Local History News: December 6, 2023

Field Note

Earlier this year, road work to replace 100+ year old water and sewer lines was going on when Heritage Preservation Planning and Outreach staff visited Wabasha, Minnesota for the annual accreditation of their Main Street program. Wabasha has one of the state's smallest yet very effective Main Street programs. Wabasha's Main Street and nearby streets still have a considerable number of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century buildings. On November 10, downtown Main Street re-opened for regular traffic and pedestrian use.

Heritage Preservation Grants

December Grants Open House
December 7 - Online: The Grants Office will hold a virtual Grants Office Open House on Thursday, December 7 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 Webinar: State Capital Projects Grants-in-Aid Program
December 21 @ 2 to 3 pm (CT) - Online: Yes, it's back! A funding resource for public entities (units of state and local government) that own a National Register or National Register-eligible property has returned. Learn about opportunities, project requirements, deadlines, and more during this upcoming webinar to see how MNHS can help fund your construction project. Presented by Design Reviewer John Beaty and Design Reviewer Ryan Maciej.
Join online: meet.google.com/zwx-krei-com
Join by phone: ‪(US) +1 386-361-3086‬ PIN: ‪420 891 978‬#

State Capital Projects Grants-in-Aid
This grant program supports historic preservation construction projects for publicly owned buildings in Minnesota. Eligible properties must be either listed in the National Register of Historic Places or determined to be eligible for listing by the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. The mandatory pre-application is due Friday, January 26, 2024, and the final application deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024. The pre-application process is a requirement of this grant program.  Learn more »

Heritage Partnership Program Grant 
Heritage Partnership Program grants build the capacity of two or more eligible organizations to work together on their shared goals for Minnesota’s history. The mandatory pre-application is due Friday, January 26, 2024, and the final application deadline is Friday, March 8, 2024. The pre-application process is a requirement of this grant program. For more information contact John. Learn more »

Small Grant Deadline
The next small grant deadline (requests of $10,000 or less) for the MHCHG program is Friday, January 12, 2024.

From the Blog

This week's blog post is from Woodbury Heritage Society. Have a blog? Let us know!

A Farmer’s Hands
A farmer’s hands are like no other. Large, gnarled, scarred, calloused, rough with soft palms like a well-worn leather baseball mitt. I had the pleasure of holding my second-cousin’s hand while saying grace at one of the Woodbury Heritage Society’s luncheons last year. Wayne Schilling, president of the Woodbury Heritage Society, was the last dairy farmer in Woodbury. He is retired, but his hands still show that he has milked cows, birthed calves, harnessed horses, hauled hay bales, repaired machinery and fences, plowed fields of corn and soybeans and more. They are not the hands that hold a thin paint brush, compose a symphony or perform delicate brain surgery, but they orchestrate all the necessary parts of running a farm in perfect balance and harmony. Continue Reading »

More MN Blog posts

• December Friday History: Before Our Time on the KA Block - Kraus-Anderson
• Working Towards Equity in Historic Preservation - 106 Group
• Book Impersonations - Robbinsdale Historical Society
• Learn about Minnesota Veterans through "War Stories" Exhibits - Minnesota Digital Library News
• Still open water in Minnesota - Trident Sciences
• The Original Pope County State Bank Building - Pope County Historical Society
• Minnesota Music History - Minnesota Media Arts
• After Careful Consideration: Horace W. S. Cleveland Overlook - Minneapolis Park History
• A Civil War Artifact - Chaska Historical Society

From the Tube

This week's post is from Wright County Historical Society. Have a video channel or podcast? Let us know!

Making of a Barn Quilt
Here at the WCHS, one of our own board members created a stunning Barn Quilt as part of our 'Barn Quilts of Wright County Trail.' This is a WCHS program to take viewers on a road trip throughout our county to see all these beautiful and historical works. Watch Video »

More MN Tube posts

• March of the Governors, Governor #31: Karl Fritjof Rolvaag - Ramsey County Historical Society
• Donna Ray: 2023 MAAHMG Artist In Residence - Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery
• Birch Coulee Presentation - Renville County Historical Society
• Justice Unbound: Building Race and Class Solidarity - East Side Freedom Library

• Episode 6: Grant Two Bulls - Hennepin History Museum

• The Mayowood Historic Landscape  - History Center of Olmsted County
• Central High School, Duluth Minnesota: Abandoned - Minnesota Bricks
• Pine County History Museum featured on The Slice on PBS North - Pine County Historical Society

Job Opportunities

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

MNHS

• Evaluation Data Collector - Twin Cities Metro
• Gale Scholar, Research Historian (Gale Scholars Program) - MN History Center

LOCAL

• Executive Director - Fillmore County Historical Society, Fountain, MN
• Curatorial Technician - Bell Museum, St. Paul, MN
• Museum Educator - Bell Museum, St. Paul, MN

REGIONAL

• Museum Director - The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums, Platteville, WI
• Executive Director - Cedarburg Art Museum, Cedarburg, WI
• Tour Administrator - Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
• Museum Director - Mahaska County Historical Society, Oskaloosa, IA
• Capital Project Manager - Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport, IA
• Chief Curator and Director of Collections and Exhibitions - Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

• Executive Director - Quincy Art Center, Quincy, IL
• Photographer (Museum Artifacts) - Barack Obama Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration, Hoffman Estates, IL
• Museum Technician (History) - Barack Obama Presidential Library, National Archives and Records Administration, Hoffman Estates, IL
• Seager Archives Project Assistant - Ball State University, Muncie, IN
• Engagement Specialist: Towers of Tomorrow Exhibition - Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, IN
• Director of Development - American Sign Museum, Cincinnati, OH
• Facilities & Maintenance Manager - Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
• Accounting Manager - Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
• Staff Accountant - Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
• Museum Educator: General Curriculum - Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
• Executive Director - National Museum of Industrial History, Bethlehem, PA
• Archives Technician - National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), Military Operations Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, Spanish Lake, MO
• Congregation Archivist - Notre Dame Sisters, Omaha, NE
• Museum Curator - National Orphan Train Complex, Inc., Concordia, KS

INTERNSHIPS/VOLUNTEERS/FELLOWSHIPS

• Board of Trustees - Dakota County Historical Society
• Volunteer Fife Instructor for Fife & Drum Corps - Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul, MN
• Spring Interns - Fort Bend County Historical Commission, Richmond, TX

Additional Job Postings in the Field »

Do History Here

Image used with permission. From the collection of Dorle Kaase at the Preston Historical Society.

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

Class - Repairing and Restoring Old Windows
December 7 @ 6:30 to 8:30 pm - Minneapolis: Rethos - Do you have old wood windows in need of some TLC? Ready to practice window repair skills? Join Joe Hayes, owner and operator of Hayes Window Restoration, for a hands-on workshop all about windows. Joe will explain common window issues and demonstrate basic repairs. This class will focus specifically on re-roping double-hung windows, glazing, paint prep, and painting. You are invited to bring a window. Location: Hayes Window Restoration. Cost: $25. Learn more »

MN Writers Series: Trauma Sponges
December 7 @ 6 to 8 pm - St. Paul & Online: MN Humanities Center - Author Jeremy Norton will use excerpts from his new book “Trauma Sponges: Dispatches from the Scarred Heart of Emergency Response” to spark conversations with his co-panelists, Jeanelle Austin from the George Floyd Global Memorial, and attorney and police-reform activist Abigail Cerra. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Hmong Museum Exhibit Opening and Holiday Party
December 9 @ 3 to 6 pm - St. Paul: Hmong Museum and RedGreen Rivers - Come to a holiday party and exhibit opening featuring Hmong hemp clothing from Bee Vang-Moua and handmade textiles from Hmong women in Southeast Asia. Join them in at Hmong Museum's new gallery space at Hmong Village, Room B2. Learn more »

Presentation: The History of All Things Christmas: How the Past Affects Today’s Christmas Celebrations
December 9 @ 1 pm - Golden Valley Historical Society - Christmas trees and gift-giving - how and when did these traditions begin?  Attendees will get insights into the origins of popular traditions plus recent additions that may connect with their own holiday memories. Some Christmas traditions have surprising origins. Learn more »

Event: Christmas in the County
December 9 @ 11 am to 4 pm - Austin: Mower County Historical Society - Mrs. Claus will again be visiting the historical society all the way from the North Pole. Stop by the Pioneer Building for a photo opportunity with Mrs. Claus, next to the Christmas tree and fireplace. Crafting activities for the kids will also be available during this time. Additionally, jump start your holiday baking and eating at the bake sale. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Exhibit: Snow Piles of the Upper Mississippi
December 10 @ 1 to 4 pm - Winona: Winona County History Center - A photography and public art project that focuses on the most ubiquitous, temporary, and under-appreciated sculptures of winter. Through documenting hundreds of snow piles in Winona during the last five years, Matthew Fluharty has created a playful and strangely illuminating look into how everyday life (and the landscape of Winona) is shaped through the work and creativity of its citizens. While there check out the Holiday Family Festival. The Festival offers many traditional Christmas crafts and a visit from Santa himself. Learn more » 

Civil War Roundtable - A Civil War Tea Party!
December 12 @ 3 pm - St. Cloud: Central MN Civil War Round Table - Learn about dress and clothing during the Civil War and enjoy Civil War inspired teas, crumpets and cookies. There will also be live music with popular Civil War songs. Location: Whitney Senior Center. Cost: $5. Learn more »

History Day Hullabaloo
December 12 through January 28 - Online and in-person: Hullabaloos are an opportunity for Minnesota History Day students to receive help on their projects. Students can sign up for a Power Conference and get individual project help, chat with a librarian, or attend a mini-lesson on different parts of the History Day process. These events are first-come, first-serve. Learn more »

Class - Building Permits Primer
December 15 @ 1 to 3 pm (CT) - Online: Rethos - Do I need a permit for my building project? Curious as to why? Puzzled by what determines when you need a permit and when you don’t? Then this class is for you! Gain useful knowledge about the ins and outs of permitting from this comprehensive webinar. Cost: $25. Learn more »

Film Showing: Legends, Heroes, Ghosts and Gangsters
December 16 @ 1 to 2 pm - Mankato: Blue Earth County History Center - The Minnesota Music History Channel has just completed a full-length documentary putting the history of Minnesota together in a musical anthology. Stories about the “Great Northfield Minnesota Raid”, the Dakota War of 1862, the early voyageurs, and the lumber trade that provided the resources to build towns and cities all along the Mississippi River are interspersed with songs about industry giants like James J. Hill and Charles Pillsbury, there are even tales of how a drunken stay in a brothel prevented St. Peter from becoming our state capital. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Continuing Education

Highlighted Museum: Minnesota's Machinery Museum, Hanley Falls, MN.

Digital Exhibitions Summit 
December 11 & 12 - Online: Museum Next: How are museums bringing technology into their galleries? From immersive storytelling to games, augmented reality to robots, the Digital Exhibitions Summit will share important trends, the latest strategies and inspiring projects from around the globe. Cost: $159. Learn more »

Let’s Talk Unmanaged Collections
December 19 @ 2 pm (CT) - Online: Museum Study - In this event “Managing Previously Unmanaged Collections” author Angela Kipp will present the plans for the new edition as well as being available for questions and answers. This will be your chance to share what worked and didn’t work when you were tackling your own collections. You are welcome to join us and contribute – or just watch and listen. Cost: Free. Learn more »

Activist Archives and Frameworks of Care
January 11 @ 11 am (CT) - Online: Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts - Through her work with activists in communities marginalized by gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, and HIV-status, Dr. Marika Cifor has developed a framework for understanding archives through the lenses of cure, care, and radical empathy. Through case studies, her presentation allows us to ask the question, how can the lessons be applied to your institution’s archives? Cost: Free. Learn more »

Introduction to the AASLH Awards Program - Live Webinar
January 18 @ 2 to 3 pm (CT) - Online: American Association for State and Local History - If you're curious about the AASLH Awards Program, the work involved, how it differs from other organizations' awards, why awards matter, and how to get started, attend this informational webinar. Cost: Free. Learn more »

TIPS & TOOLS

• The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Email Marketing - Wild Apricot

Additional Educational Opportunities »

Funding & Awards

It's History Awards Season - SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS! As you reflect on 2023, look back and consider what great history projects you and your colleagues have accomplished. Consider nominating notable history work for either a Minnesota History Award or an AASLH Leadership in History Award. Great work deserves recognition; recognition inspires and informs others.
MINNESOTA History Awards Nominations are open and accepted until January 15, 2024. Nominate projects accomplished from July 1, 2022 to October 1, 2023 for the 2024 Minnesota History Awards program. Since 2009, the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums has taken the opportunity at its Annual Meeting to recognize exceptional history work carried out by local history organizations in the state. This includes a formal nomination process with review by a panel of local history peers to determine which nominations will receive an award. Over the years, award categories have been modified, added, or removed. This time, there are two distinct history award programs: the Minnesota History Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Awards. Learn more » Award Categories: Behind the Scenes Collections Civic Engagement & Public Celebrations Publications Interpretive Programs Lifetime Achievement	AASLH Leadership in History Awards Nominations are open and accepted until March 1, 2024. Nominate accomplishments occurring within the eighteen months prior to the March 1 deadline (i.e., September 1, 2022 through March 1, 2024. Publications must be published within two years prior to January 1 of the year of the competition. American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) bestows the Leadership in History Awards in recognition of excellence in the field of state and local history. Learn more » AASLH recognizes EXCELLENCE in the following areas:  Exhibits Public and educational programming Special projects Publications Publication Award Categories are: Best Large Press Local History Book, Best Small Press/Independent Author Local History Book, and Best History Practice Book Award. Multimedia Individual Achievement

Funding Opportunities for Community-Based Programs - Grant Application Deadline Extended
December 11 - (Deadline): Minnesota Humanities Center - $12 million in grant opportunities are for individuals, programs, organizations, and children’s museums. Learn more »

Pomeroy Foundation History Grants - Round 4
December 15 - (Deadline): William G. Pomeroy Foundation - This foundation funds historical societies with limited resources, professional development for small history organizations, technology upgrades for small history organizations, and celebrations of significant national milestones in American history. However, preference in 2023 will be given to projects that promote awareness of the Pomeroy Foundation’s signature historical marker programs. Regardless of the outcome, all applicants will receive a response within a month of the quarterly deadline. Learn more »

Media Projects
January 10 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - The Media Projects program supports the development, production, and distribution of radio programs, podcasts, documentary films, and documentary film series that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in creative and appealing ways. Media Projects offers two levels of funding: Development and Production. Learn more »

Digital Humanities Advancement Grants
January 11 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - Funding supports innovative, experimental, and/or computationally challenging digital projects, leading to work that can scale to enhance scholarly research, teaching, and public programming in the humanities. Learn more »

News

MN Digital Newspaper Hub - November content update
A content update to the Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub today added 7,773 new issues and 141,648 new newspaper pages.

New publicly available titles & date spans:

• Stillwater daily gazette (Stillwater, Minn.) 1915-1918 added
• Le Sueur News-Herald (Le Sueur, Minn.) 1924-1928, 1964-1969 added

New issues for the years 2008-2022 were also added to several existing current newspaper titles, available to view only in the MNHS Library.

State Archives October 2023 Acquisitions
Continuing a collecting strength of the State Archives, many local government records were added this month to the collection and will be valuable for local and family history research and to document the governance, policies, and major activities of the local government entities.

• Hennepin County. Independent School District No. 273 (Edina).  Records dated 1869-2000, including board minutes and superintendent reports. 29 boxes.  
• Hennepin County. Independent School District No. 283 (St. Louis Park).  Records dated 1942-1976. 3 folders.  
• Human Services Department. Bulletins dated 2017-2019. 1 box and digital copies which have been posted online via the Library catalog.
• Steele County. Auditor. School district plat book dated 1880-1971. 1 bound volume.  
• Wright County. Board of Commissioners. Records dated 1957-2011, including board agenda packets and committees' minutes. 40 boxes.

Indigenous remains returned 120 years after graves looted
PBS – A Native American tribe in Minnesota recently welcomed home five of its ancestors more than a century after their remains left the state. Continue reading »

Meet the woman who preserves and catalogs St. Paul's Rondo memories
Star Tribune – Eye On St. Paul recently read a terrific story by Star Tribune columnist Laura Yuen about Kayla Jackson, an archivist at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center in St. Paul. Having grown up in what was once the Rondo neighborhood — and being a self-described history nerd — I wanted to piggyback on Laura's story and ask a few more questions. Continue reading »

Holding On To History: old brewery building in Tower gets new owner
Northern News Now – This concrete bunker looming over the Tower-Soudan skyline is the last vestige of the Iron Range Brewing Association. It was founded in 1892 by the same man who started Fitger’s in Duluth. “A guy named Michael Fink started the brewery and he was only there two years,” said Richard Hanson of the Tower-Soudan Historical Society. Continue reading »

The trees they planted still grow today
Hometown Focus – North on the Echo Trail or northeast of Ely towards the North Shore, are some newer groves of pine—too young to be virgin timber but looking like they will someday be ready to be logged. These trees were likely planted by young men enrolled in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). Continue reading »

Featured Book Great Hotdish Bake-Along Cookbook Douglas County Historical Society.	Featured Article Minnesota History Father Haas and the Minneapolis trucker's strike of 1934 Volume 42, Issue 1, 1970	Featured Article MNopedia Vermilion Iron Range Featured MNopedia Article
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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