“The Danville Station Museum & Anne Frank" at the German American Heritage Center -- November 9.
Sunday, November 9, 2 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
In the latest presentation in the German American Heritage Center's popular "Kaffee und Kuchen" series, Danville Station Museum curator Janet Hesler will deliver her fascinating program The Danville Station Museum and Anne Frank on November 9, sharing the story of Anne's unique connection to Iowa, how the museum acquired its Holocaust-era railway car, and insights into the museum’s mission and history.
As stated at DanvilleStation.net, “Our story goes back to the fall of 1939 when a Danville teacher, Miss Birdie Matthews, initiated a pen-pal exchange for her class. Ten-year-old Juanita Wagner picked a name from a list of pen pals. She chose a girl her own age who lived in Amsterdam. The girl's name was Anne Frank. Danville, Iowa, is one of two places in the world to view the pen-pal letters.
"Visiting the Anne Frank Connection is a moving experience. The self-guided museum takes guests on a story starting in the 1920s. See what is happening in Danville, Iowa as well as the entire United States in the pre-WWII years. The parallel journey of Anne's family and the events in Europe are also chronicled along this timeline leading to the Holocaust and World War II. View Anne and Margot Frank's pen pal letters to the Wagner girls in Danville, Iowa. Enjoy the exhibit area dedicated to these pen pal letters, the girls who wrote them and Miss Birdie Mathews. Next step through the bookcase into Anne's time in hiding. The exhibit concludes with Postcards: A Memorial for Children.
"Part of our Anne Frank exhibit includes paintings created in hiding by Erich and Heinz Geiringer. Before the war, the Geiringers, Erich and Fritzi and their children, Heinz and Eva, lived in the same apartment building as Anne Frank and her family. In July 1942, the Geiringers went into hiding, and Erich and Heinz began painting to occupy their endless hours of isolation. Before the family was discovered, they were able to hide the paintings. Erich and Heinz died in Auschwitz but Fritzi and Eva survived and retrieved the paintings. The Quad City Jewish Federation generously donated the 30 reproduction paintings done by Erich and Heinz to the Danville Station.”
The Danville Station Museum and Anne Frank will be presented at Davenport's German American Heritage Center on November 9 with refreshments for this “Kaffee und Kuchen” event served at 1:30 p.m. and Janet Hesler's program beginning at 2 p.m. Participation is free for Heritage Center members and $8 for non-members, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
