100th Anniversary of Hutchinson Women’s Club

Program and Display, Monday, Sept. 19th  7-8 P M – Museum Meeting Room

The Hutchinson Women’s Club has a long history in McLeod County and has changed throughout the years as the role of Women changed in society.  It started back in 1911-12 as the Home Economics Club of Hutchinson.  Its original object was the study of home economics and domestic sciences.  Later the group expanded its interest to art, science, literature, music and inventions.  The Hutchinson group aligned with the MN Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1915 and the National General Federation in 1922. The club has worked throughout the past 100 years to change the role in which women could contribute to the issues of the day and we are honoring their work with a program and display to commemorate their special Anniversary!

If you are a member or past member of the Hutchinson Women’s Club, we would love for you to share your story!  Please post any memories you would like to share of how this unique group shaped you and the community of Hutchinson.

Extra! Extra!

By Renee Wendinger    Book signing and Program

Monday, September 12th 7-8 PM Museum Meeting Room

Extra! Extra! The Orphan Trains and Newsboys of New York, is a collection of stories of children who faced nearly insurmountable odds.  From agonizing letters written by desperate mothers to news stories of the latest train or of newsboys looking out for leach other, the humanity of individuals caught up in the sweep of history is unmistakable. 

As the Children’s Aid Society and the New York Foundling Hospital cared for increasing numbers of infants, Charles Loring Brace saw opportunities for the children.  He knew that families in the western United States could take these children in, offering a wholesome atmosphere unheard of in the city.  And so ran the Orphan Trains from New York to points west, over the course of decades carrying more than 200,000 children to their new lives in rural America and the as far as the west coast. 

The McLeod County Genealogy Society, as apart of their regularly scheduled quarterly meetings, and the Historical Society invite you to meet author Renee Wendinger as she shares her book and research on Orphan Trains.  It’s also a great time to learn more about familyhistory research and how you can get started.  The Genealogy Society is always looking for new members and program ideas, so we hope you will join us.     

We would love to share your story!  If your family has an orphan train rider in its history, please take the time to post your story and help us to preserve this part of McLeod County History!

Saturday, July 9th-2-3 P M-Museum Meeting Room

The McLeod County Historical Society has a large collection of “Flags” that cover many eras, countries, and organizations.  During the month of July we naturally think of the red, white, and blue as we celebrate Independence Day. Our Spotlight on the Collection program will go beyond just our own American flags, and its many evolutions throughout the past 156 years that McLeod County has been flying Old Glory! 

Our program will also include flags from other countries, captured by American soldiers during times of war, fraternal orders, civic and social organizations from McLeod County, and much, much more.  Many of these Flags hold special historical and cultural significance that can tell us much about the people of our county and the life and times in which they lived. 

We hope you will join us as we shine our spotlight on our unique and varied Flag collection here at the Museum.  As always, our program has no admission cost, but we do ask that you bring a flag from your collection to share with the group.  Each person will have time to explain their flag’s importance to you and the history it holds.

Full Grooved Hand Ax, part of the Littfin Collection at MCHS

Minnesota Archeology Week (May 14th-May 22nd, 2011)

Pre-Historic Nativie American Site Walking Tour (Sunday, May 15th from 2-4 PM)

(From Hwy 7 take County Rd. 1 to Winsted.  Take Co. Rd. 6 East 1 1/4 miles. 

Take Zion Ave South for 1/4 mile and take the first Right.)

In conjunction with Minnesota Archeology Week the Museum will be focusing on a special collection of early Native American stone tools, points and spearheads that were donated to the Museum from the Littfin family of Winsted Township.   These objects are unique in that they were all found in one general location on the east side of Lake Winsted.  The Museum will also be hosting a walking tour of the sites in which these artifacts were found.  The land is still in the Littfin family, and they have agreed to open the site up for our Archeology Week program.  There has been little research done on the site, with many speculating that it was a pre-historic settlement or hunting camp.  There may also have been pre-historic Native American burial mounds located on the site.  By having a walking tour of the site, we hope to learn how and why such a vast number artifacts were deposited at this one location in McLeod County. 

To help guide us on our tour, the Museum has invited David Mather, the State Historic Preservation Office Archeologist.  David will be able to discuss the history of the site, the people who may have lived and built the mounds in the area, as well as how many of the artifacts found at the site would have been made and used.  

The pieces from this site will be on display, starting May 15th, through the rest of the month of May in the Museum’s meeting room area.  The display features a vast variety of large hand held grooved and un-grooved axes, hammer stones and celts.  The walking tour will be from 2-4 P M, and will start at the Jack Littfin residence at 23967 240th Court, Winsted Township.  (From Hwy 7 take County Rd. 1 to Winsted.  Take Co. Rd. 6 East 1 1/4 miles.  Take Zion Ave South for 1/4 mile and take the first Right.) Please join us to learn more about the early history of McLeod County and Minnesota Archeology! ]]> http://www.mcleodhistory.org/minnesota-archeology-week-pre-historic-native-american-site-walking-tour/feed/ 0 http://www.mcleodhistory.org/nostalgia-fundraiser-night-1940s/ http://www.mcleodhistory.org/nostalgia-fundraiser-night-1940s/#comments Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:37:14 +0000 Lori http://www.mcleodhistory.org/?p=348 Nostalgia Fundraiser Night-1940s

$10 per ticket!

Monday, April 18th-7-9 PM

Museum Meeting Room

The McLeod County Historical Museum would like to invite you to a fun night filled with the Nostalgia of the 1940s!        

This event will feature special displays of unique Museum artifacts from McLeod County during the 1940s, along with historical trivia from that era.  Each special display will help give you clues to the trivia questions that will be specific to McLeod County History between 1940 and 1949.  Be sure to bring your thinking cap, because for every right answer to a trivia question, the Museum will be giving away prizes!  The Museum will also have a free drawing for an individual and family membership. 

There will also be a WWII Uniform and artifact display, honoring the McLeod County men and women who served in the armed forces during the war.  Pop culture icons, posters, and fashion styles of the 1940s will also be featured.  

The Museum will be serving hors-d’oeuvres, coffee, and punch all evening and  playing big band and swing music to set the 1940s mood.  Of course you can play along and come dressed in your best Zoot suit or other 1940s inspired garb!  The staff will be sporting their 1940s gear, so join in on the fun! 

Tickets are just $10 per person and can be purchased at the McLeod County Historical Society or Hutchinson Chamber office.  Be sure to purchase your tickets ahead of time, as the price will go up to $15 per person at the door.  All proceeds will go to support the preservation of McLeod County’s History, so join us for a little Nostalgia and support a great cause!

Lester Prairie, MN Schmid Drug Store

Lester Prairie~

125th Anniversary~

Museum Program & Tour

Thursday, March 17th

4-8 PM~Museum Meeting Room

As Lester Prairie gears up to celebrate its upcoming 125th Anniversary, the Museum is hosting a special program and tour.  As most of our members know, the Museum has a large collection of photos, documents and artifacts from the city of Lester Prairie.  Many of these items are on display in our main historica gallery space, within the Lester Prairie town display.  The gallery features items and displays that tell the history of each of the nine towns, along with historical photos and narratives.  The Museum will have a special display the evening of March 17th, showcasing some of the less seen Lester Prairie artifacts and photos, that are not currently on display.  The research center at the Museum will also be open, as it also includes a tremendous amount of information on the founding and development of the area and town that would become Lester Prairie. Our program will kick off the celebration, with lots of fun activities planned throughout the spring and summer, with the celebration culminating at Prairie Days, July 15th-17th.  Also planned for the July Prairie Days is an All School Reunion, Hamburger feed, and Music in  downtown Lester Prairie.  Listed below are just a few of the other celebration plans: *Historic Hayrack Rides-First Saturday in April, May, and June *Lester Prairie Cemetery Tour-Sunday, May 29th *History Quiz Bowl-May 22nd For information on how you can get involved or to get more details on upcoming events, please contact:  Char-1-320-395-4292, Dawn-1-320-395-1499, Audrey-1-320-395-8488

We are focusing our research on the years that McLeod lived, 1813 to 1860, and the social and political events that affected his decisions and shaped his life.  His involvement in the fur trade, territorial issues, and early statehood of Minnesota are covered, along with a deeper look into his interpersonal relationships with family, friends, and peers.  Through this research, we hope to gain a better understanding of our state and county’s early history, as well as the man for whom our County is named.

“The Life and Times of Martin McLeod, McLeod County from 1813-1860” history booklet can be

purchased through the MCHS Gift Shop.   Just call, e-mail, or check out our gift shop tab!  

Minnesota and McLeod County

History from 1813-1860

 In the years 1813 to 1860, the area that was to become Minnesota and McLeod County witnessed  some of most extreme social and cultural changes seen in the area to date.  The transformation from almost exclusively indigenous Native American cultures in the early 1800 to the massive influx of Anglo populations from the North, South and East rapidly transformed the state.  This dramatic change occurred so quickly that it could be witnessed within one lifetime. 

Martin McLeod in his short life, compared to our standards not only witnessed these social and cultural shifts, but was an active participant in shaping the history of the state of Minnesota and McLeod County.  The following excerpts give an overview of the many different cultural influences that had an impact on the future state of Minnesota.  Native American, Spanish, English, French and American ownership and influences created the world that Martin McLeod decided to explore, work, and live in.  Along with this cultural diversity, another strong influence in the region and in McLeod’s life was the monstrous demand of the fur trade industry.  Another major factor in the life of Martin McLeod and in his exploration of Minnesota was his involvement with a little known military expedition that would fail in its mission to establish an “Indian Kingdom”, but managed to secure McLeod’s future in Minnesota and lead him to be the namesake of McLeod County.

 Monday, January 24th

      6-7 PM

1107 11th Street East -  Glencoe, MN 55336

 The McLeod County Historical Society would like to invite you and your family to a special tour and historical program of the Henry Hill School, that was just recently re-opened as the new Henry Hill City Center.  The school was originally built in 1932 to service the needs of the local grade and high school students.  It replaced the 1872 Henry Hill school structure pictured below.  The school was a large financial undertaking for the small town of Glencoe during the Great Depression, with funds raised in part by a special bond bill voted in on Thursday, December 3rd, 1931.  This was a fully modern, spacious, and modest building that proved to have a practical and accommodating floor plan in the 1930’s,40’s,50’s and today.  As you tour the facility today, the feeling of the building has not changed, just the polish of the old bones with new flooring, lighting, and updated amenities.  The City of Glencoe has done a spectacular job balancing reconstruction and restoration, creating a historic landmark that serves the modern community needs!

Christmas Auction Fundraiser & Potluck Dinner

Silent Auction-

Monday, Dec. 6th thru Monday, Dec. 13th-ends at 7 P M

Live Auction & Potluck Dinner-

Monday, Dec. 13th –5-7 P M

It is time again for some holiday cheer here at the McLeod County Historical Society.  We are bringing back our Society Potluck and gift auction of past years, as we had an overwhelming outcry from members and volunteers who missed the great fun that we have at this annual event.

If you have not been to our  Christmas Potluck and Auction dinner, this is how it works.  Everyone brings a dish to pass and a gift or two, to be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to support the Museum’s mission, preserving McLeod County History!  The gift/s must be wrapped, that’s part of the fun, and can be a white elephant, something old or new, or a re-gift that did not suit you, we won’t tell anyone.  It’s great fun seeing who ends up with what gift, and we all take turns watching as the lucky, or maybe not so lucky,bidders open their gifts!  So we hope you share some holiday cheer with us on Monday evening at the Museum’s meeting on December 13th from 5-7 P M. 

One part of last year’s Christmas program that we will be continuing this year is our Silent Auction Fundraiser.  Last year we were lucky enough to have many items donated by local area businesses, and this year’s generosity has been even greater.  The Silent Auction Items will be on display and ready for bidding, starting on Monday, December 6th and open to the public for bids through Monday, December 13th.  All bidding ends at 7 P M on the final day, with winners being contacted via phone to collect and pay for their prizes!  The Museum also has two special and unique auction items that were a huge success last year, the Private Tour and Dinner for four at the Museum and our Summer Picnic at the Log Cabin Home.  Both would make a wonderful gift for a family!  Below is a list of all the businesses that contributed to our Silent Auction Christmas Fundraiser, and we thank them for all their help this holiday season!

Purse-a-nalities, Carly’s Shoes, Hutchinson Ace Hardware, Downtown Clothing Co., Clay Coyote Pottery, Las Palmas, Hutchinson Sport Shop, Hutch Café, Genesis Salon and Enso Spa, Favorite Treasures, Hager Jewelry, Name Your Frame, The Village Shop & Hutchinson Liquor

Sunday, September 26th 1 -5:30 P M

$15 per person (Includes Tour & Sites Guide!)

The McLeod County Historical Society has identified 30 Lost Towns that existed at one time throughout the fourteen townships in the county-so many towns that the Museum has created a Northern and a Southern Lost Town Sites guide.  Each guide gives directions to each lost town, photos, maps, and historical background on the town featured in the tour. 

To kick off the completion of our “Southern Lost Town Sites Guide”, the Museum is offering a tour of nine Southern lost towns for $15 per person, which includes the Southern guide Booklet.  The tour will begin and end at the new Henry Hill Community Center parking lot  in Glencoe.  We will start at 1 P M and end at      5:30 P M.  The following is a list of the lost towns we will visit and learn the history of on our tour: 

Franklin, Karns City, Lake Addie, Sumter, Collins, Sundown, Old Hamburg, Penn Cheese Factory, and Fernando