Valentine S. Keppel Valentine S. Keppel Valentine S. "V.S." "Val" Keppel (February 21, 1865 – September 7, 1940) was an American farmer and politician. Born in La Crosse County, Wisconsin in Mormon Coulee, Keppel went to the public schools. He was a farmer and lived in Long Coulee near Holmen, Wisconsin. He was the manager and secretary of the Holmen Cooperative Creamery and was also secretary of the Holmen Telephone Company. Keppel was also one of the directors of the Holmen Bank. Keppel was a supporter of United States Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. and the Wisconsin Progressive Party. Keppel served on
The Valentine his collection of art and artifacts, the 1812 John Wickham House and a $50,000 endowment. Their collection of art and artifacts was the foundation of the exhibitions, when the Valentine Museum opened in 1898. Part of the original intent of the founding of the museum was to display these archeological artifacts in perpetuity, after the family was embarrassed by an archeological hoax in North Carolina. When it opened, the Valentine Museum was the first private museum in the City of Richmond Mann S. Valentine II's brother Edward Virginius Valentine also had an interest in history and was a well-known sculptor.