Evelyn Larson and the WAHS Logo

“History is an open book, not a closed one.” That quote from Westby’s nisse lady, Evelyn Larson, about her design for the lamp logo for the Westby Area Historical Society, reflects Evelyn’s passion for Westby history. The minutes from the WAHS meeting for June 25, 1989, state that Evelyn Larson was asked to develop a logo for the society. The minutes from the Nov. 6, 1989, meeting show that the logo committee accepted Evelyn’s very well-fitting design. This logo, which was a lamp sitting next to a stack of closed books, was used for many years. In the April 2000 issue of the WAHS newsletter “History Keepers,” editor Rita Wells wrote that she asked Evelyn to design a new drawing of the logo because the first one was becoming difficult to duplicate. This time Evelyn designed a logo with a lovely Tiffany-style lamp next to an open book with a pair of eyeglasses on top of the book. This logo reflected her feeling that history is indeed an open book and not a closed one. This design was absolutely perfect for the Westby Area Historical Society. In honor of the 15th year of our current logo, WAHS would like to thank Evelyn for the years of service that her logo has provided. She is shown here holding her original copyrighted design, photographed beside a real life re-creation of the image with a Tiffany-style lamp, an open book and a pair of rimless eyeglasses at the Thoreson House Museum. Along with the logo design, Evelyn and her husband, Orin, who are lifetime members of the historical society, have generously donated many lovely items to the society. The Westby Area Historical Society is so grateful for their support.