Founding a Mennonite Historical Society

by John C. Reimer

In 19__ (the date is in my 1940s diary) I wanted to start a Mennonite Historical Society. I phoned some people I thought would be interested. The following came to the first meeting at the G.G. Kornelsen's place in Steinbach: G.G. Kornelsen, Rev. Gerhard F. Giesbrecht, K.J.B. Reimer, Peter Braun, Kleefeld, and Gerhard F. Wiebe, Kleefeld. I was there also and C.F. Barkman was a member too.

We did some planning. We made G.G. Kornelsen an honorary member of the Society. The membership fee was one dollar per member. The money was put in the Steinbach Credit Union in a savings account. Then I wrote a letter to the Manitoba Historical Society and asked them for advice. I still have their reply.

The second meeting was held in the Credit Union building boardroom. Later John P. Friesen, a banker in New York and Jacob Wesley Loewen, then in the U.S., became members too by sending in their membership fee. I do not remember any more meetings.

In August, 1958 a Mennonite Historical meeting was held in the Morris High School. I think it was called by the Rhineland Agricultural Society represented by Paul Schaefer and Peter Rempel, the authors of Woher? Wohin? Mennoniten. People from both the West and East Reserves and Winnipeg were invited. One item of discussion followed when Victor Peters mentioned that Mennonites should build a Museum for the centennial year of their immigration to Manitoba.

All the directors agreed that the building should be a house and barn unit of the pioneer village type. The big question was whether to locate it in the East or West Reserve. At a later meeting the directors decided that in order to get started they would have to develop the collection that already existed in Steinbach, provided a building could be found there.

Fortunately the late G.G. Kornelsen property was still to be had. It was just the right type of building, and what was just as important, was still standing in its original location. If we had had this building we could have opened the museum in spring.