The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) is hosting a couple  listening sessions on the Arts and Culture Heritage Fund.  MHS would like public input on what history should look like in 20 years.  So please consider attending one of these sessions.  Many local history organizations in Rice County including NHS have benefited greatly from these funds.  Please consider attending and giving input.

Two things we can tell you about this item:
1) We’re making up the part about Jesse James mentioning coffee when he visited Northfield in 1876.
2) It’s blue and white and holds lots of coffee (or cocoa, tea, beer, etc.).

But look closer …
This is no ordinary mug. This mug has words on the front AND the back, so no matter how it’s sitting on your table, someone will be able to read something. And who doesn’t enjoy being reminded about what happened in Northfield on that historic day 136 years ago? Surely there’s someone near and dear to you who would enjoy getting this in the mail (we can pack it in a box for you) or seeing it under their Christmas tree … all for just $9.95

When you’re shopping locally in Northfield, be sure to visit the Northfield Historical Society store at 408 Division Street in historic downtown.

The Northfield Historical Society will be closed on Thanksgiving.  However the Museum Store and the exhibits will be open on November 23.  Our research library is closed from November 22-25.

“Dear Santa, Mama Wants Hat Pins, Papa, One Mule: A Compilation of Letters from the Northfield News, 1902-1945,” the fourth book in the award-winning Northfield History Series, will be released Nov. 19. Copies will be available for sale at the Northfield Historical Society (NHS) Museum Store. Books are also available for online purchase through the museum store at www.northfieldhistory.org.

Jeff Sauve, St. Olaf College Associate Archivist and longtime member of NHS, who compiled the book said, “In her column, Maggie Lee would often reprint letters to Santa. I always enjoyed reading them, so I thought we should compile some of them into a book. They provide a social and historical perspective not often considered. Hopefully this little volume will provide a joyous reflection of Christmases past as well as a richer understanding of a child’s spirit that resides within each of us.”

Notable Northfield names that grace the book’s pages, include: DeMann, Drentlaw, Flaten, Holden, Revier, Roe, Tschan and Zanmiller. Selections were made based on humor or uniqueness. For example, George Ebling wrote, “My dear Santy: Please bring me just pie this Christmas. I love pie and lots of it. Maybe a few nuts and candy. I am your dear little friend, George Ebling. I am 8 years old and mamma’s only boy. I just live a few miles west of Dundas. Good by.”

NHS will hold a book signing Thursday, Dec. 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum Store. A signing will also be held Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. at the Northfield Senior Center.

The Northfield History Series continues to be strongly supported by the family of Barbara A. Will, who was a member of the NHS board and past president of the organization.

The Northfield Historical Society (NHS) will present the second in a series of talks commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War on Thursday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m. at Carleton College’s Weitz Center for Creativity, 301 Union St. Jim Stark, a student of the Civil War, will present on “Fort Sumter to Fredricksburg, 1861-1862.” He will trace the arc of the war’s early years, from its beginnings in the spring of 1861 at Fort Sumter to the Battle of Fredricksburg in 1862. He will describe the emotional and political climate that caused young men from North and South to rush into battle. He will speak of the first land battle in July of 1861 that left 850 dead and the bitter fighting to come at Shiloh, Seven Days, Antietam and then Fredricksburg. The program will be held in Room 236, the Larson Family Meeting Room, at the Weitz Center. There is no charge. For more information, call NHS at 507-645-9268.