Hanging onto History in Siouxland, Smithland

In the last few weeks I visited a small museum in Smithland, Iowa that I have driven past the log cabin museum a number of years. It was never open when I happened to be passing through, and although I wrote down a phone number off a sign, I remembered never to call. Until finally I did. And what a pleasant and yet, sad surprise. Pleasant because they are so many “treasures” and historical artifacts located in this small museum which is a replica of an earlier school built by the founder of the community, O.B. Smith. Sad because there is only one person, Katherine Mack, who is manning the “fort” and trying to keep the museum operating, functioning and a source of local pride and history.

I sat down with Katherine and talked with her and put together a short video piece hoping it my find her some help through other locals or individuals wanting to preserve area history. But for all the daunting aspects of what Katherine faces, she is full of energy and hope, and I believe will succeed in her quest to keep the museum open and available to those who want to learn more about Smithland and the surrounding area.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Kathy Mack, curator of the Smithland Log Cabin Museum, in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Kathy Mack, foreground left, curator of the Smithland Log Cabin Museum, and a visitor check the side of the building to see if it is repairable in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

An ox yoke hangs on the wall in the Smithland Log Cabin in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Kathy Mack, curator, talks with visitors at the Smithland Log Cabin in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A photograph taken of the Clark residence built in the early 1860’s in Smithland hangs in the Smithland Log Cabin Museum in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. An attached note says during the war (Civil War?) that the Clarks provided a place to stay for travelers. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A photo of O.B. Smith, the founder of Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Historical items , many from local residents, hanging in the Smithland Log Cabin museum in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Historical items donated by area residents are housed in the Smithland Log Cabin Museum in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A lot of historical items from local area residents are tucked away inside the Smithland Log Cabin in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A variety of items from an earlier era donated by local residents to the Smithland Log Cabin Museum in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Dolls from an eraly century in the Smithland Log Cabin Museum in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

The Smithland Log Cabin museum situated in the small community of Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

The Smithland Log Cabin Museum is a replica of the first school house built in Smithland, Iowa Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)