The idea to form the Murdock Historical Society began during this Cass County town’s 1990 centennial celebration. The centennial committee wondered if community members had items from early Murdock that could be displayed. The word went out to the community, and it was decided to have the display in the “Old Gym” of the Murdock C-7 School. People brought enough to fill the gym. Many thought it would be great to have these artifacts permanently displayed under one roof.
In 1993, Maxine Cline spearheaded the formation of the Murdock Historical Society. The original board members were Gene Backemeyer, Bruce Stock, Charlie Schafer, Dale DJ Vanderford, and Dale V Vanderford. They got busy figuring out if there was a building in Murdock that could house the many donated historical items.
In 1995, the Society purchased a newly available building on the main street (Nebraska Street). The interesting thing about this building was that it was built by WWII German prisoners of war in 1945. It was purchased by Paul Stock and became an Allis-Chalmers dealership for many years. After that, it was home to many businesses and was even a family home for a time.
Murdock Museum Chapel
After an extensive renovation by board members and other volunteers, the building included storefronts filled with items from the hardware, furniture, and grocery stores that were in Murdock. Another part of the museum was made into a chapel; people donated items from former churches, including pews, stained glass windows, a pulpit, an altar, and historical manuscripts. Towards the back of the museum, a large glass case is filled with Murdock High School memorabilia. Smaller cases hold items from the Rock Island Railroad (which played an important role in the founding of the town), gifts handed out to customers from old time businesses and Corn Growers State Bank (which still serves the community), beautiful quits made from people who lived in the area, pictures of student organizations and sport teams from Elmwood-Murdock High School, and a display honoring those who served in the military. This is just a sample of the museum’s many displays.
In 2005, the Murdock Lions Hall building went up for sale, and the board members decided to purchase it and renovate it into a one-room schoolhouse. The 1906 building was built by the Woodmen of the World organization and was used as a gym by Murdock High School for a time back in the early 1920s. Years later, the Murdock Lions’ organization bought the building to hold monthly meetings and Pinochle card parties, along with sharing it with a local preschool. This building is now known as the Country Prairie School, which has been used by teachers and students to experience an 1890s school day.
When the Country Prairie School building was purchased, the Elmwood-Murdock Future Business Leaders of America took an active role in fundraising for the refurbishing of the building. This group also led a fundraising effort for the creation of a historical mural on the south side of the museum in 2015. The mural honored Murdock’s 125th birthday. We appreciated the students’ interest in Murdock history and their desire to preserve it. Many thanks go out to them for their wonderful job with all the fundraising events!
The Murdock Museum and Country Prairie School are located at 400 and 401 Nebraska St. in Murdock. We are at the south end of the town’s main street. Our hours of operation are Saturdays 9:00 am – 12 noon, and Sundays 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, starting in May through the end of October. If you happen to be in the community when we are not open, you can contact the museum at 402-867-3821 or 402-297-3126 or by email at murdockmuseum@gmail.com.
