Mission Statement
The Daneville Heritage Museum strives to celebrate and document the Danish roots of the Viborg area and to record the achievements of the Danish immigrants making settlement in southeastern Dakota Territory in pursuit of the American Dream in the New World.
Opening in early 2004, the Daneville Heritage Museum is a not-for-profit institution seeking to become a regional and local center for hometown current and former residents to entrust with family history-related information and family treasures. We diligently strive to…
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Discover and document the story of Danish immigration from the late 1860’s to the present with an emphasis placed on preservation and display of artifacts, photographs, and documents.
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Celebrate and encourage a continuing relationship between Denmark and the United States of America… and in particular, between Viborg on the Jutland peninsula of Denmark and our hometown of Viborg, Turner County, South Dakota.
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Learn about, share, and preserve traditions and cultural practices carried on by Danish immigrants and continuing among later generations of Danish-Americans by encouraging and establishing education, programs, exhibits, and special events.
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Preserve artifacts, photographs, and documents from all nationalities and cultures that settled in the Viborg area.​
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Provide research material for genealogists in our ever-expanding Family History Center.
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VALUES
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INSPIRATION: We honor the vision, ambition, hope, diligence and achievements of Danish-Americans as well as other immigrant nationalities and migrant Americans and we seek to inform and inspire future generations by telling their stories.
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DEEP-ROOTEDNESS: We treasure the Danish heritage of our community and are deeply committed to preserving that heritage.
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THE FUTURE: We fully realize that to keep the past alive, we must always remain focused on the prospects and potentials of our home-town area.
VISION
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We desire and strive to be recognized as one of the leading compilers and communicators of the history and inspirational achievements of Danish-Americans and other nationalities to the Viborg area and beyond.
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We endeavor to make the Daneville Heritage Museum and the city of Viborg into one of South Dakota’s top destinations for tourists, educators and local family outings… and to support other local communities that feature museums or festivals related to their ethnic founding, as well as those communities around the country that celebrate their Danish-American roots and history.
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We hope to become widely recognized as a reflective leader and trend setter in the local, national, and international museum industry by constantly featuring new and inspiring experiences for visitors through innovative exhibits and events.