Sara Hanson, Executive Director for the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, gave a virtual milestone presentation on their 3D Object Collection Inventory grant project to Heritage Preservation, Planning, and Outreach staff. When finished the project will complete a 100% inventory of the approximately 6,000 objects in their 3D collection which is currently housed in four separate locations.
State Capital Projects Grants-in-Aid
Work proposed and completed using the grant funds must meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
More detailed information can be found here, including a link to the grant manual. The deadline for required pre-applications is Friday, January 26, and the final application deadline is Friday, March 8. Learn more »
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) who 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#
Small Grant Deadline
The next small grant deadline (requests of $10,000 or less) for the MHCHG program is Friday, January 12, 2024.
This week's blog post is from Chaska Historical Society. Have a blog? Let us know!
Gehl's Meat Market
Gehl's Market was founded by Charles Gehl in the late 1880s. Turkeys were their specialty, but the family farm in San Francisco Township supplied other livestock. The farmstead is now part of the Carver Rapids Unit in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Gehl’s regular ”Guess the Animal’s Weight” contests brought in much additional business. On one occasion, Al Engelhardt won a live pig by guessing its actual weight of 194 pounds and 8 ounces! The original meat market was a wood frame butcher shop that was destroyed by fire in 1900. The replacement brick structure had the butcher shop on the first floor and the living quarters for the Gehl family on the second. Continue Reading »
This week's post is from the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. Have a video channel or podcast? Let us know!
Minnesota Statewide Historic Inventory Portal (MnSHIP) Help Videos - Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office
MnSHIP is an online tool providing direct access to information related to more than 100,000 above-ground resources throughout the state, specifically data related to above-ground properties such as buildings, structures, landscapes, and linear resources. MnSHIP will allow users to utilize search tools and interactive maps to locate SHPO historic inventory data and view scanned records related to inventoried properties.
Access is free and available to all registered users. Users will have different levels of access for the public, including federal and state agency partners, and credentialed users. For credentialed users, which typically include professional historians, architectural historians, and archaeologists, the application allows for more in-depth research, exportation of tabular historic inventory data, and the ability to enter new historic inventory data directly into the system. Go to playlist »
A list of available MnSHIP help videos:
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 Minnesota Streetcar Museum, Minneapolis, MN.
Submit your history organization's news and events to localhistorynews@mnhs.org.
Event - Once Upon a Mansion
Now through January 8 - Minneapolis: American Swedish Institute - Step into a winter wonderland unlike any other as the enchanting Turnblad Mansion undergoes a magical transformation. Myths, magic and traditions of the holidays collide in an all-ages exhibition throughout the Mansion where stories, folk, and fairytales come alive, and surprises wait around every corner. Immerse yourself in experiences co-created by local community contributors representing Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and the Sami Cultural Center. Learn more »
Event - 11th Annual Indoor Christmas Tree Walk
Now through December 30 - Marshall: Lyon County Museum - View decorated trees by area families, businesses, non-profit organizations, and service organizations and vote for your favorites. Learn more »
Event: Holidays on Nicollet
Now through January 5 - Minneapolis: U of M Libraries - As part of the Minneapolis downtown council’s “Holidays on Nicollet,” 10 artists have transformed 10 downtown window storefronts into holiday displays using figurines from the old Dayton’s 8th floor. Darren Terpstra, an artist and the Libraries Exhibit Designer, is one of the 10, and he also used materials from the University Libraries’ Performing Arts Archives to create four historic displays—all located in the Dayton’s skyway. Edwards was a costumer at the Guthrie Theater for many years, who in 1991 began creating the costumes for the animatronic characters in the Dayton’s Holiday Display. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Presentation - Race, Justice, and the Immigrant Story of the Iron Range
November 29 @ 6 pm - Grand Rapids: Minnesota North College - At one time, the population of the Iron Range was the most ethnically diverse in Minnesota. Author, Columnist, and College Instructor Aaron J. Brown will discuss the challenges endured by Minnesota’s earliest immigrants including the development of local chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. Location: Itasca Campus in Chucker Auditorium (in Davies Hall). Cost: No cost. Learn more »
Defying the Silence: A Chronicle of Resilience that Saved the World-Renowned Minnesota Orchestra
November 30 @ 7 pm (CT) - Online: Ramsey County Historical Society - In this extraordinary example of how to unionize in the arts, Julie Ayer reveals how some of the world’s finest musicians went from sitting in the Minnesota Orchestra to standing in the picket line . . . and how their city rallied around them. A powerful depiction of a defining moment in Minnesota music, Defying the Silence shares how the Minnesota Orchestra went from a sixteen-month struggle to winning hard-fought contract negotiations–and even winner of Gramophone 2021 Orchestra of the Year. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Author Reading: Museum Open House
December 2 @ 1 to 4 pm - Glenwood: Pope County Museum - Local Author and retired Minnewaska Kindergarten teacher Debbie Hoven will read her book “Light Up the Year” and talk about the process of self-publishing. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Event - Christmas at the Hubbard House
December 2 @ 3 pm & December 3 @ 4 pm - Mankato: Blue Earth County Historical Society - Celebrate Christmas at the Historic R.D. Hubbard House. Enjoy a lively cast of characters in this entertaining self-guided experience as you join the Hubbard Family’s Christmas and help solve the mystery of a missing mitten in a home adorned in Victorian Christmas décor, with a special display of mittens, gloves, and muffs. Cost: $7 members/$10 nonmembers. Learn more »
Presentation - Two Churches Grew in Adjacent Villages: Linden Hills Congregational and Edina Morningside Community
December 2 @ 10 am - Edina: Linden Hills History Study Group - Church Streetcars linked Linden Hills and Morningside, helping them grow into residential communities. Linden Hills Congregational was organized in 1902, and in 1909 Morningside formed its own church. Morningside, a streetcar suburb, self-governed for forty-six years after gaining independence from Edina in 1920. Two architects designed Morningside Church, which is now shared by the recently united congregations. Hear the colorful story in their historic sanctuary. Location: Edina Morningside Community Church. Cost: Free members/$5 nonmembers. Learn more »
Class - Love gingerbread? Dream of building your own home or designing a structure? Then this class is for you!
December 2 @ 11 am to 12 pm - Sauk Rapids: Rethos - Learn the basics of building construction and architectural design at this all-ages, family-friendly workshop taught by Eric Cheever, the fun-loving Director of Exhibits & Curatorial at the Stearns History Museum. Location: Robinson-Stanton House, new home of the Benton County Historical Society. Cost: $15. Learn more »
Museum Spins Major League Dreidel Day
December 2 @ 10 am to 2 pm - Fergus Falls: Otter Tail County Historical Museum - Do you have what it takes to play major league dreidel? Need to practice your spinning skills before Hanukkah starts? It’s time for the 2nd Annual Dreidel Day. The first 25 people to show up will receive their own regulation dreidel. Find out more about this ancient game. At 1 pm, Education Coordinator Missy Hermes presents "Holiday Traditions in the Period Rooms," a program from the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum. Christmas, Hanukkah, Dia de los Reyes, Lunar New Year and Yalda are all featured. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Our Lives, Our Books: A Short History of LGBTQ Publishing
December 2 @ 2 to 4 pm - Minneapolis: Quatrefoil Library - Enjoy a discussion with queer writer, editor, and publisher Catherine Lundoff on the history of LGBTQ+ publishing in the US, using examples from Quatrefoil’s collection. The publishing process itself is often one that takes a back seat to the writing and the creative portion of making a book, but it is important in and of itself. Event includes a discussion and live Q&A. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Presentation - Saving Your Stuff: How to Care for Art, Heirlooms, and Personal Collections
December 6 @ 7 pm (CT) - Stillwater & Online: Washington County Heritage Center - Heirlooms are often the most valued items in a family’s collection for nostalgic value as well as monetary value, but caring for them can be intimidating. Minnesota Historical Society Outreach Conservator Megan Brakob Narvey is here to help. Using the right tools and providing the correct storage is critical to keeping your treasures in pristine condition for yourself and for the next generation. Brakob Narvey will teach attendees about the “ten agents of deterioration” and how to preserve and protect the things you value. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Event - LGBTQIA+ Midwest History Trivia Night
December 6 @ 6:30 to 8:30 pm - St. Paul: Telling Queer History - Bring your love of LGBTQIA+ history and your friends, and play trivia. Whether you're a bonafide queer history nerd or you don't know any LGBTQIA+ history, you are welcome to attend this all-levels event. Enjoy a fun, educational, and engaging approach to sharing history with you. Location: United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Learn more »
Event - Haunted Holiday Escape Room
December 7, 14, & 21 @ 4 to 8 pm - St. Cloud: Stearns History Museum - This year's theme is Haunted Holiday. It is midwinter 1883 and you are cordially invited to the Smith homestead in Lynden to celebrate the season. However, when you arrive, the house is empty. Or is it? Someone, or something, is lurking inside and has been awaiting your arrival. Perhaps for longer than you think. What does this spirit want? Can you help them with their unfinished business? If you don’t, you may be spending more than the holiday season on this haunted homestead... Cost: $15 members/$20 nonmembers. Learn more »
Event: St. Nikolaustag on the Farm
December 9 @ 12 to 5 pm - Maplewood: Maplewood Area Historical Society - Celebrate the season & learn about the history of German holiday traditions. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Exhibit: Artwork of Rabbett Strickland
Featured Artist Rabbett ‘Before Horses’ Strickland is an Anishinaabe member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of northern Wisconsin. Rabbett’s paintings each tell an individual story of Nanabozhoo that take the viewer to new and unexpected realms of personal relevance and universally meaningful content. Rabbett's paintings introduce viewers to Nanabozhoo, who first appeared to the artist in his dreams. Nanabozhoo is a complex character from Ojibwe mythology, both of the Earth and a creator of all things and creatures on Earth. Learn more »
Highlighted Museum: Pequot Lakes Area Historical Society Museum, Pequot Lakes, MN.
Photograph by McGhiever, distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 license.
Intermediate Grantwriting
November 30 @ 9 am to 12 pm (CT) - Online: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits - Apply hands-on skills to develop grant content, analyze grant applications, and recognize successful grant-writing strategies. Cost: $89 members/$129 nonmembers. Learn more »
What Board Members and Executive Leadership Need to Know About Technology Risk
November 30 @1 to 3 pm (CT) - Online: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits - As a board member or chief executive, you have a responsibility to know the risks a nonprofit organization is taking and protect it from harm. Do you know how vulnerable your organization is to data breaches or regulatory noncompliance? Do you have a shared understanding of risk tolerance? Become familiar with five facets of technology risk; Learn a simple framework for assessing risk by likelihood and tolerance; Compare three approaches to undertaking a risk assessment with your organization. Cost: $45 members/$65 nonmembers. Learn more »
Fundamentals of Nonprofit Finance
December 5 @ 9 am to 12 pm (CT) - Online: 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 »
Introduction to Zotero
December 5 @ 3 to 3:50 pm (CT) - Online: Learn how to use Zotero to create your own database of citations, PDFs, images, webpages, video and audio files and more. Zotero can then be used to create citations in a large number of citation styles which can be added to Google Docs, Microsoft Word and Libre Office. While designed for students the presentation is open to the general public. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Queering Digital Preservation
December 6 @ 11 am (CT) - Online: Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts - Applying a queer studies approach to preservation, Richard Rinehart, Director of the Samek Art Museum at Bucknell University asks how we can shift our own institutional practices and policies in museums, libraries, archives and galleries? This practice involves not only collecting digital artifacts by queer makers, but queering our own practices of digital preservation. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Introduction to the History Leadership Institute
December 11 @ 2 to 3 pm (CT) - Online: The History Leadership Institute (formerly “Developing History Leaders @SHA” and the “Seminar For Historical Administration”) is the best professional development opportunity for mid- and advanced-career professionals at history organizations of all types and sizes. Since 1959, HLI has provided people at all management levels tools, ideas, and connections to enhance their ability to lead institutions and the field. Attended this free informational webinar about HLI, how to apply, and how this program can inspire and empower the next generations of history leaders. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Panel Discussion: Models for Deconstruction Education
December 11 @ 2 pm (CT) - Online: Rethos - Join Rethos' Education Manager Emily Noyes, along with deconstruction thought leaders Aina Gutierrez, Executive Director at Rebuilding Exchange, and Stephanie Phillips, Deconstruction & Circular Economy Program Manager at City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation for a free panel discussion on Models for Deconstruction Education. Find out what's current and what's next in this growing industry. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Get Your Board to Help You Fundraise
December 12 @ 2 pm (CT) - Online: Firespring - Learn in this fundraising webinar to: Assess your board’s fundraising personality; Motivate your board members to fundraise; Set goals and kick off campaigns; Create individual plans they’ll rock; Track without nagging; Use goal attainment as board engagement. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Strategies for Oversized Collections
December 12 @ 1 to 2:30 pm (CT) - Online: Northeast Document Conservation Center - This webinar instructs participants on good practices for caring for oversized materials in their collections, including those made of paper (e.g. posters, maps, large books, architectural plans) and textiles (e.g. flags, quilts). Storage and handling methods will be covered in detail. Participants will gain a solid understanding of how to protect oversized collections and will receive a decision-making tree and a bibliography. Cost: $70. Learn more »
Revealing Your Family's Location: Genealogy through City Directories
December 18 @ 5 pm (CT) - Online: Backlog Archivists and Historians - Join genealogy expert Jennifer Rigsby as we diverge from the standard name lookup to explore businesses and organizations. You, too, can learn multiple ways to use city directories through real-life examples from St. Louis. Expand your genealogy strategies. Cost: Free. Learn more »
Additional Educational Opportunities »
December 11 - (Deadline): Minnesota Humanities Center - $12 million in grant opportunities are for individuals, programs, organizations, and children’s museums. Learn more »
Pomeroy Foundation
December 15 - (Deadline): The Pomeroy Foundation is interested in a wide range of initiatives that help communities across the country celebrate their history and cultural heritage; however, preference in 2023 will be given to projects that promote awareness of the Pomeroy Foundation’s signature historical marker programs. This is especially true for requests for Special Interest Grants of $10,000 or more. Requests for Special Interest Grants under $10,000 will be considered for the aforementioned purposes but also for technology and computer security upgrades, digitization of materials that stabilize collections and increase public access. Learn more »
Society for the History in the Federal Government 2024 Awards
December 15 - (Deadline): Society for the History in the Federal Government - Each year the Society awards six prizes for various types of historical publications and efforts furthering the understanding and history of the federal government and three prizes to recognize service to the profession not necessarily associated with publication, historic preservation, or public interpretive display. Learn more »
Awards from the Small Museum Association
December 31 - (Deadline): Small Museum Association - Do you know someone who's made a significant impact on small museums? Nominate them for the Hunter-Burley or Small Museum Association Award and let their dedication shine. The Hunter-Burley Award - Recognizing outstanding contributions to public access and professional growth in individual institutions. The Small Museum Association Award - Celebrating exceptional contributions to funding, professional growth, and accessibility in the small museum community. These awards highlight those who drive progress, access, and growth in the museum world. Together, we can celebrate and elevate the contributions of our colleagues. Nominate a deserving colleague and help us honor their hard work. Learn more »
Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
January 11, 2024 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - This grant program helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting sustainable conservation measures that mitigate deterioration, prolong the useful life of collections, and support institutional resilience: the ability to anticipate and respond to disasters resulting from natural or human activity. Learn more »
Digital Humanities Advancement Grants
January 11, 2024 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - The Digital Humanities Advancement Grants program (DHAG) 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 »
Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions
January 11, 2024 - (Deadline): National Endowment for the Humanities - These grants help small and mid-sized institutions — such as libraries, museums, historical societies, archival repositories, cultural organizations, town and county records offices, and colleges and universities — improve their ability to preserve and care for their significant humanities collections. Learn more »
Operating Support Grant Program
January 19, 2024 - (Deadline): Minnesota State Arts Board - Operating Support provides general support to high-quality, established arts organizations that produce, present, or exhibit works of art; to organizations that provide a broad range of services to practicing artists; and to community arts schools and conservatories that make arts learning available to Minnesotans of all ages and abilities. The Operating Support program recognizes that organizations with an established record of programmatic service and administrative stability should have access to funds to support their organizational goals and objectives, and to maintain their ongoing programs, services, and facilities without special emphasis on new initiatives as justification for funding. Learn more »
Information Session
December 12 @ 12 to 1 pm (CT) - Online: The Arts Board will host a free, virtual information session for potential applicants. First-time applicants, or those new to roles applying for support, will find this session particularly valuable. Attendees can expect to leave with a better understanding of eligibility requirements, full versus interim applications, review criteria, and required financial information. There will be time for attendees to ask questions in a live Q&A at the end of the session. Learn more »
Nominations for the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award
March 1, 2024 - (Deadline): American Library Association - This award honors notable contributions to intellectual freedom and demonstrations of personal courage in defense of freedom of expression by a living individual, group, or organization. The award consists of a citation and $500. The award is sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table of the American Library Association (ALA). Learn more »
Author James Vukelich Kaagebaabaw learning to live the good life through Ojibwe language and tradition
West Central Tribune — Each and every one of us is connected to our family past and future through an unbroken chain, and our actions have consequences that reverberate up and down that chain for generations to come. This interconnectivity, that we are all intrinsically linked together, forms the foundation of James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw's philosophy of 'mino-bimaadiziwin' or living the good life. "How can I live in a way that brings peace and balance to my relatives? How can I be kind to someone I know is coming seven generations from now," Vukelich Kaagegaabaw asked during his talk at the Dassel History Center on Oct. 24. "How can I live a holistic life, where my words (are aligned) with my actions?" Continue Reading »
Park Rapids-grown author turns family history into crime novel
Park Rapids Enterprise — ...Author Will Weaver shared readings from his latest novel, "Power and Light," with a hometown crowd at the Hubbard County Historical Society meeting Monday, Oct. 30, at Northwoods Bank in Park Rapids. “‘Power and Light’ is a story of family above all,” said Weaver, “family bonds and justice, or in this case, lack of justice for this particular family. It’s set up in northeastern North Dakota and into the Red River Valley. That’s my mother’s side of the family... Continue reading »
Boxes in Forest Lake drugstore attic contain treasure trove of history
Pioneer Press - Dana Stachowski and Shelley Trimble reached into a banker’s box at Rolseth Drug in downtown Forest Lake last week and pulled out a yellowed sheaf of paper that looked as if it hadn’t been touched since the 19th century. Continue reading »
Does your home have a segregation stipulation?
Rochester Post Bulletin — What do the Rochester Community Baptist Church in Southeast Rochester and Starbucks Coffee on South Broadway have in common? Both properties’ deeds carry legal stipulations barring nonwhite people from owning the lot on which they sit. Continue reading »
Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee pronounces 2023 celebration an ‘energetic success'
KYMN Radio — Last night during the Northfield City Council meeting, Galen Malecha and Rebecca Peterson of the Defeat of Jesse James Days Organizing Committee gave the council an overview and recap of the 2023 celebration, summing it up as an energetic experience. The celebration this year was, of course, the 75th Defeat of Jesse James Days, and Peterson and Malecha’s presentation focused on the things that made this year unique. Continue reading »
Anniversary greetings with a side of hard tack
Hutchinson Leader — While most organizations celebrate their anniversaries in 25-year increments, the Grand Army of the Republic Hall in Litchfield is breaking with this tradition. Continue Reading »
That time Rosalynn Carter visited EP
Eden Prairie Local News — ...Today, while one might think of Eden Prairie’s history as being all about the residents and trends that shaped the community, even short-but-notable occasions like Carter’s visit are history, said Kathie Case, president of the Eden Prairie Historical Society... Continue reading »
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Featured BookThe History of Big Island, Lake Minnetonka by Paul Maravelas. Minnetonka Press. Book Launch Party |
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Minnesota History Organizations Directory• County, Chapters, and Local |
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