Forest City Historical Musem. (Winnebago County Historical Society photo)
A $10,000 donation from former Governor Terry Branstad’s charity is part of the fundraising that’s led to the opening of a fireproof, climate-controlled vault in the Forest City Mansion Museum. Branstad was at the museum Sunday for the vault’s dedication.
“It’s a great homecoming for me,” Branstad said, “a lot of wonderful memories about Forest City representing this area in the legislature (and) of course as lieutenant governor and governor and all the wonderful people, the great teachers I had coaches and just wonderful people of this area.”
Branstad grew up on a farm near Leland and graduated from Forest City High School in 1965. There’s a Branstad room in the museum, “with a lot of the paraphernalia from my time as governor that I’ve been proud to donate,” Branstad said.
Branstad has also donated items from his time as U.S. Ambassador to China. The museum’s new vault will house area newspapers dating back to 1871 as well as other documents and historical items.
(By A.J. Taylor, KIOW, Forest City)