The SHCC building is one of Stanton’s oldest landmarks. This schoolhouse (Old Main) was built in 1885 and housed the high school until 1971 when the current high school building was completed. Grade school classes were moved to Old Main at that time and continued there until 1992 when an elementary addition was added to the high school. In 1995 it was given new life as the Swedish Heritage and Cultural Center.

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The first floor houses artifacts from Sweden, an early 1900s classroom, historical photos dating from 1920 to 1950 and a history of the Orphan’s Home. A short video about Stanton’s early days and founding father, Rev. Bengt Halland, is also available for viewing.

Upstairs you will find a time-line and artifacts of an Ioway tribe camp. Also on this floor are a mural and photos which illustrate the history of baseball in Stanton. You will also see a bank display, historical photos of Stanton, FFA artifacts, family history items and more.

The outside grounds include the former one-room Cramer school house and the largest Swedish coffeepot. Built in 1914 it served as the town’s water tower; painted and altered to look like a Swedish coffeepot in 1971. In 2015 it was retired, transported to its current location and repainted. To the south of the History Center sits our current water tower which was designed to look like a Swedish coffee cup. Swedes do love their coffee!