The mission of the Northfield Historical Society is to connect individuals to the history
of the Northfield area by collecting, preserving, and sharing its unique stories.
Visit Us
408 Division Street
Northfield, MN 55057
Phone number: 507-645-9268
Fax number: 507-663-6080
Winter Hours
Monday By Appointment Only
Tuesday 12 pm to 4 pm
Wednesday 12 pm to 4 pm
Thursday 10 am to 4 pm
Friday 10 am to 4 pm
Saturday 10 am to 4 pm
Sundays By Appointment Only
Admission
$5 – Adults
$4 – Seniors (65+)
$3 – Students
$2 – Children (6 to 12)
Free – Children under 6
Free – NHS Members
See Prohibition Party Details on the Programs and Events Page
2021 Calendar
March 20 – Prohibition Party (Annual Spring Fundraiser)
April 1—Summer Hours Begin
June TBD—Cemetery Stories presented by SCOPE
Raid Walking Tours
TBD – Adventures of John North program begins
August TBD—Adventures of John North program ends
September 8-12—DJJD
12—Outlaw Run 5K/15K Run-Walk
Book the History Hideout for Spring Break!
The History Hideout is available for DAILY reservations throughout spring break, March 21 – March 28 for the price of regular admission! Make a reservation by calling 507-645-9268 or by emailing osterman@ northfieldhistory.org. Reservations must be made for spring break dates at least a day ahead of the reservation.
Funding for the History Hideout was provided by the Minnesota Humanities Council through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan.
Follow Us on Facebook!
Time to reveal this week's #WhatsitWednesday item! This week's mystery object is a can of survival biscuits, packaged late in 1962! Sealed for freshness, food and other survival items such as these were available for civil defense during the Cold War. After World War II the United States and the Soviet Union competed to be the top superpower in the world in terms both economic and military strength. This lead to a nuclear arms race that at its peak, caused most cities and towns in the U.S. to have designated fallout shelters in the event of nuclear attack. Many building in the United States still have a fallout shelter sign attached. Much less common are shelter items such as these. Thanks for playing, check back next week for another Whats-it Wednesday!
It's #WhatsitWednesday! Guess what this item is in the comments, check back later to find out what this is!
It's time to reveal this week's #WhatsitWednesday item! This week's item is a butter mold. Typically hand-carved out of wood, butter molds were used by farmers to put an identifying stamp on their butter, similar to how lumber companies stamped logs with an identifier. The unique designs in the mold was designed to show potential buyers that the butter they were buying was a quality product. The ornate designs were not just for looks, but served as a trademark to help purchasers identify the butter they liked best. Thanks for playing, check back next week for another Whats-it Wednesday!
It's #WhatsitWednesday! Here is this week's mystery item, leave your guesses in the comments and check back later to find out what this is!
NHS is excited to present our first book on the 1876 raid translated into Spanish! The book was written by NHS tour guide Richard Waters and translated by NHS board member Anita Sasse. ![]()
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Funding was provided by the MN Humanities Center through the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act economic stabilization plan. Minnesota Humanities Center National Endowment for the Humanities #NEHcares #NEHGrant #historymatters
What Visitors Are Saying about the Northfield Historical Society
Visited with teenagers. They enjoyed the variety of explanations including a video orientation. Well done! Great restoration and presentation of a time after the Civil War when times were still turbulent.
Richard J., Gainesville, Georgia
We really enjoyed seeing this museum. They kept the actual bank part of it as it was when Jesse James and friends tried to abscond with the money. The film was very informative and we left feeling that we well understood what took place.
Kelly B.
Certainly worth the $5 admission…The young lady who walked us through the bank was a high school student who volunteers at the museum, She did a better job as a storyteller relating the events than many adults…
Three of the four of us [on the tour] are James historians, with one of us a person who works at the James Farm and two of us are James writers. We found the tour to be accurate and well done by our tour guide.
Elizabeth J. Lexington, Missouri
The Historical Society was very well done. There was a $5.00 entry fee and it was worth it. We watched a film on Jesse James and read more about him. It also had a room describing Malt o Meal. It’s worth the stop.
Via Trip Advisor
This is not your typical “any town” Historical Society Museum…