Brunk Morgan Horse Museum site of Celebration of the Morgan Horse
Friday, September 9, 2005
ROCHESTER, IL - The American Morgan Horse Association has declared the weekend of Sept. 10-11 as Celebrate the Morgan Horse weekend. To that end the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum and the Mississippi Valley Morgan Horse Club will co-host a Celebrate the Morgan Horse event, Sept. 11, 2005, from noon to 4 p.m. at The Brunk Morgan Horse Museum, 7206 East Lake Services Road (across from Cotton Hill Farm. Follow the KOA signs). Admission is free and open to the public.
Some of the day's many activities will include Morgan horse demonstrations, historical demonstrations on how Morgan horses were used in everyday life, a Parade of Morgans, food vendors and tours of the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum.
The Morgan is easily recognized by his proud carriage, upright graceful neck and distinctive head with expressive eyes. Deep bodied and compact, the Morgan has strongly muscled hindquarters. The intelligence, willingness, zest for life and good sense of the Morgan is blended with soundness of limb, athleticism and stamina. In addition, Morgan thriftiness and longevity have made this breed a good bargain for more than 200 years.
In 1995, a group of horse enthusiasts with the dream of building a horse museum in the Midwest gathered to select a location for the museum. The George Brunk Farm, located six miles southeast of Springfield, Ill., was selected because of the family's love and history of fine horses and its historical background. The farm, founded in 1824, remains in the family today. The Museum consists of five acres including the Brunk home (recently partially destroyed by fire), as well as the large barn that was completed in 1829, and a visitor's center. The materials for the original buildings were harvested from the limestone quarry and walnut forests on the farm. The Brunk Museum provides a look back to a time when good horseflesh and family farming were the backbone of the beautiful central Illinois heartland and to promote the Morgan Horse through presentations of his past, present and future.
Despite the fire the shell of the home remains historically important as even more of the architectural integrity has been exposed. Plans are underway to determine how to provide an even more enriching experience for the public as the Museum board continues their quest to restore the remaining remnants of the home.
The Brunk Farmstead was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1999, and is a tax exempt 501-C-3 Charity. Donations will be accepted during the Celebration to help restore the majestic home and barn so future generations can glimpse what farm life was like in the 1800s. However, if you would prefer to send a donation they can be sent to the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum, C/O Lois McDermand, Secretary, 7221 Lake Service Road, Rochester, IL 62563.
For more information about the Morgan Horse Celebration and the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum call 217-585-1843. Those who are online can access the Brunk Morgan Horse Museum Web site at www.brunkmuseum.com.
Editor's note: More information on the American Morgan Horse can be found at www.morganhorse.com and more information about the Mississippi Valley Morgan Horse Club can be found at www.geocities.com/mvmhc/.
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