Beresford (Bethesda) Children's Home

Content Description

The collection consists of 65 images associated with Beresford Children’s Home in Beresford, SD. The home was chartered by the Norwegian Lutheran Board of Charities in 1896. The Children’s Home itself was built in 1897. The home had several managers for its first 23 years. John Johnson had the longest tenure as manager from 1920 to 1947. The collection originated from Hanna S. Meium. Hanna worked at the home before she married. Most of the images are of individuals. Some have captions, many are unidentified. One of the images in the collection is of Hannah S. Meium. Other individuals identified with captions include: Eva Whitman, the manager of the Orphan’s home (and family), Inga Lerseth, Peter Lerseth, Pastor & Mrs. Vik, Pastor Vik’s sons, Caspara Leen, Miss Sando-Married Rev. Anderson, Bertha Opegard, Lend Hoiseth, & 7 images of the Children’s Home buildings. There is also one small scrapbook with a ceramic cover showing a boat and swan on a lake during a moonlit night. There are 119 small images in the scrapbook. A ceramic clog and paper weight with an image of the children’s home is being sent to the Museum at the Cultural Heritage Center. The clog and paper weight will either be added to the museum collection or returned.

Acquisition Type

Gift

Restrictions Apply

No