2999… The Milestone Before the Milestone!

Have you ever watched the odometer on your vehicle, just waiting for it to click over to the next milestone with all those nice, round zeros? I feel like that’s what I’m doing today. Tomorrow, Lord willing, Warren will post the 3,000th entry on this blog!

It all started just over 9 years ago, on January 30, 2016, when the museum made the move to WordPress as its website server. This new platform offered blog hosting, and Warren eagerly took on the challenge of sharing the rich history of our museum and its community. Since then, we’ve averaged just over 333 posts per year, with Warren contributing the lion’s share of them. While there haven’t been posts every single day, the consistency has been impressive — each one telling a piece of history or offering a glimpse into the museum’s ongoing activities.

The Heart of the Blog

For our regular readers, you know that most of the posts focus on significant events in history, whether it’s a birth, death, marriage, or other important milestones that happened on a given date. Many of the early posts chronicled the findings of our research team, as they compiled the amazing collection now housed in our Research Library. Even when Warren doesn’t have the time for fresh research (retirement can be busy with grandchildren!), he’s usually able to revisit an older post relevant to the day.

Aside from historical milestones, the blog also shares what’s happening at the museum right now — group tours, new exhibits, or recently received donations. It’s not just a history lesson, but a living chronicle of the museum’s ongoing journey.

From the Blog to the Bookshelf

For those who enjoy a deeper dive, nine volumes of blog posts have already been compiled and are available at the museum for visitors to explore. The volumes cover the years 2016 to April 2018. It’s been a delight for me to read through them and get a sense of all the history I’m surrounded by, as well as the names that pop up in conversations around here. To give you a sense of the evolution of the blog, the first volume includes the first 100 posts and spans 172 pages, while the ninth volume, which covers a smaller period, contains 50 posts and stretches to 288 pages! It’s amazing to see how much content has been produced over the years.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

One of the defining features of Warren’s posts is the abundance of pictures. Whether it’s a gravestone, census records, historic buildings, or church documents, the blog is filled with fascinating images that bring history to life. Each photo adds a layer of context to the story being told, making the past feel tangible and real. It’s not just words — it’s an immersive experience.

As we approach this 3,000th post, it’s a great time to reflect on the journey that’s brought us here, and to recognize the many contributions that have made this blog such a vital part of the museum’s mission. While tomorrow’s post will officially hit that 3,000 milestone, today is all about celebrating the incredible work that’s come before — and what’s to come.

A Heartfelt Thanks

Thank you, Warren, as well as those who have contributed over the years (like Fred & Cal Eggers, Clayton Erdmann and Wayne Schuessler), for giving us giving us our daily history lesson and bringing so many people and events to life.

Thank you to all our readers for your support, comments, and feedback over the years. It’s been an amazing ride, and we’re excited to see where the next posts take us. Here’s to many more stories, photos, and shared memories!

Stay tuned for #3,000 tomorrow!