Pine River historians keep the past alive

In the Pine River library, an old table sits. Could it be made of pine? It is very long in length and years. It has drawers. In the drawers are pictures and documents of the local community. Their history. Carly Terry, library director, understands that history in drawers can be history lost. Soon, these photos and documents will be digitized. Carly thought it would be fun to gather together to reminisce on Pine River and Waushara County.
To reminisce is to indulge in enjoyable, nostalgic memories by talking or thinking about past experiences. Carly describes this group as “a friendly, casual conversation between people who like history and particularly local history”. They meet monthly. Last month’s attendance was 27 - a snug but happy fit. There is no meeting agenda. The conversation leads where it leads. A goal for the group is to organize their photos and documents for digitizing. The group has a wide range of ages, from teenagers to those who have lived many days in the land. The group’s name is the Pine River History Consortium. They meet on the first Monday of each month at 11 a.m. at the Pine River Library. The community has many interested local historians who are very knowledgeable and share their family stories. The invitation is to “Come grab a cup of coffee and talk about local history.” I’d accept that invitation.
The Pine River Library of Leon and Saxeville
The Pine River Library is more than a place to check out books. It’s a community gathering place. Library director Carly Terry embraces this idea.
Today, a local library has books and DVDs. It is part of the Winnefox Library system, therefore it has access to books and DVDs from all of these libraries. There are also STEM kits (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) exploring a range of topics helpful for their large home-school community. They have Experience Passes (3-day passes to local museums, etc), a Toniebox (audiobooks for kids), and more.

What has really taken off in recent years are their programs. Weekly: adult and youth book clubs, Dungeons and Dragons Club, Anime Club (a Japanese art style), weekly children’s story hour (10:30 on Wednesdays). Monthly programs currently include Kombucha 101, garden prep, maple syrup, and Lego club. (Sorry, folks, the sourdough class just finished.) Of course, there is summer reading.
From just books and movies, the library has become a space of connection. Moms bring their children to story time and meet other moms. Historians meet like-minded people. Etc. Communities are for caring, and this library has a little free pantry (some canned food and basic hygiene supplies) stocked by local citizens. Next to the library is the farmers’ market (late May to September) on Wednesdays. Last year’s hours were from 3 to 6.
Pine River Library of Leon and Saxeville in Pine River was founded in June of 1960, led by Mrs. Edwin Jewell and Darlene Taylor (a 4H Club member who chose the library as her project). Books were donated, and shelves were built in the town hall. The town hall moved to the old school in 1964, and the current library was eventually added on to the building, doubling its space. In 1961, a library board was formed. In 1963, they were given a federal grant of $30,000 to establish the library. In 1996, the library added double the building space (bringing in door plumbing).
In 1956, the Library Services Act was signed into law by the U.S. Congress under President Dwight D. Eisenhower in order to promote the development of public libraries in rural areas. From the Library Services Act came the federal grant for this library.
The landscaping in front of the library contains native plants and is maintained by Waushara Gardeners. It was planned and implemented by Karen Syverson. Karen also does most of the work of maintaining the wild garden. I find it very lovely even in winter.
The greatest challenge for the library is space – a lot of people attend their programs. Funding is another challenge, but Carly said they “Do good with what we have.” Funding comes from Leon, Saxeville, and Waushara County. There is a Memorial weekend book sale. Check them out at pineriverlibrary.org.