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 Exterior of the museum | |
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| Established | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1195 W Circle Dr, Rochester, Minnesota, US |
| Coordinates | 44°0′23″N92°30′36″W / 44.00639°N 92.51000°W |
| Type | Local history |
| Executive director | Wayne Gannaway |
| Website | olmstedhistory.com |
The History Center of Olmsted County (HCOC) is a non-profit organization located in Rochester, Minnesota, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of Olmsted County. Founded in 1926 as the Olmsted County Historical Society. [1] [2]
The HCOC operates a museum with permanent and temporary exhibits that explore the rich history of Olmsted County, from the lives of its earliest inhabitants to the rise of Rochester as a global healthcare center. [3]
Beyond the museum walls, the HCOC offers a range of educational programs for all ages. School tours explore various historical themes, while lecture series delve deeper into specific topics. Family-friendly events and workshops provide opportunities for hands-on learning and engagement with history. [4] [5]
The History Center of Olmsted County (HCOC) curates a unique annual event called the "Creepy Doll Contest." Launched in 2019, the contest taps into the public's fascination with the unsettling. Staff delve into the HCOC's collection of over 100 antique dolls, selecting particularly eerie specimens. These dolls are then showcased on social media, with the public voting for the creepiest one. The contest has garnered national attention. [6] [7]
The HCOC houses a comprehensive research library and archives, containing over 600,000 items related to Olmsted County and southeastern Minnesota. These resources include maps, photographs, diaries, journals, books, and archival materials. These resources are available for researchers and genealogists. HCOC staff provides research assistance and offers educational programs on genealogical research methods.
In addition to the museum and archives, the HCOC operates and maintains several Olmsted County historic sites:
Constructed in 1862 by Irish immigrant William Dee and neighbors, the cabin faced destruction in 1911. Saved by the Rochester DAR, it was donated to Mayo Park in honor of W.W. Mayo. After again falling into disrepair, it was moved to the Olmsted County Historical Society in 1961 and was reconstructed in 1986. [8]
The Hadley Valley Schoolhouse, built in 1885 in Haverhill township near Rochester, accommodated both boys and girls until 1957. A new brick building was constructed to accommodate more students. The schoolteacher taught grades 1–8 to around 35 students, covering subjects like arithmetic, history, spelling, and geography. Electricity and an indoor bathroom were added in the 1930s. The schoolhouse was relocated to the fairgrounds in 1961 and then to the History Center in 1975, where it has been preserved. [9]
The George Stoppel Farmstead, acquired by the Olmsted County Historical Society in 1972, now stands as a registered national historic site, remembering the early pioneers and agricultural history of Southeast Minnesota. [10]
The seasonal tours of Mayowood offer a look into the lives of the Mayo family, founders of the Mayo Clinic. Built in 1910 by Dr. Charlie and Edith Mayo, this 23,000-square foot home in southeast Minnesota is a concrete construction marvel. Once a 3,300-acre estate, it now showcases original Mayo family artifacts reflecting their global travels and role as hosts to the community and VIP guests. Surrounded by a terrace overlooking the Zumbro River, botanical gardens, and an Oriental Tea House, the property is owned by Mayo Clinic and operated by the History Center of Olmsted County. [11]
The HCOC actively engages with the community through various programs and events. They participate in Museums for All, offering free admission to those receiving food assistance. Additionally, they host lectures, author talks, family-friendly events, and historical reenactments.
The History Center of Olmsted County serves as a vital resource for anyone interested in learning more about the rich history of Olmsted County. Through its collections, exhibits, and programs, the HCOC helps connect the past to the present, fostering a deeper understanding of the community's identity.
The organization was established in 1926 as the Olmsted County Historical Society. Their mission was to collect and safeguard historical artifacts, documents, and stories of Olmsted County. The fledgling organization initially operated out of the Rochester Public Library basement, opening its first museum space in 1940. [2]
In 1959, the HCOC acquired the Bethel English Lutheran Church building, offering a dedicated museum space. However, this location soon proved inadequate for the growing collection. Recognizing the need for a permanent home, the HCOC purchased land in southwest Rochester in 1972 and constructed a new museum building. [2]
The new museum facility, established in 1972, provided the HCOC with the space necessary to expand its collections, exhibits, and educational programs. Over the years, the HCOC has continued to acquire and manage additional historical sites, including the William Dee Log Cabin (1862), Hadley Valley School House (one-room schoolhouse), and the George Stoppel Farmstead. [2]
In 2006, the Olmsted County Historical Society officially adopted the name History Center of Olmsted County to better reflect its broader mission. The HCOC remains a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors and supported by volunteers.
Olmsted County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population is 162,847. Its county seat and most populous city is Rochester.
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of Mayo Clinic.
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 7,300 physicians and scientists, along with another 66,000 administrative and allied health staff, across three major campuses: Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. The practice specializes in treating difficult cases through tertiary care and destination medicine. It is home to the top-15 ranked Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in addition to many of the highest regarded residency education programs in the United States. It spends over $660 million a year on research and has more than 3,000 full-time research personnel.
The Marion County Historical Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1969 located in Marion, Ohio, United States. In 1989, the Society acquired Marion's "U.S. Post Office," renaming it "Heritage Hall". This National Register building now serves as the Society's headquarters and museum that houses a collection of artifacts, photographs, and documents related to the county's history.
The Plummer Building in Rochester, Minnesota, is one of the many architecturally significant buildings on the Mayo Clinic campus. This new "Mayo Clinic" building, opened in 1928, added much needed space to the ever-expanding Mayo practice. The architect of record is Ellerbe & Co, now AECOM. It was the third building designed by the firm for the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic Buildings were listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and the Plummer Building was further designated as U.S. National Historic Landmark a week later, designated as Mayo Clinic Building.
The Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MCCMS), formerly known as Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (MCCM), is a private postgraduate-only research university based in Rochester, Minnesota, United States that trains physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals. The college is part of the Mayo Clinic academic medical center and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). MCCMS consists of five schools that offer M.D., Ph.D., and other degrees, as well as medical residencies, fellowships, and continuing medical education (CME).
On August 21, 1883, a devastating tornado affected southeastern portions—the Driftless Area—of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The massive tornado, retrospectively estimated to have been an F5 on the modern Fujita scale, caused at least 37 deaths and over 200 injuries. The tornado was part of a tornado family, a series of tornadoes produced by a supercell, that included at least two significant tornadoes across Southeast Minnesota on August 21. A third significant tornado occurred two hours before the main event hit Rochester. The Rochester tornado indirectly led to the formation of Saint Mary's Hospital, now part of the Mayo Clinic. The tornado closely followed destructive tornadoes a month earlier in the same area: on July 21, two significant, deadly tornadoes hit the area, including an F4 tornado family that killed four people in Dodge and Olmsted Counties, especially near Dodge Center.
The Dr. William W. Mayo House, located at 118 North Main Street in Le Sueur, Minnesota, United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It was built in 1859 by James Mayo and his brother, William Worrall Mayo who emigrated from Salford, United Kingdom, to the United States in 1846 and became a doctor. William's older son, William James Mayo was born in the home in 1861. William W. Mayo aided pioneers and their families during the Dakota War of 1862 and later moved to Rochester where he became the examining surgeon for the southern Minnesota Civil War draft board. He and his sons, William and Charles founded the 27-bed Saint Marys Hospital which opened in 1889 following the 1883 Rochester tornado. They later founded their namesake, the Mayo Clinic.
Abdul Jamil Tajik is a Pakistani American physician and medical investigator in the field of cardiovascular diseases. He is listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as a highly cited researcher – one of the top 250 researchers in his field in terms of number of citations.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Olmsted County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.
The George Stoppel Farmstead is a pioneer farm located just outside the western city limits of Rochester, Minnesota, United States. The farmstead is owned and operated by the History Center of Olmsted County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It was nominated for being one of the few surviving mid-19th-century farmsteads in the urbanizing Rochester in the Rochester metropolitan area, with an architecturally distinctive farmhouse and smokehouse.
The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) is a unique records-linkage research infrastructure that has existed since 1966, and allows for population-based medical research in Olmsted County, Minnesota and an expanded region of 27 counties in Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. The project has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1966. Specifically, the REP links medical data to unique persons across the many participating medical providers in the region. The project is a collaboration between Olmsted Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County Public Health Services, Mayo Clinic Health System, Zumbro Valley Health Center, and many other historical partners.
Adolph Biermann was an American farmer and politician.
The Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine (MCASOM), formerly known as Mayo Medical School (MMS), is a research-oriented medical school based in Rochester, Minnesota, with additional campuses in Arizona and Florida. MCASOM is a school within the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (MCCMS), the education division of the Mayo Clinic. It grants the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). In November 2018, the school was renamed in honor of a $200 million donation from businessman Jay Alix.
The Kandiyohi County Historical Society (KCHS) is a local history museum in Willmar, Minnesota, United States. Formerly known as the Old Settlers Association, it was founded in 1897 to "discover, preserve and share the story of Kandiyohi County and its people." The archives and Lawson research library are the principal sources used by KCHS staff, volunteers, and visitors to carry out this mission today and into the future. On average, the museum has 9,000 visitors annually.
The Renville County Historical Museum, located in Morton, Minnesota, is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of Renville County. The current main museum building was built in built in 1989 and is operated by the Renville County Historical Society, the museum offers visitors a glimpse into the county's past through a collection of artifacts, photographs, and exhibits.
The Washington County Historical Society (WCHS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1934. Its mission is to collect, preserve, and share the history of Washington County, Minnesota.
