The schooner-barge, Madeira, sank off the coast of Minnesota in Lake Superior on November 28, 1905. The GLSPS created an interpretive display to tell the story of this significant wreck that prompted the construction of the Split Rock Lighthouse in 1910. The bollards and attached deck section were salvaged from the wreck and were cleaned and repaired by volunteers to be used in the display. A durable concrete base was constructed, the artifacts moved into place and secured, and interpretive signage (appropriate to the park) was fabricated and installed.
To restore the front steps and add handicap accessibility to St. John's Episcopal Church, listed in the National Register of Historic Places and current home of the Dodge County Historical Society
Vermilion Community College Library added 73 volumes and 33 titles to their collection.
The library is working on building a collection covering all eras of Minnesota history, as well as the geographic and ethnic distribution of Minnesota's population to support the outside reading required in Minnesota History.
Twelve oral histories, discussing the history of psychiatry in Minnesota, were recorded in the late 1970's on audiotape. To preserve them, they were digitized, transcribed and archived along with 2 other oral histories taken in 1996. Forty years later twenty-three more interviews of senior MN psychiatric leaders were conducted, digitized and transcribed. These additional oral histories were added to the archive. A full set of the transcripts will be catalogued into the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society.
Partner Organization: Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (AMPERS)
This partnership project with AMPERS, a network of Independent Public Radio stations across Minnesota, has created a series of 130 radio mini-features, 90 seconds in length.
Each episode of MN90 educates listeners about Minnesota history and links an important aspect of our past to current news, events and daily life in an entertaining and informative way.
The Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency (MVNA) has revised and expanded their history book, first printed in 2002 to honor the organization's centennial, for a second printing. The revision includes historic photographs, excerpts from sixteen oral histories and updated information on the organziation's continuing efforts. The book, titled Caring For The Community Since 1902, was printed in January of 2011 and is being distributed, at no cost, to donors and potential donors, government officials and other decision-makers to raise awareness about the MVNA and it's continuing work.
To offer arts and educational opportunities for youth and seniors of Norman County. The Norman County Fair will offer several interactive arts and educational workshops including tie dying, a singing and dancing event called “Penny and Pals,” and a glass blowing demonstration. The fair will also feature a folk band and a draft horse exhibition.
To provide needed repairs to a historical building, the Old Church, on the Anoka County fairgrounds. Over 100 years old, the Old Church is also home to the Anoka County Arts Alliance during the week of the fair. The mission of the Anoka County Arts Alliance is to identify, provide support for, and promote the activities of the Anoka County arts community.
To provide educational opportunities for fair visitors to learn about the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in southern Minnesota. Between 1933 and 1939, the Olmsted County Fairgrounds was home to the regional headquarters of the CCC company 1774-V. The fair will create two exhibits documenting the living conditions of CCC and WPA workers, and the long-term impact of both programs.
To increase the availability of resources about Minnesota in the Civil War, the Washington County Library combined Legacy Funds to purchase 170 copies of three featured titles that cover the topic.
Twenty copies of the children's selection B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet, 50 copies of the student selection Soldier's Heart: A Novel of the Civil War and 100 copies of the adult selection Pale Horse at Plum Run: The First Minnesota at Gettysburg were added to the library's collection.
In 2010, the Minnesota Historical Society researched the development of an Online Fur Trade Interactive Learning Experience as a supplement to the Northern Lights history textbook.
This web-based application, geared toward middle school students, will not only offer a glimpse of Minnesota's history, but also provides a lesson about the foundation of today's complex global economy.
With the help of Arts and Cultural Heritage funds, the Minnesota Historical Society is the first institution of its kind to fully digitize its entire oral history collection. This project promotes the discovery and use of the Minnesota Historical Society's oral history collection by digitizing 2,000 hours of recorded audio and making more existing oral histories available to the public on the "Becoming Minnesotan" website, education.mnhs.org/immigration. This collection represents a rich and unique source of history through the experiences of Minnesotans in their own words.
A comprehensive overhaul and expansion of the existing outdoor tour system at the Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum was competed by contractors, volunteers and Museum staff. The overhaul involved outdoor tour map re-creation, kiosk guide improvement, script re-writes and audio track replacement. Two new kiosks and an outdoor display of the 1898 School cornerstone and capstone were also installed.
To bring arts and cultural heritage programming to the Kittson County Fair, and purchase a sound system to enhance the new programs. A lumberjack show will highlight the history of logging in Minnesota, and a bluegrass band will expose fair attendees to a genre of music inspired by the music of Appalachia.
To increase awareness of and promote local Native American history. Over two days, events will include: peacepipe carving demonstration by the members of The Keepers of the Sacred Tradition of Pipemakers, an interactive display that allows the public to carve pipestone, Native American dance demonstrations by six members of The Keepers of the Sacred Tradition of Pipemakers and Pipestone Indian Shrine, and a Native American dance costume display.
To meet the expectations of the legislature and the people of Minnesota, an evaluation coordinator is measuring the outcomes and value of programs, projects and partnerships supported by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF) through the Minnesota Historical Society. In October 2010, the Society worked with Wilder Research to improve the Society's ability to evaluate its ACHF projects and programs.
A detailed Historic Structures Report was prepared that will guide future restoration of the Reads Landing School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building houses the Wabasha County Historical Society Museum. Three consultants with historic heritage, design and architectural expertise were hired to work with the WCHS Board to analyze the condition of the building and propose solutions for both building rehabilitation and programming..
Two storms in July/August of 2010 caused the east wall and gable ends of the historic Peterson North Barn to collapse. The barn was stabilized in October of 2010. The owner and the Friends of the Peterson Barn were advised to quicky develop a phased plan for reconstruction to prevent further damage. A qualified historical architect was hired to undertake the planning and design work with the ultimate goal of restoring the building to it's original appearance.
To increase Redwood County Fair's capacity to feature diverse arts and cultural heritage performances by expanding a current stage. The stage enhancement will allow room for multiple artists to perform at once, and will offer the audience a better sight-line for performances. Funds will also be used to hire a writer to publish pieces in local newspapers, the fair website, and facebook, to inform the public of the competitive and historical nature of the open class exhibits at the fair.
To provide a variety of programming at the Winona County Fair that preserves and promotes Minnesota's history and cultural heritage. Art demonstrations will feature painting, watercolor, drawing, oils, spinning, weaving, and quilting. Visitors will be able to view antique tractors and learn about their history and restoration process. Children can watch a marionette show and learn about ventriloquism. The fair will feature a bluegrass band and a dog sledding display.
To rehabilitate the original horse racing judges’ stand. The stand is the last relic of the 143 year old fair grounds and dates back to the late 1800’s. The stand is comprised of a first story entry and refreshment area, and an upper section for judging the races. It’s 360 degree observation of the track was made possible by its hexagon shape and large doors that could be lifted when needed on each side. This is the first stage of the multi-year restoration of this prized building and is an important part of the plan to initiate a daily educational program at the fair.
To improve the lighting in the arts area that features textiles, photography, culinary, gardening and hobbies exhibits, and the antique automobiles display area. Funds will also be used to hire a strolling performer during the fair.
The Chippewa Falls Townhall has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979 as part of the Terrace Mill Historic District.
Storm damage accelerated the need for repairs to the more deteriorated areas of the building. Four areas were identified for this repair project. Roof shingles were replaced, the bell tower was restored, cornice returns were reconstructed and window frames and sashes were repaired, reglued and repainted. These maintainance measures are estimated to provide the building with protection from the elements for the next twenty years.
Partner Organizations: Fond du Lac College, Carlton County Historical Society.
More than 130 Ojibwe tribal leaders were interviewed for the award-winning Waasa Inaabida television documentary series, about the second largest tribe in North America, the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe nation of the upper Great Lakes region.
National Register of Historic Places nomination preparation and a management plan for the 47-acre Two Points property on Ottertail Peninsula, Leech Lake. Included is a spatial analysis of physical artifacts, researching documentation of the site, creating and annotating maps, taking photos and completing the nomination form with attachments and bibliography.
As a pilot project for the grantee, Maritime Heritage Minnesota (MHS) the goal was to digitalize 6-10 of the 62 known log books of the USS Essex log books held at the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.
After twelve days not only did they digital the entirety of the 62 log books but they were able to digitalize a private journal of a USS Essex sailor as well as a hand written journal of a sailor who served on her maiden voyage within the time allotted for the project (101 hours). In total 21,499 images were produced.
A history of the college was written in preparation for the 2013 observance of it's Centennial Anniversary. The history examines the context of women's higher education in America as perceived by the College of St. Benedict alumnae. Information gathering included oral history interviews that were conducted with twenty nine alumnae exploring their experiences and perceptions of what college taught them. Two assistants were hired to conduct the interviews. Because of scheduling conflicts, the project director shared this work.
Hundreds of Minnesota women served on the French Front during World War I as volunteers for organizations such as the Red Cross. Their stories are often overlooked by history. The grand niece of Alice O'Brien, daughter of William O'Brien, has researched and developed a manuscript that combines chapters about Alice's life before and after the war with her letters home from the front during her service in France. The story is a personalized telling of what women volunteers experienced as Canteeners for the Red Cross. A copy of the manuscript was given to the Minnesota Historical Society.
