Museum to dedicate stained glass window

(Photo contributed) This stained glass window from the former First United Methodist Church building in Le Mars will be dedicated Sunday, June 14, in the Plymouth County Historical Museum's Religious Heritage Room. [Click to enlarge]

Flag Day will take on a different twist at the Plymouth County Historical Museum in Le Mars this Sunday, June 14, when the museum hosts the dedication of a stained glass window.

The window, which was in the former First United Methodist Church in Le Mars, will be dedicated in the museum's Religious Heritage Room following a brief program at 2 p.m. in the Music Room.

Doris Zimmmerman, of Le Mars, a long-time member at the museum, urged museum personnel and board members to attempt to save the stained glass window from the First United Methodist Church when the building was being razed last year.

She was especially interested in the window since it had been given in honor of her aunt, Nellie Wells, and Nellie's husband, Roy Chenhall. The window shows Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Volunteers at the museum, led by former board president Wayne Marty, were able to save the window in the fall of 2007, but it was damaged in the difficult removal from the structure.

Bogenrief Studios is currently repairing the window and plan to install it on the west wall of the Religious Heritage Room.

The museum is now seeking donations to help cover the costs of the repair to the stained glass window and its installation with a light box. Any contributions may be sent to the museum.

Zimmerman and her husband, Richard, who now reside at The Abbey in Le Mars, plan to be on hand for the dedication of the window.

The museum's Religious Heritage Room holds a collection of religious artifacts of churches from Plymouth County, some no longer in existence. Many of the items were given to the museum over the years, while some have been donated since the creation of the Religious Heritage Room.