Delaware Mutual Insurance Company--   established in 1885    by Olivia Richards,  Herman Review    Delaware Mutual Insurance Company has been a business on Herman"s main street for 117 years. The first meeting to organize the Delaware Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company was called to order by T. C. Hodgson in the Walders Hall in Herman, Minnesota, at 2 p.m., October 17, 1885.    In 1752 Benjamin Franklin started the mutual insurance idea in the United States. Delaware Mutual was founded by farmers and businessmen who believed that this concept of insuring together could work to the mutual benefit of this area. As this region of the state was settled, people began to accumulate more property of value. There were no local insurance companies to provide the needed protection, so out of necessity, Delaware Mutual Insurance Company was founded.    Doug Oachs is only the company"s sixth manager. Managerial positions have run in the family where Gerald Oachs, Doug"s father, retired on January 1, 2000, prior to Doug taking the helm, and from 1929 until 1953, Doug"s grandfather, Harold B. Johnson was the manager.    Delaware Mutual Insurance Company has statutes to legally write policies in 150 townships. They include all townships in Traverse, Grant, Stevens, Big Stone and Swift Counties, while they are eligible to write insurance for parts of Pope, Douglas, Otter Tail, and Wilkin Counties. Delaware employs 32 agents in surrounding towns.    The number of policies issued for the first year of business was 103 with total coverage in the amount of $126,452.00. Total losses for the first year of business were $357.50. Isa Moses had a loss to dwelling, contents and machinery. An assessment was levied December 24, 1885, to cover the loss.    Policies in force at the end of 2001 were 1,207 with total coverage in the amount of $222,841,921.    The company has grown from writing a fairly simple fire insurance policy to issuing a policy containing multiple coverages such as wind, hail, and liability through its affiliation with the RAM Mutual Insurance Company, North Star Mutual of Cottonwood, and Austin Mutual, Minneapolis.    The company is guided by a seven-member board of directors. They are Gerald Bates of Elbow Lake, president; Raymond Storck of Morris, vice president; and directors Richard McClernon of Tenney, Lowell Simpson of Chokio, Richard Woessner of Elbow Lake, and John Deal of Herman. Doug is the board"s secretary-treasurer.    The original office building, until 1912, was located on Atlantic Avenue (Highway 9) in Herman about where the post office now stands. The present office is on Fifth Street (Highway 27) in Herman. The cost of the Fifth Street building in 1912 was not to exceed $3,000. The building and its interior has been updated several times over the years.    Stacy Tolifson has become the familiar voice to people calling Delaware Mutual Insurance Company. She has been the office assistant for a year and a half.    The company has stood the test of time. Doug says the company strives to provide fair, competitive, prompt service in answering claims, and vows to keep up with changing needs in the insurance industry.    If you are interested in a quote on your farm or home, please contact one of Delaware's agents. Locally, in Herman, the telephone number is 320-677-2274.    Back to top of page     Home   Location   Agriculture   Business   Education   Recreation   Churches   City of Herman   Development  History   Keep in Touch   Got Photos?   Herman, USA   Area Links