Area organizations to meet at the Over Museum

Two area organizations will be conducting their regular meetings in Sletwold Hall at the W. H. Over Museum beginning in June. The Vermillion Lions Club will meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month (excluding July and August) at 6 p.m. The USD Emeritus Club will meet on the first Wednesday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Both organizations have had a long association with the museum. The Friends of the W. H. Over Museum welcome both groups and are happy to provide facilities and friendly surroundings for their meetings.

Over the past several months, museum volunteers have been working with Steve Heer to completely redesign and update the museum's web page. The new design and format will provide more information and easier site navigation for interested parties and surfers. Changes and additions will include: 1. A pictorial Pre-Tour Guide for schools and organizations, 2. The current FOM newsletter, 3. On-line membership information and forms, and 4. Major revisions of existing pages and features. Check out what has already been done and watch for the new changes as they emerge in the very near future.

Work continues on display cases and exhibit projects as the new plan for the museum's North Gallery is implemented. That plan provides for displaying topical histories of the city of Vermillion and USD as well as guest collections from area residents and historical exhibits pertaining to area organizations (businesses, churches, schools, rural schools, clubs, civic organizations, service organizations, governmental departments, etc.). Two guest collections have been loaned to the Friends of the W. H. Over Museum and are now on display. The Vermillion Lions Club is preparing an exhibit for the "History of Area Organizations" exhibit. An exhibit about the 1881 flood is being prepared for the "Vermillion History Exhibit."

Some facts about the museum: The W. H. Over Museum was the first museum to be established in Dakota Territory, 124 years ago. William Henry Over moved to Vermillion from Kentucky, became South Dakota's first archeologist, helped discover and preserve natural and cultural artifacts, and discovered three new types of fossil. The W. H. Over Museum has a 1912 Moline "Dreadnaught" (touring car), one of the three known to be in existence today. The W. H. Over Museum has, and displays, the bell from the Baptist Church that was used to warn area residents of the flood which destroyed the old town of Vermillion (below the bluff) in 1881.

W. H. Over Museum

Schedule of Events

Sletwold Hall

Ending May 12

Iris Teng – BFA Senior Art Show

May 12-May 31

Aprons: The Perfect Cover-Up

May 19

Tea & Talk (2-4 p.m.)

June 1-June 30

Quilts Exhibit

June 9

Quilt Lecture by JoAnn Belling

North Gallery: Guest Collection

May 1- 9 (Tentative end date)

Ray Decker's Firefighter Exhibit

May 10-31

Open – (Please Apply)

Lobby Exhibit: Guest Collection

May 1-31

Maxine Johnson – Miniature Houses

June 1-30

Open – (Please inquire).