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The Northfield Historical Society is excited to announce that it has been named a $200,642 grant recipient for the Minnesota Historical Society’s Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant Program. The grant will help fund the installation of an elevator in downtown Northfield’s Scriver Building that has housed the society’s exhibit, collection, research, and program spaces since 1975.

NHS Executive Director Hayes Scriven says the grant provides a big boost to the society’s current capital campaign, “Taking Northfield History to the Next Level,” that when completed will improve accessibility for Scriver’s 10,000 annual visitors by adding an elevator and six restrooms.

“Scriver has served us well, but it’s time to make better use of our space — and make it more comfortable for more people,” Scriven says. The elevator, installed behind the stair tower along the building’s west wall, will connect the structure’s basement and upper two stories. It will replace a steep, narrow flight of stairs that currently is the only route to the basement.

NHS’s “Next Level” campaign is the first stage of a multi-phase project that also will add on-grade access from Bridge Square, ADA-compliant restrooms, increase office space on the second floor, and restore the building’s facade to its 19th-century appearance. “We are still in need of support to finish the campaign” says Debby Larsen, NHS board president. “To accomplish our goal we still need to raise $400,000.”

The limestone building was built by Hiram Scriver, one of Northfield’s earliest merchants, in 1868. It has since housed more than 50 local businesses, including the First National Bank that the infamous James-Younger Gang attempted to rob in 1876.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Minnesota Legislature from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution in 2008. The grants are awarded to support projects “of enduring value for the cause of history and historic preservation across the state.” MHS will award a total of $6.75 million in Historical Cultural Heritage Grants to nonprofit and educational organizations, government units, and tribes during the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years.

Read how the $3 million in MHS grants was distributed across the state in the Star Tribune.

You can now register for the 2010 Outlaw Run.  In the past two years we have seen the attendance grow from 69 in 2008 to 200 in 2009!  So sign up early!  You can see all the details here.  There will be more information on prizes coming later!

The Defeat of Jesse James Days committee is seeking candidates to represent Northfield as the 2011 Defeat Days junior royalty. Boys and girls who will be 6 and 7 by August 14th are eligible to apply. The children must also attend Northfield Public schools, live within the Northfield school district and have a parent who works within the Northfield school district. There will be an informational meeting about the process tonight at the Northfield Public library at 7:00 p.m.

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The Defeat of Jesse James Days committee is seeking candidates to represent Northfield as the 2011 Defeat Days junior royalty. Boys and girls who will be 6 and 7 by August 14th are eligible to apply. The children must also attend Northfield Public schools, live within the Northfield school district and have a parent who works within the Northfield school district. There will be an informational meeting about the process tonight at the Northfield Public library at 7:00 p.m.

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Tomorrow during the Taste of Northfield the Northfield Historical Society will have $1.00 tours from 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.  Come on down for some great food, great tour, a bank raid re-enactment and check out some new Northfield items.

We've posted the new 2010 brochure for all to print, share and read online.  

Be sure to "blow it up" in size so you can read it at your preferred size. 

Click here to view.

NHS is now open on Mondays and until 5 everyday of the week!

Come down and check out some of the new merchandise in the Museum Store.  We have many new books, DVDs, greetings Cards and much more!

Here are some new items!

Amber Waters: The History or brewing in Minnesota

The Great Minnesota Fish Book

Women’s Northfield T-shirt.  Also comes in pink

DVDS: Ytterboe the Dog, Faithful Unto Death, Long Riders and more…

DVD: Ole and Lena Joke Night: Uncensored!

Today KYMN Radio’s Tim Freeland and I installed a Bridge Square Web Camera!  You can see it below or in the navigation bar to the right!  This will be on 24/7, so come back to check out what is happening in beautiful downtown Northfield!

Free TV : Ustream

For the past few weeks I have been tracking the construction on 4th Street.  It is kind of hard to miss.  So here are some photos of the construction.

Also, do not forget to come down to NHS tomorrow at 5:30 for free ice cream and cake as we honor our volunteers of the year!  Everyone is welcome to join us!

This Thursday May 20 at 5:30 p.m. NHS will honor our 2009 Volunteers of the year Sonja Wermager and Bob and Martha Davies.

Sonja, Bob, and Martha are key volunteers at the Historical Society museum doing things at which they excel and enjoy and for which they, for one reason or another, have a skill or aptitude. They are different kinds of people with very different backgrounds. Sonja is a senior at Northfield High School. Bob and Martha are retirees who spent their working years in Dallas, Tex., and came to Northfield only four and a half years ago.

Sonja got into Earl Weinmann’s SCOPE program as an eighth grader and progressed from there to the Junior Posse and then to being a summer assistant at the Society, working with junior curators. She also worked on Caught in the Storm, the book about the Youngers’ would be escape from Minnesota.

Bob and Martha spent the bulk of their working years in the oil and gas industry in Texas, and both were trained as draftsmen; hence, their facility for planning and display.  They both designed the exhibits on World War II, the button collection, Eva Lou Scott’s doll collection, and the NAG 50th anniversary exhibit, among others. 

This event and free and open to the public, so come down and check out NHS and help us celebrate the wonderful volunteer spirit!

The celebration of Northfield’s Carnegie Library turning 100 continues on May 5!  The video documentary chronicling the building of the Library premiers tomorrow at Viking Theater in Buntrock Commons on the St. Olaf College Campus at 7:00 p.m.  The video was researched and edited by St. Olaf students Kai Hansen, Joseph Erickson and Kenzie Huffman.  For more information please call NHS at 507-645-9268. 

Below is a sneak preview of the documentary.

Before you go see the documentary stop by NHS and see the new exhibit on the 100 year history of the Library!

Carnegie Bio from Kai Hansen on Vimeo.

This documentary is co-sponsored by the Northfield Public Library and the
Northfield Historical Society. Funded through a Minnesota legacy grant from SELCO/SELS.

Today at 12:45 p.m .the DJJD Committee announced the 2010 Heywood Award Winner, Dr. Will Healy!  Here are some photos from the announcement and the press release written by Will’s good friend and past Heywood Award Winner and current NHS Board Member, Scott Richardson.  Congratulations Will!

Here are some other posts about that announcement!

KYMN

Locally Grown

DJJD

Northfield News

After weeks of exhaustive investigation, one can only conclude that Will Healy has perpetrated one of the greatest frauds since Bernie Madoff.

Everyone tells me how involved he is, but save for a tour of duty on the Northfield Hospital Board in the 1990s and some work with the YMCA advisory board and United Way, nobody can tell me what he has done.

We do know this:

· He plays golf and he plays basketball. Not at the same time.

· We know he frequents downtown coffee shops.

· Attends a lot of basketball games.

· He has served Emmaus Church for 22 years as its pastor, apparently working mostly Sundays.

· He has been a member of the Northfield Ministerial Association for 22 years.

· He provided the community with great entertainment and local nonprofits with needed financial support through l6 years of Over & Back productions. He helped bring in top-flight entertainment and raised the profiles of many, many important community agencies and organizations.

· He was named Northfield Sertoma Man of the Year in 2000.

· He serves as emcee of the Laura Baker Association’s gala every other year.

· He works with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at St. Olaf College.

· He emcees the Friends of the Library Spelling Bee each year.

· He emceed the Northfield Rotary CIub’s "To China and Beck’ fundraiser.

· He has spoken regularly on parenting for the Northfield Community Service’ "Fabulous Fridays," "Wonderful Wednesdays," "Thrilling Thursdays” and "Saturday Night Live.” -

· He volunteers with Christmas Sharing.

· He served on the Northfield Area United Way Board of Directors.

· He is a member of the Northfield Area YMCA advisory board.

· Member of Northfield Hospital Board of Directors (seven years).

· Mentor at the Village School.

· Coached youth basketball.

So for a Heywood nominee, Will has taken the path fees traveled. He has not gone the institutional route, serving on tons of boards or commissions. But he clearly has had a significant impact on our community. He does this in numerous ways, sometimes very publicly from a community stage, often more quietly behind the scenes as community challenges and crises unfold. His work forces us to recalibrate our moral compass and challenges us to act on our best instincts. I-ie does this by:

· Giving voice and support to community initiatives that address the needs of our community’s most

· vulnerable;

· Reminding us to pm relationships first;

· Serving at times as the community conscience, challenging us to do the right thing;

· Providing comfort and counsel to youth and others when tragedy has visited our community;

· Inspiring others to do more in service to the community.

· Serving as an bridge between social groups, helping them discover their commonality.

Will has used his gifts as an entertainer, a speaker, a facilitator and a counselor to remind us to pay attention to the important things, to put people firs: and walk together with mutual respect and support.

Dr. Will Healy has been named the Joseph Lee Heywood Distinguished  service award recipient for 2010. The Defeat of Jesse  James Days  Committee announced the selection earlier today. In addition to serving as pastor at Emmaus Church, Healy has served on the  Northfield United  Way and hospital Boards of directors, he's coached  youth basketball and  emceed a variety of fundraisers and other events  throughout the years.  He also hosts the “The long way home” on Sundays  on KYMN.

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This Thursday, April 22 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. NHS will open its newest exhibit, “Celebrating our Past, Building our Future.”  The exhibit explores the 100 year history of Northfield’s Carnegie Library Building.  The exhibit however, does not start in 1910.  It goes all the way back to the first reading room in Northfield Lyceum Society in 1856.  The exhibit then follows the Library to the reading room in the YMCA and chronicles the work of Hiram Scriver, George Huntington and others to acquire the Carnegie building.  The exhibit then tells the history of the building from the April 25, 1910 dedication to today!  The event is free and open to the public.  For more information please contact NHS at 507-645-9268 or email us.

This project was funded in part or in whole with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008 which dedicated funding to preserve Minnesota's arts and cultural heritage; from a SELCO/SELS Legacy Grant.

Last night at Froggy Bottoms River Pub, NHS hosted a Ole and Lena Joke night.  Here are some photos, and a tweeted video.  Keep an eye out for a Ole and Lena Joke Night DVD!

Thank you to Kathy Ness for the photos!

After you file you taxes on April 15, stop by Froggy Bottoms River Pub for a Ole and Lena uncensored joke night from 7-9 p.m. featuring Brad Ness and Marion Hvistendahl.  There will be a free will donation that will go to support the Northfield Historical Society.  Stop on down for a laugh or two.