Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Bergland/Matchwood Historical Society Museum volunteer Nancy Hillier stands amongst the Bergland school class composite pictures. The museum's "School Room" has class composites from 1929-1984 and much more memorbilia.
By JEAN NORDINE
Bergland - One of the rooms at the Bergland-Matchwood Historical Society Museum in Bergland is entirely dedicated to the Bergland School.
There are a variety of displays in the "school room," such as class composites, sports uniforms, trophies and more.
The Bergland school district operated for 80 years, from 1904 through 1984. Class composite photos from 1929 through 1984 line the wall of the room. Although the school district began in 1904, there are no composites of the classes from 1904-1929.
A sign in the room reads, "At the time, Superintendent Edwin Carlson decided we didn't need all those old class pictures hanging, as they took up too much room. He got rid of all of them up to year 1929. Mr. Carlson wasn't liked very well, so he was called other names; behind his back, of course."
There are pictures of the old school showing that the building had two additions.The first addition was the center part of an "H." Later the right leg of the "H" was built.
When the school burned down, a second school was built in an empty lot across from the present school. The school was built of brick, however the brick didn't stop it from also burning down in 1938.
Besides the school building pictures, there are quite a collection of photo family albums and others of the towns in both Bergland and Matchwood townships. There are early sports pictures and many yearbooks. On one wall of the "school room," a cabinet is full of various school memorabilia, including the school newspaper the "Blue and White."
Also on display is a picture of Ag Kasper Latvala, who was the school secretary for many years. She was known as a "Bergland icon." At the time of the museum's grand opening, a photo appeared in a news article showing the picture of Latvala sitting at her desk. A copy of the newspaper was sent to her. When she saw it, she was beside herself, exclaiming, "That's me! That's my desk!" At the time she was 100 years old and partially blind. She passed away two years later.
The museum will close for the 2018 season on Aug. 31.
