Director's Blog

This Thursday, February 25, at the Northfield High School Auditorium HARVEST, a documentary film by Paul Krause will premiere.

The film chronicles the creation of Ray Jacobson’s sculpture of the same title. From the initial drawings to the final installation and dedication on the Cannon Riverfront, the documentary reveals the story of every step required to craft the three thousand pound, bronze sculpture.

The screen production shows how the artist’s passion and vision are complemented by the work of highly-skilled art foundry staff and by the commitment and support of the entire Northfield community.

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the film showing at 7:30, the event is free and open to the public.

Join Jeff Sauve, editor of Pioneer Women: Voices of Northfield’s Frontier (1856-1876), on Thursday, Feb. 18, 6-7:30 p.m. at Northfield Historical Society as he explains how his initial interest ignited the idea to publish on this specific topic. Sauve will explore the process of research and writing, particularly shaping the material for this book. The event free and open to the public. No reservations required. Copies of Pioneer Women will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served.  For more information please call us at 507-645-9268 or email us.

Thanks to the new DJJD Secretary, Jessica Green, we have 114 more photos of our trip to Rapid City.

Enjoy!

Here are the photos from the James-Younger Gang’s 2010 trip to Rapid City.  I am waiting for some other photos to come in and will post them when I get them.

Here is a video of the James-Younger Gang on top of Crazy Horse.

James-Younger Gang on top of Crazy Horse from Hayes Scriven on Vimeo.

Tomorrow morning I will be heading out with the James-Younger Gang to Rapid City South Dakota to help open the Black Hills Stock Show.  You can follow the trip on the NHS Facebook page and Twitter, I will be posting photos and videos throughout the whole trip. You can see the photographs from last years trip in the slideshow below.  I will also be following what the NDDC’s Ross Currier calls the Defeat of  Jesse James Days Marketing Plan, by wearing nothing but Northfield related shirts and hats; like the Northfield hat that is below (that you can purchase in the NHS Museum Store), to promote Northfield to our South Dakota friends!

Last night about 40 people attended the official opening of the new NHS exhibit, The Northfield Arts Guild: Looking Back while Moving Forward.  A big thank you must go out to Ann Moesy, Steve Lawler, Mryna Johnson, Bob and Martha Davies for all of their hard work!  The exhibit will run through April.  You can see the slideshow of photos below.

This Thursday, January 21 NHS will open a new exhibit on the 50 year history of the Northfield Arts Guild.  This exhibit was developed in collaboration with the Arts Guild (NAG) and highlights many of NAG’s events and people throughout their first 50 years!  The exhibit is loaded with photos and artifacts representing NAG’s history.  Their will be an open house on Thursday January 21 at 6:00 p.m. at the Northfield Historical Society.  For more information you can call us at 507-645-9268 or email us.

NHS is back to our normal hours! You can see the hours in the side bar to your right.  If you have not been to NHS in a while, you should come by and take a look the new layout and maybe pick up a book or two!

On January 21st, NHS will open the new exhibit “The Northfield Arts Guild at 50: Looking back while Moving Forward.”  The reception will be from 6-8 p.m. and refreshments will be served! More information to come on this event!

The Northfield Historical Society will be closed December 31 and January 1.  We will be open on January 2; however, we will be closed from January 5 through January 10 for painting.  If you have any questions about our hours please call us at 507-645-9268 or email us.

As the year is coming to close I would like to share this winter photo with you all.  This is downtown Northfield in the winter of 1941 or 1942.  The photograph came from the Fran Hall Collection, which is part of the NHS photograph collection.

NHS will be closed on December 24 and 25.  We will be open on December 26.

NHS will also be closed on December 31 and January 1.  We will be open on January 2.  If you have any questions concerning our hours please call us at 507-645-9268 or email us.

If you are looking to make a year-end donation, do not forget about NHS.  We have installed a new easy to use "Donate Now" button on the right side your screen.  Click on the button and you will make your donation through GiveMN.org.  100% of your donation will go to support NHS. 

If you are looking for last minute gift ideas, do not forget about the NHS Museum Store, we are you destination for Northfield related items.  Some featured items are

Pioneer Women: Voices of Northfield's Frontier, Caught in the Storm, and NHS memberships make great gifts as well! 

Thank you all for your support this year and happy holidays!

With the snow expected to continue into the evening, I thought I would post one of my favorite winter photos from the NHS collection.

Enjoy!

Jeff Sauve, editor of the Northfield Historical Society’s first booklet in the Northfield History Series will be signing copies of  “Pioneer Women: Voices of Northfield’s Frontier (1856-1876),” in the NHS Gift Shop during Winter Walk, Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m.

This booklet offers readers a glimpse of Northfield before and up to the infamous attempted bank raid by the James-Younger Gang in 1876. It also gives voice to four industrious, adventuresome and courageous individuals: Esther Wood, Emily Willey Skinner, Emma North Messer and Fannie Ames Loyhed. Copies of the booklet are for sale in the Gift Shop and online.

Sauve, who serves as associate archivist at St. Olaf College, spent the past 18 months researching and preparing the manuscript. With permission from the Northfield News, three pioneer accounts published from 1915-1935 in the Northfield News and the former
Northfield Independent are reprinted with extensive notes. Additionally Sauve discovered Messer’s previously unknown account published in a defunct San Francisco magazine from the early 1920s.

“Women’s voices have largely been silent in local histories of a century or more ago. Rarely extolled for their own achievements or perseverance, pioneer women are more often identified with the accomplishments of their fathers or husbands. That is the case, too, with the women whose observations are featured here: They were known first and foremost as the wife of a sod-busting farmer (Wood), the wife of a prominent merchant (Skinner), the daughter of the founder of Northfield (Messer), and the daughter of  the mill owner (Loyhed),” Sauve explains.

They were much more than that, however—as their firsthand accounts demonstrate. Paying exquisite attention to everyday detail, the stories offer clear and charming perspectives on pioneer life along the Cannon River, such as: Esther Wood recalled arriving in Northfield in 1856: ‘There is no road; do you know where you are going?’ He said, ‘I am following some blazed trees.’ I did not know what that meant, so, as I did not allow my husband to know anything that I did not know, I insisted upon an explanation.’

Understanding Northfield’s past and interpreting its meaning for future generations has been a mission of the NHS since 1975. Recognizing the goals of this publication series, the family of the late Barbara A. Will has bequeathed her memorial funds to assist in publishing this and future booklets in the history series. She and her husband, Robert Will, were both instrumental in NHS’ founding and strongly support NHS’ mission. The advent of the Northfield History Series will provide readers a richer comprehension of
people and events that have shaped our community’s history.

The Northfield Historical Society will be closed on November 26 and 27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  We will re-open on November 28.  If you have any questions please call us at 507-645-92678.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The 2009, NHS Auction was amazing!  Everyone came dressed in their best 1920's outfit, and a fun time was had by all.  A big THANK YOU, to everyone that came out in support of NHS!  Here is a slidehow of photos from that night and you can see more photos on Locally Grown!