On Saturday, January 21, 2023, the Dakota County Historical Society held its annual meeting which also celebrated the reopening of the Lawshe Memorial Museum in South St. Paul. The re-opening featured improved entrance accessibility and ribbon cuttings for exhibits on Black history, agriculture, and women's suffrage.
Spotlight Project: Murray County Oversized Documents Inventory and Rehousing
The documents that were inventoried and rehoused during the course of this grant project can be shared more easily with future generations and will also last longer in storage. The rolled documents will no longer have to be "riffled" through and are no longer open to being crushed and the many flat documents are no longer folded and creased in crowded vertical files. The physical documents will be properly preserved for future generations to enjoy because they are now being stored much more properly.
Recipient: Murray County Historical Society
Funded Amount: $7,600
Project Details »
February Grants Open House
February 2 - 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 support to our community in this time of social distancing. We encourage people to RSVP to Gillian by email 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 »
Small Grant Deadline
The next small grant deadline (requests of $10,000 or less) for the MHCHG program is Friday, April 14, 2022.
This week's blog post is from Trident Sciences. Have a blog? Let us know!
The Discovery of the Rush?
During my work volunteering with Maritime Heritage Minnesota, one of the wrecks that was on our search list during our work in Lake Minnetonka was the Rush, a steamer that operated on the lake in the late 1800s.
The Rush appeared on Lake Minnetonka in 1887. A very unconventional design, she was a side-wheeler with aft sidewheels. Most paddle wheelers were either side wheelers (in which the paddle wheels were mounted on both the starboard and port sides of the ship about midship) or stern wheelers (where a single paddle wheel was mounted off the stern of the vessel). Continue Reading »
This week's post is from White Bear Area Historical Society. Have a video channel or podcast? Let us know!
Circling Back to North Campus: a History
North Campus students will soon move into the newly-constructed 3-story addition so that renovations can begin on the existing building. Before that happens, we invite you to join us for an open house event to walk the Circles one last time. This video provides a brief history of the high school buildings over the past 100 years leading up to the new reunified White Bear Lake Area High School that opens in 2024. Watch Video »
Minnesota Historical Society's Job Announcement, Internship, Fellowship, and Volunteer Opportunity pages.
Additional Job Postings in the Field »
Image used with permission. From the collections of the Murray County Historical Society.
Help them out. They are looking for any information about this photo.
Be sure to check with each organization for COVID-19 updates and safety measures for in-person events.
Presentation: German POW Camps in the US
January 26 - Faribault: 6 pm. Rice County Historical Society Museum - This presentation will explore the history of the German POW camps that were prevalent throughout Minnesota – including the one in Faribault. Cost: Free members/$5 nonmembers. Learn more »
Workshop: Twin Ports Genealogy
January 31 - Superior, WI and Online: 1 to 4 pm (CT). Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center & Veterans Memorial Hall - Jay Hagen, Program Manager at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Duluth, and Briana Fiandt, Curator at the Bong Veterans Center will host a workshop for those interested in starting research on their family history. The three-hour workshop will consist of three sections; Basic Genealogy, How to use Ancestry, How to research service members using Fold3. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Meet the Artists/Exhibit: Family Farm - Where Have All The Silos Gone?
February 1 - Fergus Falls: 3 to 6 pm. Otter Tail County Historical Society - The sun is setting on traditional farm life. Silos and barns that stood for generations are being torn down. Small herds of milk cows no longer graze in pastures. Wendy Dornbush and daughters Annalee and Carolyn bring you their story. They draw from their own experiences of living and working on a dairy farm. They walk the land across Otter Tail County to bring you experiences created from video, photography and personal interviews. Learn more »
Exhibit: TESTIFY Returns to Hennepin County Library
February 1 through March 29: Opening Reception: February 1 - Minneapolis: 6 to 8 pm. Minneapolis Central Library - Building on the success of the original exhibit in 2018, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and NFL Hall of Famer Alan Page and his daughter Georgi, the director of the Diane and Alan Page Collection, are again presenting their exhibit of Americana from slavery to today – with renewed calls to action. The exhibit will be accompanied by a series of in-person and online programs and events. Learn more »
Drop-in Program: Museum Makers Class - Vintage Valentines
February 4 - Winona: 12 to 3 pm. Winona County Historical Society - Spend 30 minutes, an hour, or the whole time creating your own vintage inspired Valentines! Also learn more about the tradition of exchanging Valentines. All the supplies are provided, along with some historic valentines on display for inspiration. Cost: Free with museum admission. For more information call 507-454-2723 ext. 0.
Documentary: MLK 11.12.61
February 4 - Mankato: 11 am. Blue Earth County Historical Society - Documentary produced by True Facade Pictures and Minnesota State University’s Kessel Peace Institute recounts Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, his visit to Mankato in 1961, and his legacy in Mankato and beyond. Learn more »
Event Series: Museums Host February Series with Hmong Cultural Center
Learn about Hmong history and culture in Minnesota during a free February event series, “Exploring History and Culture in Central Minnesota – Hmong Cultural Center.” Hosted online each Saturday in February, this is a partnership project of the Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, and Stearns county historical societies. The series seeks to create greater understanding and awareness of cultures that have been and still are part of central Minnesota and its history.
This year’s programming comes from the Hmong Cultural Center (HCC) in St. Paul, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and nourishing Hmong culture and to enhancing cross-cultural awareness. The programs will be presented by HCC’s director of programs, Dr. Mark Pfeifer, and executive director, Txongpao Lee. A traveling exhibit from Hmong Cultural Center Museum will be available for public viewing at each site on a revolving basis for two weeks in February. Cost: Free. Learn more & Register »
Highlighted Museum: Mantorville Log House, operated by the Mantorville Restoration Association, Mantorville MN.
Photograph by Jonathunder, distributed under a GNU Free Documentation License.
Repairing & Restoring Old Windows
February 4 - Winona: 9 am to 1 pm. Rethos - A workshop that teaches homeowners and property owners about wood window restoration. The instructor will cover the removal of the window sash, removing old glazing and glass, replacing sash cord, and then putting it all back together. General admission is $5 to $25. Learn more »
Fundamentals of Nonprofit Finance
February 7 - Online: 9 am to 12 pm (CT). Propel Nonprofits - This training is designed to make you more comfortable with nonprofit finance. Walk through nonprofit financial reports including the statement of activities (income statement) and statement of financial position (balance sheet). Cost: $75. Learn more »
Practical Leadership 2.0: Building Engaged Teams
February 8 - Online: 10 am to 12 pm (CT). This workshop helps team leaders develop shared leadership among team members and provides concrete tools for improving collaboration between team members. This is a six-hour virtual training spread over three two-hour sessions, February 8, 15, & 22. Cost: $129 members/$169 nonmembers. Learn more »
Association of African American Museums Award Nominations
February 15 - (deadline): Association of African American Museums Nominations are open for its 2023 Awards. Help recognize the outstanding work of current and emerging museum professionals by nominating your colleagues for one of several awards. Award Recipients will be notified of their selection no later than June 15, 2023 and special recognition conferred during the 2023 Awards Luncheon on Friday of the conference at the host hotel. Learn more »
Call for Proposals for Organization of American Historians Conference
March 1 - (deadline): Organization of American Historians - Call for proposals for their annual meeting, “Public Dialogue, Relevance, & Change: Being in Service to Communities and the Nation,” in New Orleans, LA, April 11-14, 2024, and online April 25-May 16, 2024. Learn more »
Call for Proposals for Association of African American Museums Conference
March 13 - (deadline): Association of African American Museums - Call for proposals for their annual conference, “Museums, Music, and Movements,” in Nashville, TN, July 26-28, 2023. Learn more »
Additional Educational Opportunities »
Landmarks of American History and Culture Grants
February 1 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - Grants that support a series of one-week workshops for K-12 educators across the nation to enhance and strengthen humanities teaching. Learn more »
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors
March 1 - (Deadline): National Trust for Historic Preservation - Grants that assist in the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of historic interiors. Learn more »
Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation
March 1 - (Deadline): National Trust for Historic Preservation - Grants for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Learn more »
Tell History through Interpretive Dance Perhaps?
June 12 - (Deadline): The National Dance Project, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, supports the creation and U.S. touring of new dance projects. Learn more »
Program Funds Arts for Underserved Communities
May 16 - (Deadline): The Challenge America program offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to populations that are underserved. Learn more »
Cultural and Community Resilience Grants Program
May 16 - (deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - This grant program supports community-based efforts to mitigate climate change and COVID-19 pandemic impacts, safeguard cultural resources, and foster cultural resilience through identifying, documenting, and/or collecting cultural heritage and community experience. Learn more »
Quilt exhibits are popular during the cold months of January and February as these displays can attest to. Left: Visitors at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery view quilts from the Community Quilt Project where the public participated in several community events around the Twin Cities and designed their own quilt squares to amplify their messages reflecting the themes of Black History. The individual squares were then collected and sewn together to create beautiful and unique quilts. Right: Staff were busy hanging quilts and getting ready for Stearns History Museum's Crazy Quilt Exhibit to display some of the craziest quilts in Stearns County.
The program sunset in June 2022, and this past week Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan’s budget reinstates the historic tax credit, recognizing the program’s impact on revitalizing commercial corridors, increasing housing, and preserving the historic fabric of our communities.
The Minnesota Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit was established to stimulate job growth and revitalize communities throughout the state. It provides a tax credit of up to 20 percent of qualifying expenses for historic properties that also qualify for a similar federal historic tax credit.
In 2022, $35.4 million in credits were approved and for each dollar of credit invested nearly $10 is generated in economic activity. The new jobs provide an estimated $95.9 million in labor income, both in direct employment and in jobs provided by subcontractors and suppliers.
Since the credit went into effect in FY 2011, 175 projects have been approved, generating $5.9 billion in economic activity - including $2.2 billion dollars of labor income - and supporting 29,570 jobs for the state.
The latest economic impact report can be found on the State Historic Preservation Office’s website »
Todd Lindahl from Two Harbors was awarded the Hill Lewis Award by the Minnesota Archaeological Society at the Northern Lakes Archaeological Society in Duluth. The award is given annually to an avocational archaeologist who has made significant contributions to Minnesota Archaeology. After the award Todd gave a presentation on copper, silver and gold mining on the north shore. Learn more »
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Featured BookThe Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives by David Mura. University of Minnesota Press. Book Launch Event |
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Minnesota History Organizations Directory• County, Chapters, and Local |
Minnesota Main Streets |
Preservation Specialists Directory |
From the Heritage Preservation Department
Reminder: Due to COVID-19 all Heritage Preservation Department staff (Grants Office and Local History Services) are working remotely until further notice. If you need to connect with a specific staff member, please email them directly.
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