What began as a logistics conversation about storing the Wessington Springs United Church of Christ’s organ after the church’s closing in 2020, evolved into a thorough, detailed, mutually beneficial plan for two longtime Jerauld County entities to swap buildings on Main Street.
“As they were disassembling the UCC organ, I had a conversation with David Salmen about rehoming the organ and displaying it,” said Ryan Jensen, co-owner of Jensen’s True Value alongside his sister Lisa Younie. “We had already agreed to store it in the True Value basement, when David brought up the idea of how great it would be to display it with all of the other county’s museum history.”
In Jensen’s mind, the wheels started turning about the possibility of a building swap. He casually brought up the idea to longtime Dunham Historical Society and Jerauld County Pioneer Museum volunteer Jean Ferguson.
“I saw Jean on the street and asked if she thought the board would ever be interested in switching True Value and museum buildings,” Jensen recalled. “She was in favor of it right away — they were in desperate need of more room. She talked to the board but life got busy and quite honestly, the work that it was going to take to make the move happen was a little overwhelming.”
Ferguson and other museum board members went to work comparing costs of utilities and other expenses to be certain it could fit with the non-profit’s budget restraints.
“This has been in the works for about two years,” Ferguson explained. “In addition to expenses, we had to make sure we’d still get our nonprofit discount on utilities from the city. We also had to be certain our South Dakota Community Foundation endowment set up by Bob and Bev Sorenson would still be viable if we moved.”
With the green light on budgetary items, the museum board that had been lacking sufficient space for the plethora of historic items regularly donated and brought to the museum decided it would be a win-win to make the move.
A win for the museum, enabling many possibilities when it comes to space so that the board can make their vision of expansion and interactive displays a reality. A gain for Jensen and Younie, who also own Springs Food Market next door to the museum, to run both businesses within one building.
“We run a lot of duplicates in hardware, grocery and variety — in a sense we are competing with ourselves wanting to carry those things at both places for the convenience of the customer,” Jensen said. “Plus we will be able to be a one-stop shop for many different items, making it handier for customers to not have to visit two different places in town. We hope it drives up sales so we can give even more back to the community.”
While the exact opening timelines for Jensen’s and the museum are still uncertain, museum volunteers are currently packing items and have professional movers to safely transport the many display cases scheduled for mid March 2023. The museum is now closed for packing and moving until its grand reopening at the new location and the community’s help is appreciated and still needed.
“I am so impressed with how our community has come together and supported us. We have enough to pay for the movers and a little extra to help our efforts to make the museum more interactive,” Ferguson said. “If anyone wants to assist with packing and be a part of Jerauld County history, we’ll be here Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and are thankful for any help.”
As for Jensen’s, they hope to be up and operating in the new location in mid April.
“We are super excited to be working with the museum with this project to benefit both places,” Jensen said. “This helps the museum to be able to grow and preserve the history of our county and gives True Value a way to manage our businesses more efficiently for the benefit of our customers.”