Home of the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum

We at the Brunk Museum would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. Through the years since the inception of the museum, many of you have made donations of money, time, or both. Beginning a Museum is not just something that you do, it takes planning, patience, and lots of volunteer effort. You have made it possible for us to reach the point at which we stand today. Without you, the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum would be but a dream. The gifts you’ve given have allowed us to accomplish a number of things this year. We’d like to take this opportunity to share them with you.

On September 2, 2001, we opened our Visitor Center. Unfortunately many of you were already on the way home from the Jubilee. The building was completed on August 31. Volunteers worked tirelessly placing exhibits for viewing. The Visitor Center is a 36X40 Wick building in which we currently house memorabilia from 1898 thru 1960. The collection exhibited will be added to as time and space allow. Some of the items are antique trophies from the 1909 Vermont Morgan Horse Show, ribbons from the 1898 Illinois State Fair and the 1939 Iowa State Fair, and an early Sangamon County Platt book showing location of the Brunk farms. Various areas of the Visitor Center are dedicated to members of the Brunk family and include information specific to them. One interesting item is a letter written in JC Brunk’s hand discussing his thoughts on the Morgan breed.

The Barn is also open for viewing demonstrating use of wooden pegs, or mortis and tendon construction of the era. In the spring, exhibits will be added to the barn for viewing. The House has been stabilized and the Board is currently writing for a "brick and mortar" Grant which will allow us to begin refurbishing the first floor. Any donations to one or both of these project will be gratefully accepted.

In late August, the Museum in conjunction with other charities had the pleasure of presenting a Symphony of Horses that went exceedingly well and thrilled a number of folks as a first ever event in Illinois. The video tapes of the performance have been aired on Public TV and are available for purchase.

Speaking of video tape, anyone who attended the Grand National probably got tired of seeing and hearing our Brunk Legacy promotion. We are exceedingly pleased with the result of that venture and are making arrangements for it to be shared with schools and other interested parties for promotion of the Museum, and of course, the Morgan Horse.

Also, we’ve finally worked the "bugs" out of the Website after having to deal with a provider who had been sold three times in a very short time and literally left us on our own. At any rate, the Website is up. We plan on changing the text frequently, doing some features, and adding pictures.

The new year is here, as is the time for renewals. Please continue to help us by forwarding your $15 annual membership to the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum at PO Box 462, Rochester, IL 62563. If you have an email address please include it, but don’t forget to provide us your name, and full address, as we want you to be included on our mailing list for minutes, newsletter, and notices of special interest.

Above all, please come and visit us, see the museum, and talk a little history, horse or otherwise. Should you wish to contact us by phone, please call Lois at (217) 529-4623. Thanks so much for all you do for the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum!

Board of Directors, Brunk Morgan Horse Museum
Judy B. Kjelander, President 2001-2002