by Tom Hamilton
Cropping up out of the Iowa countryside are two
cubes sitting atop steeply slanted roofs. The building underneath houses
a collection of balloon memorabilia. The interesting motif represents two
upside down balloons, with the cubes on top suggesting baskets. Welcome
to the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, Iowa.
Located 17 miles south of Des Moines, the state capital, the National Balloon Museum chronicles more than 200 years of ballooning history. Visitors can browse at their leisure among displays of balloon envelopes, inflators, gondolas and other instruments which demonstrate the actual equipment used in both hot air ballooning and gas ballooning.
Entering the museum through arches that accentuate the feeling of entering a balloon the visitor finds numerous artifacts and memorabilia associated with scientific, competitive and record-setting flights are on display, including trophies, photos and an extensive pin collection.
Several featured attractions include a vast collection of mementos from the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship which was held in Indianola from 1970 through 1988. Another is the photography of Thom Roberts, an Indianola native and official photographer of the BFA. Roberts, who died in 1988 had an extensive collection of balloon photographs, especially from the U.S. Championships.
In 1977 the National Balloon Museum, Inc. was
founded as a non-profit, tax exempt organization. For a number of years,
people such as Don Kersten, Fort Dodge, Iowa (first President of the Balloon
Federation of America), who initiated the museum concept in 1967, and others
had been seeking to establish a balloon museum and formed a museum committee
within the BFA. The BFA was not a tax exempt organization at that time.
With this in mind, NBM Inc. was formed to make fund raising easier.
In 1983 plans were unveiled for a 10,000 square foot building to permanently house the collection and administrative offices. With the announcement NBM began a fund drive to raise $1 million for construction.
Leo and Jill Eisenberg, of Kansas City, Missouri, started the fund drive with a $100,000 challenge pledge. Many local and regional balloon organizations joined with their projects for the building fund.
In the summer of 1986 NBM held a ground breaking ceremony (Balloon Life September, 1986) on land donated by First Central Bank of Indianola to the City of Indianola for the site. The Governor of Iowa offered his assistance in raising the $200,000 needed to begin construction.
This modern facility was opened to the public
in June of 1988 and officially dedicated during the 1988 Nationals in August.
Prior to that the museum utilized temporary facilities in Indianola.
Often called the BFA's museum, it is legally a separate entity. The original intent was (and still is) to house the BFA's collection. Much of the museum's collection is on permanent loan from the BFA. In addition to providing money toward the building fund, the BFA has a representative on the museum board.
Through generous donations of equipment and other collectibles, the museum has acquired a large collection to date.
Maxine and Jim Weinman of Indianola are the curators and run the museum. Due to the fact the many balloonists have sent the museum a pin of their balloon, the museum boasts the largest pin collection of any museum.
The museum paid off the original
loan to construct the building in 1995. Like most museums, the need for
more space and new exhibits always seems to be at the top of the wish list.
The NBM is planning a $200,000 expansion to include exhibit space, conference
room, library, office, amphitheater, and storage area. Donations from businesses
and individuals are welcome and tax deductible.
The museum is currently looking to fill a few voids in its collect: pictures, articles, personal items, etc. for a Women in Ballooning; BFA past president; and BFA National Champion exhibits.
Docents are on hand to answer questions and provide information. The gift shop offers a large variety of mementos which are sold to help underwrite the operational costs of the museum.
The museum is open year round with exception of some holidays. NBM is located on Highway 65-69 North (1601 Jefferson) Indianola, Iowa. For more information write NBM, P.O. Box 149, Indianola, IA 50125, phone (515) 961-3714, e-mail: maxweinman@juno.com.
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