Minnesota Historical Society

USING THE POWER OF HISTORY TO TRANSFORM LIVES THROUGH EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES, HISTORY EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, ACCESSIBILITY TO A NETWORK OF HISTORIC SITES, PUBLICATIONS OF MINNESOTA HISTORICAL CONTENT AND ARCHIVAL SERVICES.

HISTORIC SITES AND MUSEUMS: MNHS OPERATES 26 HISTORIC SITES AND MUSEUMS THROUGHOUT THE STATE THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO ACCESS HISTORY THROUGH PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND TOURS. OUR NETWORK OF SITES SAW MORE THAN 675,000 VISITORS IN FISCAL YEAR 23, AN INCREASE OF 46% OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. IN THE SUMMER OF 2023, THE ALEXANDER RAMSEY HOUSE REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THREE YEARS. SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE OPENED A NEW EXHIBIT IN MAY 2023, ITS MOST EXTENSIVE PROGRAMMATIC UPDATE IN A GENERATION. THE EXHIBIT TELLS A MORE INCLUSIVE HISTORY OF THE LIGHTHOUSE AND LAKE SUPERIOR FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF THOSE WHO HAVE LIVED THERE, INCLUDING THE DAKOTA, OJIBWE, FRENCH, AND ENGLISH.

HERITAGE PRESERVATION: OUR HERITAGE PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT PROVIDES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION, ADMINISTERS GRANT PROGRAMS SUPPORTING PROJECTS IN PRESERVATION AND INTERPRETATION OF MINNESOTA HISTORY, AND ADMINISTERS THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT IN MINNESOTA. IN FY23, STATEWIDE PRESERVATION SAW MORE THAN $6.0M AWARDED IN ARTS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE FUND MONIES AWARDED THROUGH 161 LEGACY GRANTS TO 140 ORGANIZATIONS IN 60 COUNTIES ACROSS MINNESOTA. THESE GRANTS SERVE MANY PURPOSES ACROSS THE ENTIRE STATE, INCLUDING HISTORIC PRESERVATION, EDUCATION AND PROGRAMMING, DIGITAL PRESERVATION, ARCHAEOLOGY, EXHIBITS, INCLUSION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, PUBLICATIONS AS WELL AS SEVERAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS.

EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT: MNHS DEVELOPS MINNESOTA HISTORY CURRICULUM, PROVIDES TEACHER EDUCATION, AND COORDINATES THE MINNESOTA HISTORY DAY PROGRAM. FY '23 SAW A NEARLY 80% INCREASE IN EDUCATION VISITATION AS MNHS CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON BRINGING SCHOOL GROUPS BACK INTO THE HISTORY CENTER. MORE THAN 17,000 STUDENTS FROM 150 SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE COMPLETED PROJECTS TO PARTICIPATE IN HISTORY DAY LAST YEAR. MINNESOTA CONTINUED ITS STRONG SHOWING IN THE NATIONAL COMPETITION, WITH 59 STUDENTS REPRESENTING OUR STATE AND 13 PROJECTS FINISHING IN THE TOP TEN OF THEIR CATEGORY. PUBLISHED BY MNHS PRESS, MAKING MINNESOTA IS A FREE ACTIVITY BOOK GEARED TOWARD CHILDREN IN THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADES, ALTHOUGH IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR STUDENTS- AND ADULTS-OF ALL AGES. MORE THAN 150,000 COPIES HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED SINCE THE BOOK FIRST BECAME AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER 2022. GOING OUT, COMING IN, A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT AT MILL CITY MUSEUM, BROUGHT TO LIFE THE SIGHTS, HEART, AND ENERGY OF DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS'S LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY SPACES FROM THE 1940S TO 2000. OUR NATIVE AMERICAN INITIATIVES DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO WORK ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND BEING AN ADVOCATE FOR NATIVE PEOPLES ACROSS MINNESOTA AND BEYOND. SIX STUDENTS LEARNED ABOUT THE MUSEUM FIELD THROUGH OUR NATIVE AMERICAN UNDERGRADUATE MUSEUM FELLOWSHIP, AND TWO ARTISTS SHARED THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF NATIVE ART THROUGH THE NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM.

LIBRARY AND COLLECTIONS: OUR LIBRARY AND COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENTS MAINTAIN AND MAKE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC THE MNHS' COLLECTION OF BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS, MAPS, OBJECTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, WORKS OF ART, ORAL HISTORY RECORDINGS, PRIVATE MANUSCRIPTS, AND PERIODICALS ON MINNESOTA HISTORY. MNHS CATALOGS, RESTORES, AND DIGITIZES DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS TO MAKE THEM AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE. THE MINNESOTA DIGITAL NEWSPAPER HUB ADDED 738,389 PAGES OF BOTH CURRENT AND HISTORIC NEWSPAPERS. WITH THIS BOOST IN CONTENT, THE HUB REACHED 5,545,548 PAGES IN JUNE 2023. NOTABLE ADDITIONS TO THE MNHS COLLECTIONS IN FY23 INCLUDE MORE THAN 250 PIECES OF ORIGINAL ART AND PRODUCTION MATERIALS FROM WA FISHER MAPS. MNHS ALSO RECEIVED SEVEN PIECES OF LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY MN ART BY ALEXI FOURNIER, CAMERON BOOTH, AND OTHER WELL-KNOWN MN ARTISTS THANKS TO AN ANONYMOUS DONATION.