Members of the Garnavillo Historical Society held their Annual Appreciation Supper & Meeting, Thursday, November 13, at the Garnavillo Community Center. Supper was served to twenty-two members, volunteers, and guests. Following the meal, Hannah Frederick, site coordinator at Montauk Historic Site, Clermont, presented a program on Montauk, the home of Ex-Govenor Larrabee and his wife. She also shared information on their initial arrival to the Garnavillo area and their many familial and social connections to early Garnavillo residents such as Judge Elias Williams and James Crosby.
The annual meeting was called to order by President David Beck with 13 members and 3 guests present. Financial reports plus the annual Board report were presented. The museum saw an increase of 90 registered visitors in the past 12 months, attributable to the month of June when the museum participated in the county-wide “Museum Crawl.” The report also highlighted improvements made to exhibits, buildings and properties during the year. Election was held for 3 seats on the Historical Society Board of Trustees. The terms of David Beck, Ron Kaiser and Lanny Kuehl expire at the end of 2025. All 3 incumbents were re-elected to the Board, joining existing members Carol DeSotel, Jane Thein, Ky Clefisch, and Jon McElderry.
Membership in the Garnavillo Historical Society is $5.00 per calendar year and open to anyone that has an interest in learning more about and preserving the area’s history, historical artifacts and documents, (do not have to be a resident of Garnavillo). Creativity, organizational & technical skills as well as curiosity are always in demand. Monthly meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at 5PM at the Museum or the Public Library. Contact anyone on the Society’s Board for more information or reach out to them via email or facebook. The next monthly meeting of the Historical Society will be January 8, 2026. 5:00 PM at the Garnavillo Public Library.