Minnesota Historical Society

Minnesota Historical Society

'M' of the Minnesota Historical Society's Logo
Formation	1849 (1849)
Headquarters	Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Website	www.mnhs.org

The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota Constitution. It is headquartered in the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul.

Although its focus is on Minnesota history, it is not constrained by it. Its work on the North American fur trade has been recognized in Canada as well.

MNHS holds a collection of nearly 550,000 books, 37,000 maps, 250,000 photographs, 225,000 historical artifacts, 950,000 archaeological items, 38,000 cubic feet (1,100 m³) of manuscripts, 45,000 cubic feet (1,300 m³) of government records, 5,500 paintings, prints and drawings; and 1,300 moving image items.

Since 2011, MNopedia: The Minnesota Encyclopedia, has been an online "resource for reliable information about significant people, places, events, and things in Minnesota history." The work is funded through a Legacy Amendment Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund grant and administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. The Minnesota Historical Society Press (MNHS Press) publishes books on the history and culture of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest with the goal of advancing research, supporting education, and sharing diverse perspectives on Minnesota history. MNHS Press is the oldest publishing company in the state of Minnesota and the largest historical society press in the nation, with more than 500 books in print. MNHS Press also produces the quarterly magazine, Minnesota History (journal).

History

Sketch of Charles K. Smith, founder of the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society was established on October 20, 1849, as the fifth act of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature. The Society was established earlier than was common for historical societies in other states. As Territorial Governor, Alexander Ramsey recommended saving every newspaper published in the Minnesota Territory. Ramsey stated "the preservation by a community, of materials for the composition of its history, when a future time shall require it to be written, is a task not without its uses; and, when early commenced, easily accomplished." Charles K. Smith, the first Secretary of the Minnesota Territory, drew up the act and following the Society's charter, Smith and 18 other incorporators formally organized the Society on November 15, 1849.

Upon organization, the Society had no headquarters. The Society initially used the Territorial Secretary's office, hotel rooms, and store lofts. In 1855, the Society was granted a room in the Minnesota State Capitol. Enabled by an 1856 amendment to the Society's charter allowing the Society to own unlimited property, the Society began a capital campaign to fund the construction of its own building..

Daniel A. Robertson, former editor and proprietor of the Minnesota Democrat served as chairman of the building committee. Robertson raised $1,500 via the sale of sixty-two lifetime memberships to the Society in order to fund the acquisition of two lots to serve as the site of a building to house the society. On the expectation that fundraising would continue at a similar place, plans were made to begin a two-year building construction On June 24, 1856, the Society held a gala with invitations sent to scientific and literary guests from across the nation to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone of the building. The gala was reported in the Pioneer and Democrat as the "grandest gala day in the history of our city". Two weeks later, the building committee had exhausted their funds and passed a resolution to assess annual members five dollars in order to pay for the protection of the building foundation against winter frosts at the cost of $100. The society approved a search for an architect who could draft a structure that could be built for $15,000 or less. Following the protection of the foundation, work on the building ceased as the Panic of 1857 resulted in the impoverishment of many formerly wealthy Minnesotans.

The former Historical Society building seen from the roof of the State Capitol

The Society would continue to operate out of the Capitol until the Minnesota State Legislature appropriated $500,000 for the construction of a fireproof historical building via an act passed in 1913 and amended in 1915. The building was completed in 1917 and the Society finished the process of moving its collections on March 1, 1918. The building currently serves as the Minnesota Judicial Center. The Society moved to its current location, the Minnesota History Center, in 1992.

State historic sites

The Minnesota Historical Society operates 31 historic sites and museums, 26 of which are open to the public. MNHS manages 16 sites directly and 7 in partnerships where the society maintains the resources and provides funding. 6 sites are being held for preservation but are closed to public access, and five are self-guided sites with interpretive signage. Seven of the sites are National Historic Landmarks and 16 others are on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Seven sites lie within Minnesota state parks, and three are elements of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Site name	Image	Location	Era of features	Year added to MNHS	Management	Remarks
Alexander Ramsey House		St. Paul	1872–1964	1964	Direct	Home of Minnesota governor and U.S. Congressman Alexander Ramsey with original furnishings. NRHP
Birch Coulee Battlefield		Morton	September 2, 1862	1976	Self-guided	Site of the Battle of Birch Coulee, the deadliest battle for U.S. troops in the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP.
Charles Lindbergh House and Museum		Charles A. Lindbergh State Park	1906–1920	1969	Direct	House of U.S. Congressman Charles August Lindbergh and his son, aviator Charles Lindbergh. National Historic Landmark
Comstock House		Moorhead	1882	1964	Partnership	Restored home of U.S. Congressman and businessman Solomon Comstock with its original furnishings. NRHP
Folsom House		Taylors Falls	1854–1968	1968	Partnership	Restored home of businessman, politician, and historian W.H.C. Folsom with its original furnishings. NRHP contributing property
Forest History Center		Grand Rapids	1900–1934	1975	Direct	Recreated logging camp and exhibits on humankind's relationship with Minnesota's forests.
Fort Renville		Lac qui Parle State Park	1822–1846	1973	Preservation	Location of a fur trading post established by Joseph Renville.
Fort Ridgely		Fort Ridgely State Park	1853–1867	1969	Self-guided	Fort built to keep the peace around a Dakota reservation, but attacked twice during the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP
Grand Mound		International Falls	200 BCE–1400	1970	Preservation	Five burial mounds include the largest prehistoric structure remaining in the Upper Midwest, 25 feet (7.6 m) high and 100 feet (30 m) in diameter. National Historic Landmark
Harkin Store		New Ulm	1870–1901	1973	Direct	General store first built in the 1870s with much of the original inventory still on display. NRHP
Historic Forestville		Forestville Mystery Cave State Park	1853–1899	1978	Direct	The remains of the once-bustling 19th century town of Forestville, which became a ghost town after the railroad passed it by. NRHP
Historic Fort Snelling		Fort Snelling State Park	1820–1946	1969	Direct	Portions of the fort have been restored to their original frontier appearance, while later additions served as barracks for soldiers training during World War II. A National Historic Landmark and part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
James J. Hill House		St. Paul	1891–1921	1978	Direct	Mansion of railroad magnate James J. Hill. National Historic Landmark
Jeffers Petroglyphs		Jeffers	3000 BCE–1750	1966	Direct	Exposed rocks bear ancient Native American petroglyphs. NRHP
Lac qui Parle Mission		Montevideo	1835–1854	1973	Partnership	Reconstructed wooden church where missionaries worked to convert the Dakota. NRHP
Lower Sioux Agency		Lower Sioux Indian Reservation	1853–	1967	Partnership	Museum depicting the lives of Dakota people before and after the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP
Marine Mill		Marine on St. Croix	1839–1895	1972	Self Guided	Ruins of Minnesota's first commercial sawmill. NRHP
Mill City Museum		Minneapolis	1874–1965	2002	Direct	Museum of the flour milling industry that built Minneapolis, within the ruins of the Washburn "A" Mill, a National Historic Landmark. Part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Mille Lacs Indian Museum		Mille Lacs Indian Reservation	Prehistory–present	1959	Direct	Museum of the history and culture of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Minnehaha Depot		Minneapolis	1875–1963	1964	Partnership	Former train station near Minnehaha Falls with "gingerbread" Victorian architecture. Operated by the Minnesota Transportation Museum.
Minnesota History Center		St. Paul	Prehistory–present		Direct	Minnesota Historical Society's headquarters, with permanent exhibits about Minnesota, changing exhibits about national history, and a library.
Minnesota State Capitol		St. Paul	1905–present	1969	Direct	Tours and exhibits of the state's seat of government. NRHP
Morrison Mounds		Battle Lake	690 BCE	1968	Preservation	Includes the oldest burial mound in Minnesota. NRHP
Oliver Kelley Farm		Elk River	1850–1901	1961	Direct	Frontier farmstead of Oliver Hudson Kelley, one of the founders of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. National Historic Landmark
Sibley Historic Site		Mendota	1838–1910	1996	Partnership	Homes of Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota's first state governor, and fur trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault. NRHP and part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.
Snake River Fur Post		Pine City	1804	1965	Direct	Recreated North West Company trading post and Ojibwe encampment. NRHP
Split Rock Lighthouse		Split Rock Lighthouse State Park	1910–1969	1976	Direct	Clifftop lighthouse on Lake Superior restored to its 1920s appearance. National Historic Landmark
Stumne Mounds		Pine City		1968	Preservation	Group of linear burial mounds near the Snake River. NRHP
Traverse des Sioux		St. Peter	Prehistory–1869	1981	Self Guided	Site of a river ford, the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, and a former town. NRHP
Upper Sioux Agency		Upper Sioux Agency State Park	1854–1862	1969	Preservation	Location of a federal agency established to convert Dakotas to a Euro-American farming lifestyle, but destroyed in the Dakota War of 1862. NRHP
W.W. Mayo House		Le Sueur	1859–	1970	Partnership	Home built by William Worrall Mayo, founder of the Mayo Clinic, and later home of Carson Nesbit Cosgrove, founder of the Green Giant food company. NRHP

Document depositories

• "Journals (Minnesota history v1-4; Collections, Biennial reports, Annals etc) and other documents of the Minnesota Historical Society". Minnesota Historical Society / Internet Archive. Retrieved November 24, 2012.

These publications are described in more detail in an online format (without the downloadable document formats available above), at the MHC's own Digital History Books page.

See also

• List of historical societies in Minnesota

External links

• Minnesota Historical Society
• MNOpedia - A Minnesota Encyclopedia operated by the Minnesota Historical Society

This article incorporates text from MNopedia, which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.