Bremer County Museum

If you want to see everything in one place, it may be time to visit the Bremer County Historical Society Museum in Waverly. Regardless of whether you're looking for historic documents, wild African game, wedding dresses, vintage Valentine's cards, musical instruments, crime, or floral pieces made from human hair, you'll be in the right place. This bountiful and varied collection encompasses a myriad of tales from years ago in Bremer County. Charity, Kathleen and I visited the museum in October 2016.

The museum is open from May to October during limited hours throughout the week.  Musical instruments inside included several melodians and  pump organs, all equipped with plenty of sheet music.

There was also a violin, mandolin and several band instruments.

Here, Kathleen stands in front of vintage cards and ornaments.

There are also many dresses and uniforms from Bremer County residents on display

A small room to the side had heads of animals from lions to a rhinoceros. 

I was particularly impressed to see this copy of the New York Herald from 1865 announcing Lincoln's assassination.

Old campaign memorabilia was very neat to see as well.

This chair was made especially for a visit from President William Howard Taft.

And check out these old cameras! 

There are many display cases filled with items including china, fans, jewelry, toys, Native American artifacts, literature and more. A branch that a man was hanged from after he was lynched sits in the museum (Ahhhh!) and there is a story of a mysterious death upstairs in one of the rooms when the building was a hotel.

The room was later an attorney's office.

There is so much in this museum; it's almost like several museums in one. One room is decorated as a kitchen, others as bedrooms, and yet another room serves as a schoolhouse. I could do without the crime-related aspects on display, but everything was very interesting. I would definitely rank this as one of the most artifact-rich museums I have visited.