Sherburne History Center Blog

“… land is the only thing in the world worth workin’ for, worth fightin’ for, worth dyin’ for, because it’s the only thing that lasts. ”---Gerald O’Hara in Gone With the Wind Having lived and worked in Atlanta , Georgia for more than 15 years, it is expected that I would know the story Gone With the Wind very well.   Recently the quote from Gerald O’Hara came into my mind as I was thinking about the Sherburne County century Farm Program The land, and ownership of the land, is so important.   I have written in the past about the variety of crops grown on the farms of Sherburne County .   Living on the land and growing the corn, the soybeans, the potatoes and all of the other crops that are raised in this area is truly a mind boggling concept. To even further confound the mind, think about the farm families that have lived on the same piece of land, and worked the land for more than one hundred years.   That is even more astounding! We don’t do enough to ackno...

These are tough economic times.   The legislature struggles to close a 6 billion dollar deficit, job market continues to look dreary, gas prices continue to rise; and to make matters worse it is cold outside!   Yet, in spite of all of this, we can take a look at some of the details of the past few years and count some victories. In the local history field, perhaps a significant success over the past two years has been the implementation of the Legacy Grants, which are officially known as the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.   In 2010 legacy grants were issue to 343 organizations throughout Minnesota .   In a report issued to the legislature by the Minnesota Historical Society, the estimates suggest that for every dollar spent through the Minnesota ACF, the return on investment was $1.95.   That means Minnesotans almost doubled their money on every dollar spent on cultural heritage in the state! The Sherburne History Center has been a benefici...

I was recently reminded back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was first running for the Presidency; the news reported a large sign in his campaign offices read: “It’s The Economy.”   Now, nearly twenty years later, the economy is still a big issue.   And, after reading 1936 copies of the Elk River Star News it becomes apparent that the economy is always in the news and always an important issue to consider in our local history. Back in January of 1936, a major headline in the newspaper reported that the federal government was preparing to pay World War I veterans a bonus for their service.   It was estimated in the paper, although probably too high, that some 300 veterans in Sherburne County would receive $180,000, about $600 each.   All of this came available as a result of the World War Adjustment Compensation Act of 1924.   Under that legislation, the federal government issued bonds to veterans that could be redeemed in 1945.   With the crisis of the Grea...

Programs are, as many people realize, important to the operations of museums and historical societies.   With the coming New Year, here at the Sherburne History Center , we have rededicated ourselves to creating new programs and providing more opportunities for the sharing of information about the county and the local history. In other words: program presentation is the name of the game for the coming year. And, we have started off pretty well.   In January, two programs of importance are the book signing of They Called Her Maria , described as a “wonderful example of life in the 1870s on the Minnesota frontier.”   Editors Herb and Corinne Murphy have spent the past two years transcribing and editing the diaries and letters of Hannah Maria Nutting Benham Knapp.   We are happy to present the published work here at the Sherburne History Center .   The book signing is scheduled for 12 January between 11 am and 1 pm. Later in the month, an introductory cours...

I want to take a moment and wish everyone a happy holiday season and at the same time look forward to an exciting New Year.   Here at the Sherburne History Center , we have had a good year in 2010 and we are looking forward to many interesting new events in 2011.   We have already scheduled a series of genealogy programs to continue through June.   In addition we have a book signing scheduled in January and a Poetry reading in February. In order to continue with the exciting programs we have scheduled, we need your help.   As the New Year begins, please consider donating to the Sherburne History Center .   Your donations will be used to create more interesting and exciting programs and build collections and resources for both the museum and library. In addition, if you have any ideas, suggestions or comments you want to share with us, please feel free to contact us.   We are always happy to hear from you. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a Hap...

            This past week I had the pleasure of presenting several farms in Sherburne County with their Century Farm designations.   As part of the program, I conduct a bit of preliminary research in order to introduce the farms.   An interesting detail came to light: in the late 1920s, tobacco was a significant crop in Sherburne County .   Think about this, a crop that is so closely associated with Southern farming, and a crop that is very labor intensive, and depletes the land so quickly, was introduced into Minnesota in the 1920s.             I find the fact that tobacco was even grown in Minnesota to be remarkable.   Even more interesting is the total production of the crop.   In 1928, for the state more than 1.2 million pounds of tobacco was grown.   In two short years, that number had doubled to 2.9 million pounds.   I haven’t yet ...

            The holidays often translate into family, friends, and a great deal of activity.   Yes, we are all busy visiting, catching-up with relatives and sharing the joy of the day.   In spite of the hectic holiday, the coming festivities offer a unique opportunity for every genealogist and family historian.   NOW IS THE TIME TO COLLECT THOSE ORAL HISTORIES!               For the uninitiated, all upper case letters means I am shouting at you.   I want to get your attention so that you will think about this idea.             With the electronic capabilities of inexpensive digital recorders, anyone can capture an oral history.   Anyone can sit down with old Aunt Sally, or Grandma, or even Dad, and ask about growing up on the old homestead.   Or, what was Thanksgiving like back when you wer...