Welcome to the Jackson County Historical Society!
Preserving Yesterday and Today for Tomorrow
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Recent News
2024 Summerfest Activities
On Thursday, June 13, the Jackson County Historical Society is opening its new Exhibit Hall to the public. This is the culmination of several years of work and we are excited to unveil it to all of you during Lakefield's Summerfest celebration. So excited, in fact, that we will be whipping up some homemade ice cream to celebrate the occasion! It will be an event you won't want to miss!
If you can't make it to Thursday night's event, we will also be holding an Open House Saturday morning from 10:00 to 1:00 PM. We are hosting the participants from JCC's National History Day program, so this will be an excellent opportunity to come and view the exhibits, talk to the students, and check out the museum!
Published May 15, 2024
Presentation: FAQs About Minnesota's New Flag and Seal
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature, authorized the creation of the State Emblems Redesign Commission (SERC) and charged the Commission with the task of redesigning the Minnesota state flag and state seal. Over the course of four months, the Commission—with significant input from the public—produced these new state emblems. Anita Gaul, vice-chair of the Commission, will share an insider’s view of the redesign process and answer the Frequently Asked Questions about the process and the final products.
Published May 1, 2024
JCHS Trivia Night
Thank you to all who braved the gauntlet of questions for our first-ever trivia night! We had a small-but-hearty crowd, and congratulations to Gwen Fleace for edging out the competition! Everything ran smoothly, and we look forward to hosting more events like this in the future!
Published April 1, 2024
JCHS Trivia Night
How well do you know Jackson County's history? Assemble a team for four rounds of bar-style trivia hosted by Museum Director Nick Riordan. Show off your knowledge, win fabulous prizes, and enjoy a fun-filled, educational night at the Jackson County Historical Society!
Published March 12, 20242023 News
JCHS Summerfest Activities
The Jackson County Historical Society will be holding an Open House for the museum on Saturday, June 17, 2023 from 9:00 in the morning to noon. Participants in Jackson County Central's History Day program will be showcasing their exhibits from this year's competition.
Additionally, with this being the final Summerfest before the school is torn down, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to collect some oral histories from folks about their experiences at the school. Too often, we don't have the chance to share our own stories and become a part of history, and this project gives people the ability to do that and enables us to preserve the school for future generations although the building won't be there anymore.
So, whether you're a Panther, Silver Bullet, or Husky, we invite you to come in throughout the week and sit down for an oral history interview. We expect each interview to take about 20-30 minutes, but we will certainly let the film continue running if there are more stories to be told. The interviews will be sound recorded and held for posterity's sake at JCHS. Down the line, it's possible we would transcribe them so researchers could read them or even incorporate them into a future exhibit. Hours are 9:30-4:00 Monday through Friday. Stop on by and help memorialize your former school!
Published June 9, 2023March 1: Library Addresses on Nonpartisan League
Come check out Museum Director Nick Riordan's presentation this Wednesday covering the Nonpartisan League and its presence in Jackson County at the onset of World War I. From angry farmers demanding political change to charges of sedition and even a parrot inciting an angry mob, come learn about Jackson County's most prominent event in terms of shaping national politics. Please see flyer for more details.
Published February 27, 2023Annual Meeting January 21
The Jackson County Historical Society is holding its annual meeting on Saturday, January 21st at 2:00 PM, with a make-up date for the 28th. The agenda includes the board elections, a recap of 2022 at JCHS, a brief tour showcasing our progress on the new space, and a guest speaker presentation by Bob Svoboda. Svoboda, a longtime member of JCHS and a lifelong resident of Jackson County, will provide a presentation titled "Growing Up in the Great Depression and World War II," sharing his insights and experiences living in Jackson County for the past ninety years. We are confident it will be both informative and engaging for our audience. Light refreshments will also be provided.
Published January 16, 20232022 News
JCHS Awarded Grant
The Jackson County Historical Society is excited to announce the receipt of a grant through the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant program. This grant will fund the first phase of a collections inventory. This first phase will cover materials set to be transferred from our current back storage room to storage in the new addition. This will provide better organization of the museum collections, allowing for greater public access to the community's historic resources.
Published July 19, 2022Highway 86 Construction Information
With winter behind us, the Jackson County Historical Society is well into Minnesota's second season: road construction. Last week, work began on State Highway 86 construction in Lakefield that will, among other things, replace utilities and provide greater ADA accessibility for pedestrians along the roadway. As we're located right along Highway 86, this construction will affect access to the museum. Highway 86 will be closed to thru traffic in Lakefield, but access will be maintained for local businesses; click here for information on detours. The Jackson County Historical Society will remain open for the duration of this project, which is slated to be completed in November. The hope is that this does not affect our day-to-day operations too much, and we appreciate your continued support throughout this construction project.
History Day Exhibit Available Online
As requested at the annual meeting, last year's award-winning History Day virtual exhibit by Hope Rubitschung and Taryn Lessman is now available for online viewing. The exhibit, which examines the use of native languages in Native American boarding schools and their role in creating unbreakable codes for the United States military, won the statewide senior competition in Spring 2021 and earned the duo a spot in the National History Day competition.
"A code within a code": the code talkers
Notes from the Annual Meeting
The Jackson County Historical Society held its annual meeting on Saturday, January 22nd. The meeting, attended by 28 members of the Jackson County Historical Society and the broader community, began with the Board of Directors election. Rose Schultz was elected for a three-year term, while Sherry Schoewe and Darrell Nissen were both reelected.
Museum Director Nick Riordan provided a brief overview of the happenings of JCHS during 2021 and outlined some future plans. Next came a presentation on the History Day program at JCC High School by advisor Angela Beckel with students Hope Rubitschung and Juleah Brinks. Tom Sanders, the former site manager at the Jeffers Petroglyphs, presented on the site's history and indigenous-based research at the site to conclude the evening.
Annual Meeting Rescheduled
Due to the recent snowstorm, the Jackson County Historical Society will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, January 22nd at 2:00 PM. The agenda includes the board election, a recap of 2021 at JCHS, and a guest speaker presentation by Tom Sanders. Sanders, the site manager at the Jeffers Petroglyphs from 1998 to 2016, will present on the site's history, showcase rock art from the petroglyphs, and discuss the indigenous-based research being conducted there. Light refreshments will be provided.
Annual Meeting Set
The Jackson County Historical Society is holding its annual meeting on Saturday, January 15th at 2:00 PM, with a make-up date for the 22nd. The agenda includes the board election, a recap of 2021 at JCHS, and a guest speaker presentation by Tom Sanders. Sanders, the site manager at the Jeffers Petroglyphs from 1998 to 2016, will present on the site's history, showcase rock art from the petroglyphs, and discuss the indigenous-based research being conducted there. Light refreshments will be provided.
2021 News
JCHS Awarded Grant
The Jackson County Historical Society is excited to announce the receipt of a grant through the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant program. This grant will cover the funds for a General Conservation Assessment and Long-Range Preservation Plan. This assessment, which was conducted in October by conservators from the Midwest Art Conservation Center in Minneapolis, will help us determine the best use for our facilities and devise a plan for conducting a comprehensive inventory of our collections. Generally, this assessment functions as the first step in helping museums determine which projects to prioritize and inform which grants we want to pursue going forward.
COVID-19 Collection
Part of our mission is to record the history of Jackson County, Minnesota as it is happening. To that end, we are asking for your help. We want to hear your stories about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your life. If anything, this ongoing pandemic has demonstrated that we experience history every day, and documenting your experience for posterity will paint a clearer picture for future generations. Please use these questions to get your thinking started, and then send us your thoughts. Thank you!
Guide to Writing a Personal Recollection
When did you first learn of COVID-19? What was your reaction?
How have you and your family been affected?
How has your daily life changed? How have you adapted?
What did you think about wearing a mask and social distancing?
Does the current situation remind you of any other times you have lived through?
How have you helped others or been helped by others?
Have you been sad? Frustrated? Angry?
Did you experience any shortages of materials?
Were you a victim of the disease? Did you know anyone who was?
How did your business survive...or did it?