricultural Heritage Programs” series.  The next two programs, also to be held at the Ellwood House Visitor Center, are:  March 7^th – “Oral History of the Illinois Agriculture Project” - presented by Dr. Robert Warren of the IL State Museum, and March 22^nd – “DEKALB 100 Years Strong”– presented by Mr. Emerson Wells.

The DeKalb Chopper is Coming to Town!

You saw it from a far at the Farm Progress Show. 


You've seen the episode of American Chopper.


Or...maybe you haven't.  Regardless,  now's your chance to see it live and in person!  


The Ellwood House Visitors Center will be hosting the DEKALB Chopper on February 5.  A special viewing for DeKalb Alumni, Farm Bureau, DAAHA members, and Monsanto employees will be held from 12 pm to 2 pm. Public viewing will be from 2pm to 5pm.   Hope to see you there!

What: The DEKALB Chopper


Where:  The Ellwood House Visitors Center
             509 North First Street
             DeKalb, Il 60115


When: February 5, 2012
          Private Viewing 12 pm - 2 pm
          Public Viewing    2 pm - 5 pm

DAAHA's Grand Opening

WE'RE OPEN! 

Our Gallery Opening last Sunday was a success!  Around 50 people came to view our debut exhibit DEKALB AG: 100 years of Agricultural Innovation and were also able to preview our children's exhibit Sprouts.   Thanks to everyone who made it out to support us!  

The  DeKalb Area Agricultural Heritage Association, Inc. is currently open to the public Wednesday and Sunday from 2pm to 4pm or by appointment. 

 

Enjoy some pictures of the Gallery Opening below and don't forget to check out our website at www.daaha.org for our CALENDER OF EVENTS, where to DONATE, how to VOLUNTEER, or for general information about DAAHA.