TheScriver ScribblerA quarterly publication of the Northfield Historical Society

408 Division Street • Northfield, MN 55057 • 507/645-9268www.northfieldhistory.org

Spring 2008

Inside this issue…From the Director...................................................Page 2President’s Report...................................................Page 3Lyman H. Howe, Northfield Film Exhibitor (1909-1920).............................................................Page 4Profiles in Diversity: The Boone Family ...............Page 6Calendar of Events..................................................Page 8

The following is an excerpt of remarks given by DanFreeman, outgoing NHS president, at the NorthfieldHistorical Society Annual Meeting on March 13, 2008, atCarleton College.

With all of these people present it is plain to see that westand on mighty broad shoulders tonight.

Some time in the early 1850s JohnNorth headed west out of upstateNew York looking for a new Utopia. A place wherehe could settle with people whoshared his vision of a world whereall people were treatedequally; where women hadthe right to vote; whereno man would everenslave another; whereeducation and faithwere the part of theeveryday life; wherebusiness could thrive; where everyone would care for andrespect the earth and the fertile fields would yield enoughbounty for the entire community; where excellence was notso much demanded as expected.

Then in January 1855, North left Faribault heading inthis direction. Riding on the west side of the Cannon, hesaw a comfortable looking tract of land across the river tothe east – a place he hadn’t noticed before. He crossed theriver and made his way into what is now known as BridgeSquare. At that moment he knew he was home. This placewill be as a Beacon on a Hill, he thought, a place to discussthe issues of the day and always take the higher road. Andso it has been since that day when John Wesley Northfound and then founded this place named Northfield. It isno accident that we have two institutions of higherlearning. It is no accident that this place fosters art and allof “the arts.” It was all set in motion by one remarkableman, John North.

Now we fast forward to tonight as we take the time tocelebrate another wonderful year for the NorthfieldHistorical Society. We should feel very good about this pastyear as we should about all of the preceding years that have

led to this past one. Each of those years has been filled withboth triumphs and disappointments. But we’ve learnedfrom the disappointments and built upon our successes.And now after completing our Strategic Planning Processwe have a fresh blueprint to follow into the future. A futurefilled with endless possibilities. A future we can all believe in.

Tonight I can, without one second of hesitation, tell all ofyou that I have never believed in this Northfield HistoricalSociety more than I do today. That is because I have neverbelieved in a board of directors more than I do this one.Link that with our wonderful Executive Director, HayesScriven, who couldn’t believe that today, the NorthfieldHistorical Society has become the organization that thefounders had in mind. An organization John North wouldbe proud to be a part of.

There is so much to do and it is all so exciting. Tonightwe can connect our past and our future knowing that weare all headed toward a bright and exciting horizon.

Freeman: John North Would Be Proud

John Wesley North

Maggie Lee and Dan Freeman at the NHS Annual

Meeting.

NORTHFIELDHISTORICALS O C I E T Y

2

THE SCRIVER SCRIBBLER

THESCRIVER SCRIBBLER

A quarterly publication of theNorthfield Historical Society

Mission StatementTo serve as the primary stewards ofthe unique history of the Northfieldarea, fostering an awareness of its

meaning and relevance through thediscovery, documentation,

preservation and interpretation of our collective stories.

Vision StatementTo achieve a fiscally sound

organization driven by a large,diverse and engaged membership,

innovative educational exhibits andprogramming and a successful

presences downtown and throughoutthe Northfield area.

Editors:Jeff Sauve

Evelyn Hoover

Writers:Andy Lauer

Northfield Historical SocietyBoard of Directors

Gail Jones Hansen, PresidentDeanna Kuennen, Vice President

Jodi Lawson, Vice PresidentChuck Sandstrom, Treasurer

Debby Larsen, SecretaryChip DeMannCarol DonelanAdriana EstillDan FreemanJeff Johnson

Dan JorgensenMichelle Millenacker

Heather ScottLora Steil

Earl WeinmannHayes Scriven,

Executive Director

Northfield Historical Society408 Division Street

Northfield, MN 55057507-645-9268

www.northfieldhistory.org

Production and PrintingBy All Means Graphics

17 Bridge Square, Northfield507-663-7937

From the Director…I cannot believe it is almost summer! Not too long along there was

snow on the ground and we were still planning the Annual Meeting.While the Annual Meeting has come and gone, I would like to

take this opportunity to thank First National Bank of Northfield andCarleton College for their sponsorship. Without their support, NHSwould have been unable to hold the event. I also wish to thankChristine Rosholt for putting on a great show. Her music really madethe evening special. At the meeting the membership approved thenew mission and vision statements as well as the new values for

NHS. These new statements are highlighted at left.In addition, the membership elected a new slate of board members including Heather

Scott, Dan Jorgenson and Carol Donelan. Each individual brings excitement and freshideas to the board and I look forward to working with them in the coming years. DeannaKuennen and Chip DeMann renewed their service on the board. Sadly though, we mustsay good bye to Scott Elmer, Chris Ellison and Eric Fure-Slocum. All three of them servedthe board very well. I want to personally thank Scott for his support. He was president ofthe board when I was hired as Executive Director under his guidance I was able tosuccessfully complete my first year.

Summer is almost here. The season brings tourists, researchers and many events. NHSis planning to have several speaker programs this summer and possibly sneak in arotating exhibit in the fall.

I am most excited for our summer youth programs. Every year NHS fills up withwonderful students from the Northfield School District. Duties include working in themuseum store as well as in the archives. Their love for history and learning is contagious.Once again this year the students will be researching for the Cemetery Stories in Octoberand for an exhibit later this fall. I am excited that NHS is able to instill an interest inhistory in the community’s youth.

I would like draw attention to a new feature on our website (www.northfieldhistory.org).Click on the Research and Collections page and on the left side; you will see a section titled“Online Oral Histories.”In this section you can watch oral history videos recorded over thepast two years. These histories were made available through a grant from the WINGSorganization. Currently Maggie Lee’s oral history, in which she shares her experiences inNorthfield, explains why she wears the color purple and much more, is available for viewing.

On a personal note, my wife, Jenny, and I are happy to announce the birth of ourdaughter, Aneliese Rose, born March 18, weighing 8 lbs, 8 oz. and 22 inches long.

For the most up-to-date information on NHS and other Northfield history-relatedtopics, visit our website. I hope to see you this summer!

Hayes ScrivenExecutive Director

Hayes Scriven

“I am excited that NHS is able to instill an interest in history in the community’s youth.”

3

THE SCRIVER SCRIBBLER Spring 2008

Making History MatterWe live in an extraordinary town

with a heritage and connectedness thatare palpable, something you feel theweight of when strolling downDivision. Most people who have toiledon behalf of the Northfield HistoricalSociety would agree, in part becauseknowing local history gives one aricher sense of place. Those engaged in

our community’s organizations experience how a towncomes to define itself, and by extension, its residents. Thisexperience creates a powerful understanding of home inwhich the line between where you live and who you are isforever blurred.

That, in sum, is why Northfield history matters. One ofour most important tasks here at the Historical Society isto help people grasp just how our collective pastilluminates our present and reveals us to ourselves. As thenew board president, I’m fortunate to inherit a roadmapdetailing how we might do this: long range planning goals

hammered out by a dedicated board over a seeminglyendless fall and winter. In order of priority, they are to:build membership, establish a secure financial foundation,develop an informed board, care for our historic building,maintain and augment our collections, effectively marketthe organization, create exciting educational programs,recruit and retain volunteers, and enhance our retail operation, the Museum Store.

None of these goals will be accomplished withoutskilled standing committees. My first objective aspresident is to work with our Executive Director, HayesScriven, to re-energize active committees and resurrectinactive ones. In doing so, I am encouraging all thoseinvolved to rethink everything – not to pursue change forthe sake of change, but to achieve truly creative solutionsto ongoing challenges.

I, for one, intend to have fun doing this. Our future asan organization depends in part on our ability to enlivenour offerings, to attract Northfielders with entertainingand informative programs and events. Historicpreservation is essential, but enthusiastic participation isparamount. I thank all of you for giving me the privilegeof helping steer this great organization toward these goals.

Thank You to our New and Renewing Members! Join them today!Welcome to our new members, and a big thank you to our old friends for renewing their NHS memberships! Should you wish tomake an additional donation, please consider upgrading your membership. If you have any questions about your membershipstatus, or to notify us of changes in your address or contact information, please call the NHS at 507-645-9268.

President’s Report...

Catherine Larson & Steve Albers

John Benjamin

John & Margaret Bierman

Steve Blodgett

Kathleen & Lee Blue

Phyllis Borchert

Alfred Broz

Randolph Cox

Bill & Penny Cupp

Ross Currier

Bart & Susan DeMalignon

Samuel Demas

Joe Friedrich & Anneliese Detwiler

Judith Dirks

Roger & Patricia DuFour

Roger Dufour

Jim Egbert

Richard Estenson

Herb & Pat Fick

Mary Ellen Frame

William & Sandy Frame

Tim & Lori Freeland

Sandra Gerdes

Richard & Lois Goehtz

Anne Groton

Delbert & Arlene Gustafson

Kathleen Hanson

Joanne Hebert

Karen Helland

James Herreid

Eldon & Doris Hill

Chad & Juley Jenkinson

Myrna Johnson

Lowell & Barbara Johnson

Jeff Johnson

Richard & JoAnn Kleber

James & Ardy Koehler

Duane & Elaine Kringen

Ed & Barb Kuhlman

Charles & Diane Kyte

Debbie Lamb

Steve Albers & Catherine Larson

Jodi & Kevin Lawson

Margaret Lee

Patricia & Arthur Lewis

John Lindley

David Maitland

Orwin Marks

Robert & Nola Matheson

Janet Mitchell

David & Ellen Mucha

Richard & Raymonde Noer

Mark Wilson & Veronica Otte

Daniel Palm

Charles Perkins

Roberta Peterson

Orville & Edythe Peterson

Robert & Thora Phelps

Lois Rand

Gordon & Charlotte Rasmussen

Robert & Joan Reitz

Joy Riggs

Heather Scott

Mark & Sue Scriven

Charles Sewich

Lauren Simpson

Bardwell & Charlotte Smith

Margaret Spear

Bill Steele

Tyrone & Deidra Steen

Solveig Steendal

Lora Steil

Virginia Stickley

Linda Storlie

Noel & Lois Stratmoen

Howard & Julie Thorsheim

Herman Transburg

Mary Tulp

Jean Wakley

Richard Waters

Earl Weinmann

Steve Wilmot

Paul Woodings

Gail Jones HansenNHS Board President

THE SCRIVER SCRIBBLER Spring 2008

4

By Andy LauerCinema and Media Studies,Carleton College

Prior to the advent of motionpictures, amusement in Northfieldtook many forms. At the Lyceum1,built just a year after the town wasestablished in 1855, residentsgathered to hear local lecturers,debaters and musicians. TheLockwood Opera House2, whichopened in 1872,presented popular vaudeville acts andminstrel shows as well as plays such as UncleTom’s Cabin. In 1899 “high class”theater found a permanent home in Northfield at TheWare Auditorium (or, The Grand, as it was renamed in1916), which presented first-rate acts, and eventuallyfilms, that came through the town.

Among the many new acts that began to floodNorthfield was Lyman H. Howe’s “High Class MovingPictures.” Presenting popular travelogues designed totransport audiences to exotic locales, Howe’s pictures trulybrought the world to Northfield and showed viewerssights they could hitherto only dream of, as well asshowcasing the greatest technological feats of the time.

By the time Howe’s films came to Northfield (at least asearly as 1909, my research has found) he was already wellestablished on the East Coast, known for the unusuallygood quality of his projections and for selecting only themost “high-class” films for his exhibitions.

Howe presented “educational,” generally inoffensivemotion pictures to small towns across America – tobecome perhaps the best-known and most successfultraveling exhibitor in America. And though Howe himselfwould retire from traveling long before his films came toNorthfield, the values that made his name synonymouswith quality ensured the continued growth and success ofhis company, as it took its show on the road and set out toconquer the American Midwest.

Howe’s company advertised conspicuously and heavily inNorthfield, taking out large, elaborately illustratedadvertisements almost always accompanied by an articlepraising the program’s educational value. For example, whenHowe’s pictures came to the town in March 1912, two weeksprior to the exhibition, the Northfield News carried twoarticles and no less than four illustrated advertisements.

Public opinion regarding the movies in Northfieldreached an all-time low in 1916 as citizens wrote to thetwo local papers, the Northfield News and the NorthfieldIndependent, concerned about everything from the

Lyman H. Howe, Northfield Film Exhibitor (1909-1920)depiction of smoking onscreen to the content of

such controversial pictures as Birth of a Nation(1915). Discussion of the need for censorshipcame to a head in April of that year. One notatypical letter to appear in the NorthfieldNews that year asserted,

Thru rumor, a knowledge of several,most objectionable plays has come to meand I voice the feelings of most parentswhen I say that something should be doneimmediately to change the tone of the

pictures now being put before the youth ofour city.

Howe was able to appeal to Northfield residentslooking for “highbrow” entertainment by exhibiting hisfilms at “respectable” venues – churches, opera houses, thetown’s most prestigious theaters and steering clear of“low-class” nickelodeons. In Northfield, Howe’s films wereshown only at The Ware Auditorium/Grand. Indeed, thehistory of the various venues at which one would seemotion pictures in Northfield reflects the classstratification of the community. Each venue carried withit a reputation and acted, in many ways, as a culturalsignifier. That is, the venue to which one would go to seefilms became indicative of one’s class.

The Lyric3, for example, catered to working-class menand showed mostly serials and also exhibited the most“risqué” films. “We would like to ask the Lyric why it is anecessity to put on films which have a strong tendency tolead young boys and girls straight to the devil?” a citizenidentifying himself as “A Believer in Movies” wrote intothe Northfield News in 1916. In as morally a conservative

5

THE SCRIVER SCRIBBLER Spring 2008

town as Northfield, such complaints were taken seriouslyand the Lyric lost its license to operate in 1916. TheNorthfield News wrote: “The chief complaint against theLyric…was the condition of the building, which wascondemned from a sanitary standpoint. Furthermore thecriticism against the type of films shown at the Lyric hadbeen very severe.”

Howe’s films avoided the controversy of common,“vulgar” serials and melodramas by presenting“educational” and thoroughly inoffensive films containingno tawdry melodrama or risqué subject matter.

Howe’s documentaries derived the majority of theirappeal from being wholly inoffensive so that patrons ofthe movies didn’t need to worry about what might be onthe screen when they attended one of his exhibitions. Asthis article, from May 19, 1916, makes clear, a Howeprogram was for the whole family:

A Lyman Howe night is a big night for manyNorthfield families as the youngsters all go and everymember of the family has a good time. Howe’s picturesare wonderfully clear, and true to life, are veryeducational, and their presentation is made veryeffective and realistic by the work of the men behindthe screen who furnish the “noise.”

Felton’s animated cartoons are uproariously funnyand provoke more laughs in a minute than the coarsebuffoonery of Charlie Chaplin can produce in a week– granted, of course, that you have an intelligentaudience, and that’s the type that Howe’s TravelFestival attracts.

Howe’s pictures had brought the world to Northfield;with the advent of World War I, however, Northfieldresidents were now going out into the world. Suddenly, thedetached, pseudo-documentary, vaguely ethnographic filmsHowe was marketing seemed unable to adequately capturethe intensity of the times, to tell stories that people couldsee their loved ones taking part in. Indeed, almost everyweek during the height of the war the Northfield Newsdevoted a portion of its front page to the town’s men whohad been drafted, as well as running regular features thatprinted letters from the men on the front.

When a Howe film came through Northfield in 1919with a program presenting scenes of the Canadian Rockiesand tarpon fishing, it is little wonder that they were not aspopular as stories with the immediate, visceral impactpromised by D.W. Griffith’s World War I drama Hearts ofthe World (1918) or the overtly propagandistic To Hell withthe Kaiser (1918).

While Howe’s travelogues were characterized as“educational” and “interesting,” To Hell with the Kaiser was

Howe continued on page 6

THE SCRIVER SCRIBBLER Spring 2008

6

described in Northfield News as “stirring” and “filled withscenes of such intense interest that they have not failed tobring spectators to their feet wherever it has been shown.”

Howe’s company surely sensed that its films’ popularitywas waning. Indeed, his films came to Northfield in 1919with an exhibition that purported to offer a peek into thelives of major stars of the day, including Mary Pickfordand Douglas Fairbanks. The show was clearly a stab atcapitalizing on the popularity of these newly createdmovie stars and with it Howe’s company seems to expressa “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” mentality that suggestshe was aware the heyday of the travelogue had passed andthat nickelodeons and star-driven studio productions werethe wave of the future. This was the last time that Howe’sfilms came through Northfield and, indeed, by 1920 hiscompany had folded.

To Learn more about Northfield’s early movie days,search the web for “Division Street Amusements:Moviegoing Experience in Historic DowntownNorthfield.”

(Endnotes)1 Lyceum located at 109 E. 4th.2 Lockwood Opera House located at 419 Division St.-

421 Division St.3 The Lyric formally located on 13 Bridge Square.

Andy Lauer is a senior Cinema and MediaStudies major at Carleton College. This essayis part of a larger project he has completedon Howe’s work as part of his senior thesis,“Some Films Are Better than Others: LymanH. Howe, Cultural Capital, and Bringing theWorld to Northfield, MN.”

Profiles in DiversityEditors’ Note: At the annual meeting in March, NHS membersvoted on adopting a new mission statement. One of the corevalues is Diversity (We embrace our community’s ethnic andcultural diversity, and ensure our programs, exhibits, andcollections celebrate and reflect the differences andcommonalities of our collective past). This article is the firstin a series of articles exploring the history of diversity inNorthfield. To suggest an idea for a future article in theseries, contact Jeff Sauve, sauve@stolaf.edu.

The Boone Family:One of Northfield’s First Black Families

Upon mustering out of the Union Army, Corporal JohnBoone, 25, relocated his family to Northfield in January1866. His free-born father and mother left North Carolinaand farmed in LeSeur County in 1857. They were considered one of the earliest black families in theMinnesota Territory.

John Boone and his wife, Missouri Pittmon Burns,owned a farm at what is now 909 St. Olaf Ave., the corner

of Lincoln Street and St. Olaf Avenue. They had 10children, seven of whom lived to adulthood (interestingly,they named one of their sons Jesse James). In addition tobeing a farmer, John Boone was also a carpenter.

One of their daughters, Mrs. Mittie Belle BooneCannon, a leader of the black community in Minneapolis,said of those early years in Northfield1,

…bands of Indians roamed the country. One groupcamped at the front end of Mr. Boone’s farm. In thosedays Blacks were commonly referred to as ‘coloreds’ andIndians caused them no harm since they had no quarrelwith ‘colored’ people. They asked only for householditems, needles, thread, etc., which the Boones gave them.

Howe continued from page 5

“...many neighbors and friendsextend to Mr. and Mrs. Boonecongratulations and wish for

them many years of happiness.”

NHS exhibit on Northfield’s early movie days.

Her own reflections on the educational opportunities inNorthfield painted a bleak view when summarized in thepublication, Contributions of Black Women to Minnesota:

Mrs. Cannon acquired her education in Northfield.The town, however, offered little or no promise to youngmen and women interested in employment and careers.It was a small college town and city governmentdiscouraged the establishment of industry. Accordingly,Mrs. Cannon went to Minneapolis around 1887-1889and became the first Black woman employed in theoffice of the Register of Deeds of Hennepin County.

Little else is known of the Boones’ lives before the turnof the century. The Northfield News published acontributed item detailing the couple’s golden weddinganniversary (June 1914). Comrades of the Heywood PostG.A.R. (John Boone was a charter member) surprised theBoones by presenting a purse containing a substantial giftin gold. The final note of the clipping states, “… manyneighbors and friends extend to Mr. and Mrs. Boonecongratulations and wish for them many years ofhappiness.”

Unfortunately John would pass away in less than sixmonths after suffering an unexpected heart attack. Hisobituaries stated, “He was a kind husband and father, anobliging neighbor and true friend,” and “… would bemourned by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.”Many of John’s G.A.R. comrades and friends attended hisfuneral on Dec. 31, 1914.

One of the Boones’ sons, Robert, born in 1881, wasnoted as a member of the 1898 Northfield High Schoolfootball champions. In December 1912 Robert marriedRuth Larsen, of Norwegian parentage. They settled inNorthfield with their only child, Marlys. Robert wasemployed for many years as a compositor for the MohnPublishing Company of Northfield. One of his colleagues

7

THE SCRIVER SCRIBBLER Spring 2008

noted that he was very knowledgeable and competent andhad a supervisory role in the company.

In 1947 President Gould of Carleton College asked at afaculty meeting how a “colored man would be receivedsocially in Northfield.” The College Registrar responded ina memorandum that Mr. Boone had gone by theclassification as “colored” when registering for the draft,which surprised the enumerator as from all appearances,as he looked “white”.

The Registrar added, “In spite of the fact that thisgentleman [Robert Boone] is a fine-type citizen, theinformation as to his social standing is that he and hiswife are both socially ostracized.”

Robert Boone died in October 1971 and is buried inthe Northfield Cemetery, as are his parents.

Robert’s daughter Marlysfound academic success in atown her Aunt Mittie castigatedas offering “little or no promiseto young men and women.” ANorthfield News (May 1, 1931)headline read, “Marlys Boone isValedictorian of theGraduating class at HighSchool [74 members].”

Marlys attended St. OlafCollege, graduating in 1935;one of thirty-three seniorsreceiving honors at the Honor Day Program. She is alsoconsidered the first woman of color to attend St. OlafCollege. Marlys went to Minneapolis for employmentafter graduation. She married in 1941. She died in Arizonain 1997.

NHS knows little of other people of color who mayhave lived in Northfield during the years before 1970. Ifany readers have information to shed light of this period,please contact Hayes Scriven.

(Endnotes)1 Contributions of Black Women to Minnesota by

a Bicentennial Committee of the NationalCouncil of Negro Women. Ethel V. Mitchell,Editor (Mason Publishing Co., Inc. St. Paul, MN,1977), p. 71.

Robert Boone, middle row, far left, the Northfield HighSchool football champions,1898.

“...is a fine-type citizen, theinformation as to his social

standing is that he and his wife are both socially ostracized.”

Marlys Boone

NORTHFIELD

HISTORICALS O C I E T Y

www.northfieldhistory.org

408 Division StreetNorthfield, MN 55057

Non-ProfitOrganization

U.S. Postage PAID

Standard APermit No. 166

Northfield, MN 55057

Calendar of Events For the most up-to-dateinformation on the NHS visitwww.northfieldhistory.org

June 12th – Volunteer Appreciation Day,Northfield Historical Society

June 19th – Bank Raid Re-enactment and Taste of Northfield, Downtown Northfield

July 4th – Northfield Red, White and BlueHometown Celebration, Downtown Northfield

August 7th-10th – Arts Swirl, DowntownNorthfield

September 4th-7th – Defeat of Jesse James Days,Downtown Northfield

September 18th-20th – 28th Annual StatewideHistoric Preservation Conference, Northfield, MNSeptember 18th – (7 pm-9 pm)Welcome Reception,Northfield Historical Society

Have you renewed your membership? Call 645-9268 today to renew your membership

or join the Northfield Historical Society!