The Garnavillo Historical Society has scheduled their annual volunteer appreciation supper and annual corporate meeting for Thursday, November 13th, at the Garnavillo Community Center. Supper will begin at 5:15 followed by a presentation by Hannah Frederick, site coordinator at Montauk, Clermont, Iowa. The annual meeting will convene at about 6:30 pm. All current members and volunteers are encouraged to attend. In addition, this year, the Society is extending an invitation to anyone in the community interested in the area’s history or history in general, or who would like to learn more about the Historical Society. Reservations for the meal are required. Email garnavillohistoricalsociety@ gmail.com or call 563-880-5078 and leave a message.
During the off-season, members will continue to work on exhibits, organize donations and documents in the archives, and perform maintenance tasks. Ceiling tiles in the Lodge Hall are currently being replaced. Recent donations are being added to inventory. And, a number of genealogy research inquiries have been researched. Historical calendars for 2026 have been printed and are available for purchase at the Garnavillo Public Library and will be at the Society’s annual meeting. The Historical Society also wishes to remind the public that even though the Garnavillo Museum is closed for the season, it can still be visited by appointment October through May. Email or call to set up a visit.
This year, since the Society sold the last printed copy of the book “Garnavillo Iowa Gem of the Prairie,” published by the Historical Society in 1988, the Society decided to digitize the book. In partnership with Advantage Archives, Cedar Rapids, the Gem of the Prairie book was digitized and added to the digitized historical newspapers on Garnavillo’s Advantage Preservation website. The Gem of the Prairie book is searchable on the site, in the same manner as the newspapers. A caution is issued when using the book, it does contain some errors, as the information at the time could not be fact checked as easily as it can now. Most of the original sources mentioned in the book as being available at the museum, are currently housed in the genealogical area of the Garnavillo Public Library and available for research. The Historical Society also digitized some missing newspaper issues as well as Garnavillo School student newsletters dating from 1927 – 1937. Visit the website at
www.garnavillohistoricalsociety.org.
For more information about the Garnavillo Historical Society Museums and how you can get involved or help, email garnavillohistoricalsociety@gmail.com or call 563-880-5078 and leave a message.