NEW VIENNA, Iowa – Joan Boeckenstedt pointed out the intricate details of a flower on a quilt her mother made, then surveyed the dozen other quilts hanging in the room. “Each one is more beautiful than the next,” said Boeckenstedt, of Dyersville. An annual event that regularly draws more than 200 people to a small museum in New Vienna featured handmade quilts, vintage tractors and a variety of other local artifacts.
Heritage House Museum’s Heritage Day was held Sunday. “It is a fun event,” said Marian Klostermann, of New Vienna, the president of the New Vienna Area Historical Society. The society operates the museum and has organized the Heritage Day event for the past seven years.
“Before that, we had an old-fashioned Christmas event in November,” Klostermann said. Klostermann said that switching to a summer event gave the society an opportunity to display vintage tractors and farm equipment outside the historic house, while serving an outdoor lunch. Inside the house, quilts were draped across tables and hung on all available wall space.
“Some of them are very old,” Klostermann said of the quilts. “Most of them are hand-quilted.” The oldest quilt displayed was made for a local wedding in 1899.
“We have 125 pieces here, between quilts, wall hangings and table runners,” said Inez Kluesner, of New Vienna. Kluesner helped organize the event and provided visitors with information on the quilts -- many of which were publicly displayed for the first time. “These (quilts) are brought in just for today by various families,” Kluesner said.
“We ask (for quilts) that they have not shown before.” That approach to the event keeps a fresh rotation of quilts on display every year during Heritage Day. “It’s exciting (to display the quilts),” Kluesner said.
“We have one (quilt) on our far wall that took years (to make). It has no machine stitches in it. It’s all stitched by hand and it took her years to do it.
” Joan Kramer, of Dyersville, said she enjoyed seeing the beauty of the displayed quilts. “Aren’t they spectacular,” Kramer said. “There’s always something to see.
” Klostermann’s love of local history prompted her to become involved with the historical society about 20 years ago. “This building was built in 1855,” Klostermann said of Heritage House. “It was a rectory.
There were only four rooms upstairs and four rooms downstairs. After the new rectory was built in 1900, (Heritage House) became a convent for the Franciscan sisters who taught in our school (in New Vienna). The sisters needed more room, so they added (to the house).
Now, there are 23 rooms here.” The house became a museum 32 years ago and is operated by volunteers. “We’re open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 (p.
m.) from May to September,” Klostermann said..
