In FYs 14 and 15, MNHS staff reviewed thousands of Native American items and records resulting in the identification of nearly 500 objects as culturally sensitive. This material will require a higher standard of research, care and preservation. In addition, MNHS staff visited elders and professional staff at two tribal communities in the state explicitly to discuss culturally sensitive material. In FY 15, MNHS received a formal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act claim to repatriate approximately 36 items.
To hire a qualified historian to write an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing the Stickney Building in the National Register of Historic Places.
Archival storage boxes were purchased to re-house and properly store the city's historic collections located in the Kremer House Museum and Library. Steel storage shelves were purchased to house the boxes of photographs, newspapers and non-clothing items that are stored in the attic. Many volunteers assisted with the cleaning, organizing, boxing and labeling of items. The collections are now more accessible, including long forgotten and newly rediscovered items now available for use and/or reference as a result of this re-organization.
Partner Organizations: Anoka County Historical Society, Hennepin History Museum.
Suburbanization has reached nearly all corners of Hennepin and Anoka Counties. The two counties are bound together by the state's largest school district: Anoka-Hennepin. Working together, the Anoka and Hennepin County Historical Societies are gathering resources located in numerous repositories so that they, and future historians, will have a logical starting place from which to draw information about the suburbanization of Anoka and Hennepin counties.
To repoint masonry and restore first floor façade and architectural details on the Stranger's Refuge Lodge #74 IOOF, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, to be reused as the public library.
To hire qualified professionals to conduct a structural engineering assessment for the Fairmont Opera House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
To hire a qualified engineer to conduct a structural assessment of the 1917 Danebod Folk School Brick Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
To hire a qualified consultant to develop a structural study that will help preserve the Scriver Building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
To hire a qualified engineer to conduct a structural assessment of the 1887 Alano Society of Minneapolis Clubhouse (John Washburn House), listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
In the design phase, this new 5,000-square-foot exhibition will focus on the history of the explosive growth of the Twin Cities suburbs, particularly in the years after WW II, and the aspirations driving the suburban dream. This exhibit will open October 10, 2015, and run through March 20, 2016.
This 5,000-square-foot exhibit opened Oct. 14, 2015, and tells the story of the population exodus from the central cities to the developing Twin Cities suburbs
To hire a qualified historian to complete an evaluation to determine eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for the Le Sueur Theatre.
Twenty high school students from diverse backgrounds participated in a college-readiness program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Students learned high-level research and presentation skills while working with various collections in the Andersen Library. Students also learned how to apply for college, spent the night in a dorm room, participated in mock lectures with professors and other activities designed to increase their confidence and comfort level with campus life.
The Society sought out potential grant applicants, led grant-writing workshops, presented at 43 public meetings statewide and conducted onsite visits in approximately 40 communities.
This funding supports and ensures the success of the ACHF-funded Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants Program. The Society seeks out potential grant applicants, leads statewide grant-writing workshops and webinars, and helps applicants with technical information critical to submitting a successful grant application, as well as supporting recipients throughout the life of their projects.
The Minnesota Historical Society recognizes the natural relationship between sustainability and historic preservation and the importance of environmental stewardship as we preserve our cultural heritage for future generations. For this reason, the Society is studying its level of sustainability, including levels of energy consumption, water usage, waste and resource use.
MNHS continues to strive for environmental, economic and social sustainability in its sustainability program. To pinpoint opportunities for ongoing progress, the sustainability program will harmonize a broader range of institutional needs and objectives. The program will establish integrated, continuous, electronic reporting that unites environmental, social and economic risk analysis. This reporting will be used to further reduce our environmental impact and improve the sustainability of our operations as a whole.
The Minnesota Historical Society continues to strive for environmental, economic and social sustainability with its third year of the sustainability program. Continued focus is being placed on educating staff and visitors about sustainability through the project's "More for the Mission" campaign. Sustainability campaigns include a staff alternative commuting event and an upcoming staff stair campaign. The goal of these projects is to engage staff in the significance of sustainability in their daily lives.
MNHS continues to strive for environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the fifth year of its sustainability program. Staff and visitors are engaged with sustainability through the project's "More for the Mission" campaign. Recent energy-efficiency projects within our facilities have allowed us to achieve the five-year goal of 15 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
