Clay County Heritage

09/02/2026

SHARING HISTORY IS OUR GREAT JOY! It's been a busy week sharing about the history of Clay County's 175th Anniversary Exhibition at The Heritage Center!

We took our traveling history trunk for "Coffee with Randy" at Occasions of Spencer for a fun Monday morning. The crew delved into the details about the Louisiana Purchase, land surveying, our early settlement years and much, much more! We had a surveying expert in our midst, which made handling the Gunter's chain even more educational.

Today, the first of two waves of Riverview Terrace Assisted Living residents enjoyed a tour of the 175th Exhibition AND the main museum gallery. It seems every one enjoys learning about the IRON HORSE arriving in Clay County. And who can resist Spencer's melted marbles from the 1931 Conflagration on Main Street?!

Your group is invited and welcome to visit the museum or contact us for a traveling trunk education visit. Area services clubs are encouraged to use The Heritage Conference Room for FREE when also touring the exhibition.

Give us a call at The Heritage for more information: 712.262.3304.

09/01/2026

Everly Bridge (Ocheyedan River) Circa 1897

09/01/2026

Century Lanes circa 1950 Spencer, Iowa

08/31/2026

WE'RE PRETTY PROUD OF OUR MISS SHAYLA . . .

Shayla Sanderson graduated in May 2026 from Iowa Lakes Community College and hit the ground running! She joined our ranks as assistant to the director at The Heritage Center shortly thereafter, and hasn't let off the gas since her arrival.

She immediately jumped into accessioning historic artifacts and recently tackled updating a portion of an exhibit in our main gallery as well as all the other details the job requires. She's also compiled the Clay County Fair's 2026 Museum Exhibition ON HER OWN! Her hard work will soon be on display during the 2026 Clay County Fair at the CCF Museum located in the Southwest corner of the Events Center. It's FREE.

Shayla is studying anthropology at Arizona State University online, and has a lot of great ideas for the Clay County Heritage Center. She's a joy to work with.

08/29/2026

08/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ebyg7vY5U/?mibextid=wwXIfr

On Wednesday, the Heritage Center held an open house to show off the new exhibit. Read more below:

08/27/2026

FIRST PERSON ACCOUNTS SHOULD BE RECOUNTED! A volunteer photographer captured these precious images of a museum visitor escaping the present while reading the diary entries of Mary Jane Bicknell Kirchner, one of Peterson's first settlers.

The diary is on loan by Abbey Biedenfeld Batschelet, Kirchner's great, great, great, great granddaughter. Her written memories are available to read in the Clay County 175th Anniversary Exhibition. This visitor's intrigue reminds us the great value of sharing first person accounts from the past!

08/27/2026

Thanks to all who came out to The Heritage Center's Clay County 175th Anniversary Exhibition launch party. We have a full house with delicious peach and cherry cobbler, compliments of The Great Hall of Royal.

To add to the festivities, we had a 1919 Cadillac owned by Ron and Maureen Christensen, a 1930 Ford Coupe owned by Dwight and Diane Sparks and the 1949 Spencer Firetruck parked out front!

Don't forget. This exhibit will remain open for the next 12 months, so there's plenty of time for you to make it in to see the history of your favorite Clay County community. The Heritage Center is open Tuesdays-Fridays from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.