“A Blind Man” (On The Prairie) tells the story of a Norwegian immigrant who grew up blind on Koshkonong Prairie in the mid 1800s.  Henry Hendrickson arrived with his family at age four in 1847, became educated at the school for the blind in Janesville, and was as mischievous as any boy.  Henry found success in making and selling corn brooms in several cities and later in tuning and selling pianos and organs during the first half of his life.  His wit, dry humor, and philosophical insight reflect his education and his intellect.  His steadfast pursuit of success, despite numerous obstacles and setbacks, reflects his Norwegian heritage.  This presentation is based on his book, Out From The Darkness, An Autobiography of a Scandinavian Bartimeous.

Richard H. Moen shares a sense of kinship in the story of his great-grandmother’s brother Henry, whose paths crossed those of his own youth in Rockdale, Christiana, Oakland, and Albion, Wisconsin.  His Norwegian heritage is traced through ancestors arriving on the prairie in 1847 and 1850, with documented lineage extending to circa 1300 (“before that, they were all Vikings” enough said!), as well as grandparents arriving in Cooksville in 1900.  For a little spice beyond cardamom, his English family settled on Albion Prairie in 1842.

**Please note- Seating is limited to fully vaccinated individuals for this in-person event  Please bring along proof of vaccination to show at the door. Masking is optional but recommended

Pictured above is the Wisconsin School for the Blind (now know as the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired) in Janesville. It was was founded in 1849, and is in fact the first public institution chartered by the state legislature. Today WCBVI still stands as one of Wisconsin’s enduring and vital educational institutions. A proud division of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, WCBVI has throughout the years steadfastly dedicated itself to providing high quality educational opportunities and outcomes for children who are blind or visually impaired who reside in the state of Wisconsin. Henry Hendrickson attended this school as a youth.