Field Note

MNHS Local History Services staff met with staff from the City of Ramsey on April 8 to get a closer look at the District No. 28 school building, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. The City is considering options for the repair and preservation of the building which started as a school building and also became the town hall. 

Heritage Preservation Grants

Large Grant Deadline
Pre-applications for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants large grant round (requests over $10,000) will be due Friday, July 18, 2025*. This is a required part of the large grant application process. Contact the Grants Office with questions.
* Pending funding approval by the Minnesota Legislature and Governor. This date is subject to change. 

MAY Grants Open House
May 1 - Online: The Grants Office will hold a virtual Grants Office Open House using Google Meet from 2 to 3:30 pm in order to provide additional grants support to our communities. We encourage people to RSVP to Gillian with a short summary of what you want to talk about and she will try to ensure that someone helpful will be available. Learn more »

Grants Office YouTube Playlist »

From the Blog

This week's blog post is from the Nicollet County Historical Society. Have a blog? Let us know!

The Changing Shape of Nicollet County
Have you ever wondered how Nicollet County got its shape? It may surprise you to learn that its boundaries weren’t always what they are today. Early maps of Minnesota Territory show Nicollet County with a variety of borders—including one that stretched all the way to the North Fork of the Crow River, northwest of the Twin Cities.

When the Territorial Legislature officially created Nicollet County on March 5, 1853, the original boundaries were: 
Continue Reading »

More MN Blog posts

• Voices of Misi-ziibi: Beltrami County’s 250th Anniversary Exhibit - Beltrami County Historical Society
• Fenwick H. Watkins: Sports and Identity - Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
• Chief Taopi: Man of peace, community leader & more - Minnesota Prairie Roots
• Bringing back the shanty craze, for safety - MN Brown
• How to Apply for Historic Tax Credits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Building Owners - Rethos
• MDL updates Standards and Best Practices in three significant ways - Minnesota Digital Library News

From the Tube

This week's post is from the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center. Have a video channel or podcast? Let us know!

More MN Tube posts

• George Atwood - Anoka County Historical Society
• Hopkins Schoolhouse Site Plan - 2023 - Hopkins Schoolhouse & Heritage Center
• Glory Hallelujah! Churches, Mosques, and Holy Places in Early Shakopee - Shakopee Heritage Society
• H.D. Burns Dress - More Than It Seams 17 - History Center of Freeborn County
• Pipestone's Carnegie Library - Pipestone County Historical Society
• Wilder Men: Daryl Hrdlicka - Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum
• The Long, Dark Shadow of Minnesota's Eugenic Sterilization Program - MinneCulture
• Minn CWRT 2025 Symposium, Anfinson, The Rise of Cotton and Slavery in America - Minnesota Civil War Round Tables

Heritage Preservation YouTube Playlist »

Job Opportunities

Minnesota Historical Society's Job Announcement, Internship, Fellowship, and Volunteer Opportunity pages.

MNHS

• Program Facilitator I - Historic Fort Snelling
• Workspace Designer & Project Manager - MN History Center
• Historical Program Facilitator I (multiple openings) - Split Rock Lighthouse

LOCAL

• Request for Services, research planning exhibit “Life on the Prairie” - Lyon County Historical Society, Marshall, MN
• Archivist - Goodhue County Historical Society, Red Wing, MN
• Custodial and Event Logistics Assistant - The American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN
• Custodial and Event Logistics Coordinator - The American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN

REGIONAL

• Marketing Specialist II - University Museums at Iowa State University, Ames, IA
• Director of Outreach and Engagement - Marathon County Historical Society, Wausau, WI
• Special Events Coordinator - Kenosha Public Museums, City of Kenosha, Kenosha, WI
• Support Group Coordinator - Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Director of School and Tour Programs - Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Major Gifts Officer - Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Educator - Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Guest Experience Lead - Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Vice President of Operations - Betty Brinn Children's Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Administrative Assistant - Northwoods Children's Museum, Rhinelander, WI
• Library Director - City of Ripon, WI 

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

• Historical Site Interpreter - Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, Indiana State Museum, Metamora, IN
• Ticket/Call Center Agent - Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, Indianapolis, IN
• Carillon Park Railroad Operator - Dayton History, Dayton, OH
• Historic Brewer - Carillon Brewing Co., Dayton History, Dayton, OH
• Museum Technician - Gilmore Car Museum, Hickory Corners, MI
• Museum Educator 2 - Anthracite Heritage Museum and Scranton Iron Furnaces, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Scranton, PA
• Exhibit Manager - Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, PA
• Director of Registration - Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
• Membership and Development Coordinator - Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
• Oral History and Archival Research Associate - Crownsville Hospital Archives Project, Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, MD
• Public History Manager - Crownsville Hospital Archives Project, Anne Arundel County,    Annapolis, MD
• Lead Archivist - Crownsville Hospital Archives Project, Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, MD
• Science Communicator – Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, MB
• Gallery Host - Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg, MB 
• Visitor Services Representative - Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg, MB 
• Guest Services Interpreter - Manitoba Children's Museum, Winnipeg, MB
• Program Interpreter Level I - Manitoba Children's Museum, Winnipeg, MB
• Program Interpreter Level II (Multiple positions) - Manitoba Children's Museum, Winnipeg, MB
• Community Engagement Director - Museum of Ontario Archaeology, London, ON
• Audience Engagement Coordinator - Diefenbunker: Canada's Cold War Museum, Ottawa, ON

Volunteers/Fellowships

• Volunteers - Doors Open Minneapolis, Rethos, Minneapolis, MN

Additional Job Postings in the Field »

Do History Here

Image used with permission. From the collections of the Ely-Winton Historical Society.

Submit your history organization's news and events to localhistorynews@mnhs.org.

National History Day in Minnesota State Competition
April 27 - Minneapolis: Over 1,000 students will compete in the National History Day in Minnesota State Contest at the Minneapolis Convention Center, having advanced from more than 19,000 state participants in grades 6-12. This year's theme is "Rights and Responsibilities in History," covering diverse topics such as Title IX and the Tiananmen Square Protest. Winning entries will progress to the national competition at the University of Maryland in June. Learn more »

Doors Open Minneapolis Tour
May 17 & 18 @ 10 am to 5 pm - Minneapolis: Rethos - Doors Open Minneapolis is your chance to explore the buildings that tell our city’s story. From theaters to business hubs, sacred spaces to private clubs, sports complexes to engineering wonders, historical gems to not-even-open-yet buildings, Doors Open Minneapolis will give you a behind-the-scenes look at dozens of exciting venues. Building owners and caretakers will provide unique perspectives that illustrate why these venues, people, and businesses are central to our city’s identity. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Dine Like It’s 1909, a Hotel Albert Dining Experience
May 3 @ 6:30 pm - Albert Lea: History Center of Freeborn County - Join them at Moms Bread Co. as they recreate a Hotel Albert menu. The Hotel Albert played a significant role in the history of Freeborn County. The menu offers a fascinating glimpse into culinary history, reflecting the traditions and flavors that have shaped dining experiences over the years. Each dish represents not just a meal, but a story steeped in the hotel's legacy and the cultural influences that have evolved over time. Dress in period costume if you like. Cost: $100. For more information email them.

History Walk-and-Talk: The Amazing Restoration of Highway 100/Lilac Way’s Graeser Park
May 7 @ 6 pm - Robbinsdale: Golden Valley Historical Society and Robbinsdale Historical Society - Iconic beehive fireplace, stone tables, and rock gardens. The tour will be led by MnDOT’s Andrea Weber who oversaw the park’s three-year restoration. “Graeser Roadside Park is a true hidden gem of the Twin Cities,” Weber noted. “It was believed to be lost after the Highway 100 reconstruction when it suffered heavy impacts due to construction and staging, but there it sat, covered in a layer of soil with parts stored offsite for another day.” Cost: Free. Learn more »

Exterior Painting Prep Hands-on Workshop
May 10 @ 12 to 4 pm - St. Cloud: Stearns History Museum - Join us for the Exterior Painting Prep Hands-on Workshop led by Mark Johnston from Historic Design Consulting LLC, where you'll learn essential techniques for prepping your painting project, including site clearance and proper caulking. The workshop takes place on Saturday in a historic southside neighborhood of St. Cloud, focusing on a beautiful 1894 Queen Anne-style home. Cost: $75. Learn more »

Women's History, Period. (The Evolution of Menstruation)
May 26 to 31 - Bemidji: Beltrami County Historical Society – A weeklong event exploring the history and experiences of menstruation, featuring a mobile museum exhibit, virtual book talk with Abby Norman (author of Ask Me About My Uterus), discussions with health professionals, and a community period product drive. The organization is also collecting personal stories (acknowledged or anonymous) about menstruation for the exhibit, which can be submitted via email, mail, or in person. Learn more »

Explore Minnesota - State of MN's Tourism website
Listings: History & Heritage Events | Historic Exhibits | Lectures & Workshops
Register for an Account »

Continuing Education

Highlighted Museum: Schubert Club Music Museum, operated by the Schubert Club, St. Paul, MN.
Photograph by McGhiever, distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license.

Fundamentals of Nonprofit Finance
May 21 @ 9 am to 12 pm (CT) - Online: Propel Nonprofits - This workshop is right for you if you are new to the nonprofit sector, nonprofit finance, or your position as staff or board member. Cost: $95. Learn more »

STEPS Enrollment
Self-paced: American Association for State and Local History - The Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations (STEPS) program helps small- and mid-sized organizations take a leap forward by educating board, staff, and volunteers about museum operations, and providing a structure for meaningful planning. The updated STEPS workbook features self-assessment questions and performance indicators across six critical sections to help organizations improve their practices. New enrollees receive the workbook, access to the STEPS Community, and additional benefits to support their development. Cost: $195 AASLH Institutional/Academic Program Members. Learn more »

TIPS & TOOLS

• Impact of Federal and State Actions on History Organizations - American Association for State and Local History

UPCOMING CONFERENCES IN MINNESOTA

June 4 - 6, 2025 Duluth, MN

May 9, 2025 Online

May 6 - 7, 2025 St. Paul, MN Scholarships available.

Additional Educational Opportunities »

Funding & Awards

Risk Management for Heritage Scholarship
Deadline - May 5: Heritage Collections Care Consortium - This grant supports heritage professionals working in museums, libraries, archives, and historic houses in developing their knowledge and skills in managing risks for heritage collections. Funding covers attendance at a two-day highly practical workshop in Risk Management in Heritage, teaching how to use Risk Management in Heritage (also known as the ABC) methodology in practice. Learn more »

USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program
Provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and/or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment, and pay related project expenses. Examples of essential community facilities include educational services such as museums, libraries, or private schools. Learn more »

Additional Funding & Award Opportunities »

News

Vintage Museum Photo: Benton County Museum, Sauk Rapids, MN. (1986). View additional photos on Instagram »
This new section features slides taken of Minnesota history museums from the 1970s through the 1990s by David Nystuen, the MNHS Field Services Coordinator, and other Field Services representatives during that time period.

MN Digital Newspaper Hub - March update
A content update to the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub today added 11,572 new issues and 204,141 new newspaper pages.
New publicly available titles & date spans:

• Forest Lake times (Forest Lake, Minn.) 1966-1972 added
• Rochester post-bulletin (Rochester, Minn.) 1949-1951 added
• St. Peter free press (St. Peter, Minn.) 1913-1925 added
• Minnesota statesman (St. Peter, Minn.) 1858-1861
• St. Peter tribune (St. Peter, Minn.) 1860-1868
• Minnesota spokesman-recorder (Minneapolis, Minn.) 2009-2015 added

New issues for the years 2008-2024 were also added to several existing current newspaper titles, available to view only in the MNHS Library.

Archival Digitization Team Update for April
This past winter, former art curator, Spencer Wigmore, and manuscript curator, Kate Hujda, proposed a new community digitization project working with the Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana. The project consisted of digitizing 388 photographs from the Louis W. Hill photo collection. We recently wrapped up digitizing the photographs and uploading the images to EMu (our content management system) and next steps will be delivering the digital files to the Director of Library Services at the college. The purpose of this project is two-pronged, with not only providing these images to the Blackfeet Community to reconnect them with their history, but also to hopefully learn the identities of the individuals in the photos so they can be properly identified. Read more »

Published Media Content:

• Clouded Land video project
  (46 digital video files, 220 GB)

Published Collections Content:

• Minnesota Queer Student Conference
  (2 folders; 98 pages)
• Conference of Gay/Lesbian Elected Officials
  (1 Folder; 66 pages)
• Farmington Ordinances 1872-1881
  (1 Volume; 41 pages)
• Horatio P. Van Cleave and Family Papers
  (59 Folders; 2,964 pages)

Cook County Historical Society names new leadership for museum, gallery
North Shore Community Radio - The Cook County Historical Society announced in a press release on April 16 that they are welcoming two new staff members in management capacities. Annie Buresh will serve as the Cook County History Museum and Collections Manager. Victoria Lewandowski is taking over as the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery Manager. Both have backgrounds in museum studies. Continue reading »

Civil War Roundtable founder passes torch after 20 years
SouthernMinn.com - As rain hammered the roof Thursday evening, the founder of the Cannon Valley Civil War Roundtable struggled to hide the emotion in his voice inside Northfield Township Town Hall. Dan Peterson came to Rice County in 2004, soon thereafter starting the Cannon Valley Civil War Roundtable, a group of local history buffs who meet monthly to discuss the Civil War and its ties to local history. Peterson led the roundtable for just over two decades — until Thursday night. Continue reading »

Featured Book Days Like Smoke: A Minnesota Boyhood by Jon Hassler. Afton Historical Society Press.	Featured Article Minnesota History Birth of a Resort: The Chase Hotel and the Rise of Lakeside Tourism Volume 61, Issue 6, 2009	Featured Article MNopedia Somali and Somali American Experiences in Minnesota Featured MNopedia Article	Minnesota Unraveled Part One: Searching for Bison in Minnesota History Episode 104

Minnesota History Organizations Directory  • County, Chapters, and Local • Statewide/Topical Historical • Regional History Coalitions • Professional Organizations	Minnesota Main Streets Reinvigorate your community's commercial district.	Preservation Specialists Directory Look up products or services.

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