Ethel’s Wedding Dress
Each artifact at the museum tells a story. There is wedding dress here that tells us the story of a couple from the Brocket and Lawton area. The dress was worn by Ethel McNamee on her wedding day July 20, 1910 to William Powers of Brocket. Ethel came to the area in 1909 to teach in the Brocket elementary school. William came to Lakota in 1898 at age 17. He found work with the John Rainsberry, Sr. family of rural Brocket. When they married, Bill was renting a farm close to Brocket and in 1914 they moved to their own farm in northern Lillehof Township. It was here that they farmed for over three decades and raised their family.
They lived in the same area their whole married life and were active members of the Lawton and Brocket communities, spending a great deal of time contributing to the success of these small towns. Bill served on the County Agricultural Board for many years. He was an avid fan of the local baseball and basketball teams. He was involved in businesses and organizations including the Farmers Union, the Lawton Elevator Company, the Workmen’s Lodge, and the Lawton Security State Bank.
Ethel was involved in the Royal Neighbors of America and the Lawton Homemakers Club. She served as postmaster from 1933 to 1951. The Heritage of Lawton, ND and Surrounding Area tells that “during the years of World War II, she deemed it her responsibility to send her personal greetings to the local servicemen. Later, many reminded her of the morale boost her short notes were.” Once she even delivered a letter to a rural family, 10 miles out of town, from their son who was a prisoner-of-war over seas.
As a farmer, Bill loved the land and Ethel, as well, was known for her beautiful lawn and garden. They belonged to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Brocket, but Bill was known to lend a hand to the other churches if help was needed for certain projects.
It is also interesting to note that Ethel wore the dress on their 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1935 and again at their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1960. The wedding dress is currently on display here at the Lake Region Heritage Center.










