McLeod County Historical Society Newsletter
Upcoming Events & Information
Sunday, May 18th, 2008 -4-7 P M -MCHS Museum: Monday, May 19th, 2008 - 5 P M-MCHS Meeting Room: Where the Big Woods meets the Prairie
McLeod County, Contributing 150 Years to Minnesota History!
Pork Chop Supper Fundraiser & 150th State Celebration:
The McLeod County Historical Society would like to invite you and your family to join us in our celebration of 150 years of Minnesota History. It was on May 11th, 1858 that Minnesota became a member of the United States Federal Union.
By May 11th, 1858 the county of McLeod had already become a thriving group of settlements with acting Territorial governments and commerce. It was years earlier, in June of 1855, that the first settlement of Glencoe was laid out, paving the way for the current cities of McLeod County. Now, Hutchinson, Brownton, Plato, Biscay, Lester Prairie, Winsted, Stewart, and Silver Lake, can all claim contributions to the making of 150 years of Minnesota’s history.
As our 2008 theme, the Museum has spent the past four months researching and
exploring how McLeod County has made significant contributions to the State and in some cases the Nation. To date we have produced four historical booklets covering our county’s contributions in the areas of Medicine and Doctors, Education, Art and Culture, and Government, and we will continue to produce one each month covering Industry and Business, Athletics, Agriculture, People, Military, and Music and Entertainment in the following months to come. Each month we hope to have special speakers and programs to help highlight these historical topics and significant contributions.
Our Celebration will be combined with our annual Pork Chop Supper Fundraiser that we hold every year, with Bill Arndt as our faithful grill master! Pork chop dinners will be just $7.00 per person, and $2.00 for an extra pork chop. We hope you will stop by and celebrate history with us!
McLeod County Genealogy Society Meeting:
Author Joseph A. Amato
Presents:
“Jacob’s Well,” “A Case for Rethinking Family History.”
Author Joseph A. Amato is a professor of history and
rural regional studies at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. Amato has written several books that take a new look at old ideas on history, genealogy, and
research. His latest book, “Jacob’s Well,” is no exception.
In his last book, “Rethinking Home:” “A Case for
Writing Local History,” Amato tried to take a fresh approach to telling and truly understanding local history. In “Jacob’s Well,” the author takes a similar approach to the process of family genealogy and research.
Through his own personal, although common, family
history, Joseph not only tells the story of his Arcadian,
English, Irish, Prussian, and Sicilian ancestors, but the story of our nation.
He follows his family through seven generations and feels that by doing this he can better
define himself and that it has helped to build his own identity through a connection with the past and ultimately America’s history. Mr. Amato’s family story could be that of any modern American. What makes the book unique is the way in which he fleshes out these hardworking, family orientated people. The author puts them into the context of the global and American history of which they lived, and shows us how history effected and changed their lives.
Joseph Amato will walk us through his search and the creation of “Jacob’s Well,” at our next MCHS Genealogy Meeting. We welcome all Society members to join us, even if you are not a member of the Genealogy Society. If you are interested in becoming a member, you can sign up at any of our monthly meetings. The group meets every third Monday of the month at the MCHS Meeting Room at 5 P M, and membership is free to all McLeod County Historical Society Members.
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