Hennepin History Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1938 |
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| Location | 2303 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
The Hennepin History Museum is a cool place to learn about the past of Hennepin County, Minnesota, in the United States. It shows you how people lived and what happened in the communities there. You can see interesting exhibits, join fun history programs, and even go to special events all year long.
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Where to Find the Museum
The Hennepin History Museum is in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis. It's inside a beautiful old house called the Christian Mansion, which was built way back in 1919. This mansion is part of a special area in Minneapolis called the Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District. It sits right next to Washburn-Fair Oaks Park. Famous architects named Hewitt and Brown designed this historic home.
What You Can See: Museum Exhibits
The Hennepin History Museum has both exhibits that are always there and new ones that change often. The exhibits that are always there show off objects, old tools, and papers. These items tell the story of Hennepin County from its very first days until now.
Visitors can discover many parts of local history, like:
- Native American cultures
- How the area was first settled and grew
- Different industries and businesses
- Important social changes and local government
- Art and culture from the area
Fun Programs and Events
The museum offers many public programs throughout the year. These include talks, hands-on workshops, and special events for families. You can also go on tours to learn more. These programs help everyone in the community learn about local history. They also let people connect with the museum's collections in a fun way.
Community Connections
The museum hosts many different events. They have monthly "Fireside Chats" where experts talk about history topics. There are also social gatherings and talks by authors.
The museum has also worked to highlight different communities in Hennepin County. For example, in 2003, the museum teamed up with the Walker Art Museum. They worked with 30 East African high school students. Together, they used letters and photos to create an exhibit. This exhibit was all about East African communities living in Minneapolis. The museum continued its community work in 2009. Students from the University of Minnesota showed designs for homes. These designs were made to be welcoming for Somali and Mexican immigrant families.
The Museum Library
The museum has a library that is open to everyone. It holds many old documents and records from the museum's collections. The library has helpful materials like old city phone books and pictures of houses and buildings. You can also find maps, old books of maps, and resources to research your family tree. There are also files about the city's history and local businesses. A professional archivist is usually there to help people who are doing research.
Museum Magazine
The museum publishes a magazine called Hennepin History Magazine three times a year. It was redesigned in 2017. The magazine features interesting stories from all over Hennepin County. You can find digital copies of Hennepin History online. The Hennepin County Library Digital Collections has these available. Older issues included articles like "The Birth of Target." This article explored the history of the Target Corporation. It connected the company to the Dayton family and their department store, Daytons. The magazine often looks at local companies. For example, the Winter 2012 issue explored Northwest Airlines in the 1930s.
See Also
