Riverside History Center welcomes fifth graders

"It's a good thing to introduce them to those histories"

By Molly Roberts
Posted 5/31/22

Ahead of the City of Riverside’s sesquicentennial celebration later this month, fifth grade students from Ryan Cortum and Cam Larson’s classes at Highland Elementary toured the Voyage …

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Riverside History Center welcomes fifth graders

"It's a good thing to introduce them to those histories"

Posted

Ahead of the City of Riverside’s sesquicentennial celebration later this month, fifth grade students from Ryan Cortum and Cam Larson’s classes at Highland Elementary toured the Voyage Home Museum and Riverside History Center on Thursday, May 19.

Volunteers at the History Center, including Chris Kirkwood, Mary Jane Stumpf and Mike Meinders welcomed the students and were excited to teach them about the history of their town.

“We talked all about the history of Riverside,” Stumpf said. “Like the railroad. The railroad is the reason Riverside is here, because the railroad came through on the north side of the English River. A lot of the kids didn’t know that.”

The students also learned about one-room schoolhouses and historic churches in the area, such as St. Mary’s.

The History Center contains a scale replica of the Highland Palace Dance Hall and Stumpf said the students were interested to know that such a venue once existed in Riverside.

“They took a lot of interest in that and thought it was really fun,” she said. “It was enjoyable to see them thinking about the past and how some things are impermanent but not forgotten.”

The students also enjoyed the Star Trek half of the Voyage Home Museum, including a Vulcan Herky statue and a transporter, which is a favorite with the kids because it has buttons to push, lights up and makes noises.

“We had fourth graders in before, but these were fifth graders. They had so many questions,” Stumpf said. “Even my great nephew said, ‘Aunt Mary Jane, I didn’t know you worked in here. This is totally awesome! I’m bringing my parents back in here!’ The kids were just so excited to learn, and they asked good questions about anything they could think of.”

The volunteers at the History Center obviously value the preservation of the town’ history and were honored and excited to pass that knowledge and importance down to a younger generation.

“In this day and age when kids often aren’t connecting with their family histories or community histories, it’s a good thing to introduce them to those histories,” Kirkwood said. “The History Center is a good place to start. I think it gives them a little better understanding when they see other people trying to connect with their own histories and pasts. Everyone’s got one, and if you know what yours is, you can empathize a little better with other peoples’.”

June 6-12 is Iowa Museum Week and Kirkwood and Stumpf said they hope to draw visitors to the History Center, which is open from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 10:30 to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.