History – Preserved, Loved and Appreciated in Blue Springs

By Jan Eloise MorrisMemorial Day 2022 dawned sunny and windy, the road to the cemetery was quiet at 9 a.m. I’d placed the final touches for opening the Johnson Cabin Museum at 10, it was a very special day for the Museum. Memorial Day has always been a busy day, attracting families and friends on their way to pay respects at the historic Blue Springs Cemetery. A steady stream of cars passing by started as the Museum opened and about 10:30 I locked the door and drove to catch a bit of the Memorial Day services. The earliest mention of “Decoration Day” in the county newspapers began in the 1870s with cemetery services planned by the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) to insure the memory of Veterans of the Civil War. A large crowd had gathered near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which had celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. I snapped a few photos of the ceremony before hurrying back to reopen the Museum.The 1855 Cabin has served as a local Museum for over 70 years, when it was moved to the City Park in 1949. In 2015, it earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places. The visitor logs show it had welcomed nearly 7,000 in its long history, but today I wasn’t sure how many would come. Soon the cemetery crowd would pass by again on their way to the annual Luncheon at the nearby Methodist Church and then visitors would move on to the visit the Museum. Invitations had been sent out and media notified of a ceremony to tell the story of a 2 ½ year preservation effort hampered by the Pandemic that had kept the Museum closed and out of public consciousness. Over 15 years, I’d earned my reputation as a local historian - researching & writing stories, doing tours and hosting a Facebook page “Southern Gage County – Memories & History.” Living in Lincoln, the Pandemic had kept me from once frequent visits to Gage County to rare occurrences. While the 2,100 members of this history group were happy to follow my posts from their phones and computers, would they make the effort to come again to hear my stories? Statistics seem to suggest the interest in history is on the decline and museums are struggling to attract visitors.By late morning, a few but steady stream of visitors began to appear. Some were longtime Museum supporters, some new faces, others had responded to invitations sent out to a long list of donors and contractors involved in the preservation effort. A nice group gathered for the ceremony and I gave the opportunity to tell the story of the preservation efforts over to the Reedy family. Their ancestor, Maude Boston, had headed the Pioneer Club’s efforts to move the cabin to town, rebuild it and collect local items for exhibits. As for its history, I was delighted to see familiar faces as well as strangers, young and old eager to hear my stories and encouraging me to tell more. Exhibits and historic photographs of a main street once filled with Frontier and Victorian architecture were viewed with amazement. Young people contemplated living without social media in a 14 x16 room beside parents and 6 or 8 siblings. Some visitors wanted to learn more about the history of their homes and farms. The Museum’s closing hour of 4 p.m. came and passed on by until the last visitor left about 6 p.m. The photos I had posted of the day on Facebook generated over 400 responses from people who went home excited about their heritage as well as people from far away who longed for a glimpse of their hometown and the cemetery where family is buried. The Blue Springs Cemetery is known for its beauty and history.

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