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The Daneville Creamery. This is the only known photo from the former village of Daneville which predates Viborg.

Whether it’s local citizens or visitors from another part of the U.S. or Denmark, the museum is ready to help hunt down information about their families. The archives include family histories and photo albums, obituaries published in the Viborg Enterprise, and yearbooks from Viborg High School and Viborg-Hurley High School. Many of these records are available and searchable on the museum’s website.

While a large focus of the museum is on Danish heritage, there’s more to it than that because “The Danes aren’t the only ones in town. It’s really a Viborg area museum,” Bob said.

The museum started in 2003 and was in the old veterinary clinic. The newest building emulates the style of an old barn and was added in 2017. The old and new buildings are connected by another structure which includes an elevator. The organization operates two other buildings: (1) The District #46 country school house sits across the street to the west of the First Baptist Church; and (2) The old creamery is across the street to the west of the museum. Bob said, “I worked at the creamery. I hauled those cans around; and hauled butter and ice cream and milk around. So there's a little bit of my history in here, too.” The late Lester Lauritzen left his estate to fund the expansion of the museum. “For a small town, a lot of people are astounded when they open that front door,” he said. “When people first come through the door, they say, ‘Wow, you’ve got a lot of stuff.’ And I tell them, ‘You haven’t even started yet.’”

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There’s a little bit of everything in the Daneville Heritage Museum including cream cans, appliances and tools.

A model ship which was built by John Ebbesen. Model ships were a traditional feature hanging above the center aisle in Danish churches. Ebbesen built model ships for several area churches when he was in his 80s and 90s.

The Daneville Heritage Museum features more than 170 photos of veterans and active service members from the Viborg area. Uniforms from different areas and other military memorabilia is also on display.

Rube’s clock and watch shop which used to be on the south end of Viborg. Rube set up the watch repair display in the museum before he moved into the nursing home. Rube’s was a combination jewelry store and liquor store. Mail boxes from the old town of Hooker. Newell Sorensen once operated the general store, barber shop, gas pumps and post office in Hooker. The boxes were purchased by J. Merle Petersen from Sorensen’s auction sale.

Walking through the museum, Bob and Cheri pointed out some of the most interesting items or some of their favorites. There’s a photo of a railroad bridge that was located about a mile south of town … and the Lover’s Lane road which passed underneath. “And I remember guys trying to drive their car across the bridge and hope to God a train never come,” Bob said. He’s in charge of the museum’s Boy Scout display and his wife, Marilyn, is compiling photos of veterans and active service members from the Viborg area. So far, she’s collected more than 170 photographs. Bob pointed out old farm equipment and tools. “I love this old corn sheller. Grandpa and Grandma had one like it. I loved to drop corn ears in there when we were feeding the hogs and chickens. The old bushel basket sat underneath.”

There are dolls representing all the regions of Denmark; shoe cobbler tools; and a representation of an old kitchen. Cheri pointed out a display of Rube’s clock and watch shop which used to be on the south end of Viborg. “He set up the watch repair display before he moved into the nursing home. His place was a combination jewelry store and liquor store.” There’s post office boxes from the old Hooker post office; a collection of cameras; Toots Petersen’s huge glassware collection and extensive Dept. 56 snow village collection. A sample of the model ship-building talent of the late John Ebbesen is on display. A traditional feature of Danish churches is the presence of ships’ models hanging from the center aisle of the nave. Because Denmark is a seafaring nation, some ships commemorate loved ones lost to the waves; others celebrate a safe return from a voyage or a lifetime at sea; and ships can also signify the role of the church as a refuge from life’s storms. Ebbesen built model ships for several area churches to hang in their sanctuaries when he was in his 80s and 90s.

The museum includes a re-creation of a chapel with items from several area churches. In addition, an antique organ from Germany was re-built piece-by-piece in the loft of the museum by Marty Larsen. The “pipes” are all made of wooden boxes. Unlike organs in other area