Off the Map: Wilder Museum a ‘special treasure’

STRAWBERRY POINT - Contrary to popular assumption, the Wilder Memorial Museum is not connected with Laura Ingalls Wilder, but with Frank and Mary Wilder, a local couple who donated funds for the benefit of the community.

The museum opened in April 1970 and originally displayed a huge doll collection gifted by two local sisters, Blanche Baldridge and Gladys Keneally.

'The collection includes more than 500 dolls,” said director and curator Diane Formo. 'Back when the museum opened, the men would wait in the car while their wives would come in and see the house of dolls.”

The Wilder Memorial Museum has added to the doll collection, which now boasts more than 800 dolls. There are tin head dolls, a china doll from 1840, felt dolls, wooden dolls and a Queen Anne doll dating back to the early 1700s.

The museum offers visitors the chance to see even more. During the last several decades, the building has had to expand to house all its acquired items.

In 1980, the Alderson addition was erected to house a collection of Victorian furniture and glass from Strawberry Point resident Marcey Alderson.

'He collected the best of the best,” Formo said. The Victorian furniture is pristine and showcases Alderson's needlepoint talents. And the glass collection is astonishing, Formo said.

'These are phenomenal pieces from the 1700s and 1800s,” Formo said of the lamps and figurines. 'We have them arranged by color which helps you notice the details.”

In the 1990s, the Munter-Knight Wing was added to the museum. It houses displays that offer visitors glimpses into how earlier generations lived. There's a prairie farm room and a prairie farm kitchen, a general store, a doctor's office and an exhibit dedicated to the history of creameries in Clayton County.

While storage is limited at the Wilder Museum, Formo said the staff has made a point to rotate the items they have on display regularly.

'I love change and hearing what people liked about the museum,” she said. 'We like to move things around and give people a reason to come back.”

In the three seasons Formo has been with the museum, she said she has spent a lot of time tweaking the placement of items.

'I wanted to make sure the museum had a good flow,” she said. 'And I'm not a big fan of velvet ropes. Visitors are welcome to come into each exhibit as long as they don't touch. I really want people to see the details in each room.”

Formo helped guide a museum makeover project in 2014 - completed with volunteer labor and donations - that she said has the museum well positioned to entertain visitors in the future.

Those connected with the Wilder Museum are excited to be celebrating its 45th anniversary, Formo said, adding they plan to host a birthday celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. April 12.

'This is an incredible place,” she said. 'I have fallen in love with it. So I enjoy meeting people and showing them this special treasure. There are so many incredible pieces here.”

IF YOU GO

What: Museum birthday celebration

Where: Wilder Memorial Museum, 123 W. Mission St., Strawberry Point

When: 1 to 4 p.m. April 12

Online: For more about the museum, go to www.wildermuseum.org.