More free online Minneapolis and Hennepin County city directories

From the Hennepin County Library Special Collections newsletter: March/April 2024Check out what’s new and noteworthy this spring in Special Collections.New in the Digital CollectionsMore Hennepin County City DirectoriesThe online city directory collection is growing! Last month we added three more years of Minneapolis directories, which now cover nearly 100 years (1859-1955). We also added Lake Minnetonka […]

New Legacy Amendment Grants to History Organizations Throughout Minnesota

Historical preservation covers many angles. People, places, historical markers, and even work to apply for historical designations. The Minnesota Historical Society has announced small and large grants approved by the MNHS Executive Council in December 2023. The grants are mainly for work to be done in 2024. A selection of the grants is listed below. […]

Latest round of Minnesota Historical and Cultural Small Grants

ST. PAUL, Minn. (November 14, 2023) – The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is pleased to announce the newest recipients of 36 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $313,062 in 24 counties. Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofits, educational organizations, government units, and federally recognized tribes to preserve and share Minnesota […]

July 1, 2024. Original birth certificates accessible for most Minnesota adoptees.

The media has been reporting about the change in Minnesota about adoptees being able to obtain their original birth certificate (OBC) starting in July of 2024. I wanted a few more details and some official words from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) before I started writing about it. The MDH website page about the […]

Area historical organizations join to form the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society in Minnesota

I am happy to see this consolidation taking place this fall. The information is from a Minnesota Historical Society newsletter. Congratulations to the four organizations and the new Lake Minnetonka Historical Society. I’ve long thought this would make sense. Each has been effective and jointly, the history will be even more effective. For the full […]

Washington County, Minnesota Cemetery Information

The Washington County (Minnesota) Historical Society has a new online section about cemeteries in the county. This was posted on its Facebook page on Saturday:  “Good news for cemetery researchers! The Washington County Historical Society now has a whole section of our website dedicated to cemeteries in Washington County. A huge thanks to WCHS volunteer […]

Minnesota lake has been a sanctuary to African Americans for nearly 100 years

A recent Google news alert led me to a Minnesota tradition that I did not know about. WDIO, a TV station in Duluth, told a story about a lake in Minnesota. “In Minnesota, going up North for the weekend to experience cabin life is no rarity. Something good is always cooking up North—family time, fishing, […]