The Washington County Historical Society serves as a historical umbrella for the county’s history organizations and acts as a community resource for individuals and organizations seeking historical information. The Society:about us wash_county_collage

  • provides educational programs to schools and to the public,
  • assists researchers to document their own, county, and state history,
  • provides expertise to help community groups conserve collections and produce exhibits,
  • investigates and publishes county history,
  • collects and preserves cultural artifacts and documents for future generations, and
  • showcases county history through exhibits and displays throughout the county.
  • provides educational programs to schools and to the public,
  • assists researchers to document their own, county, and state history,
  • provides expertise to help community groups conserve collections and produce exhibits,
  • investigates and publishes county history,
  • collects and preserves cultural artifacts and documents for future generations, and
  • showcases county history through exhibits and displays throughout the county.

WCHS works with other community groups to facilitate local discussions on history and provide advertising and networking for each other’s projects. The ultimate goal is to provide the opportunity for all county residents to learn about and enjoy their area’s history and build a sense of community heritage.

Our History

Founded April 11, 1934, the Washington County Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational institution with about 700 members. There are two membership meetings held annually during the late summer and late winter. The society operates three museum sites. The society’s research library has been growing since that first meeting in 1934. It is housed in the reconstructed carriage house behind the Warden’s House Museum. The WCHS endowment fund was established in 1984 to provide a source of funding for everyday administrative and operating expenses.

In the early years of the society, the membership meetings were held at the Stillwater Public Library. The first society president was Edward E. Bloomquist, who was also the county school superintendent. The first donation to the society was the book History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley by Warner and Foote.

In 1941, the Society purchased the Warden’s House Museum in Stillwater from the state. It is one of the state’s oldest buildings as well as its second oldest continuously operating house museum. The Society leased the Hay Lake School for a museum in 1974 and purchased it from the Forest Lake school district in 1978. The school’s neighbor, the Johannes Erickson Log House, was donated to the Society in the early 1980s, moved to the site and restored. All three buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic family-owned Boutwell Cemetery west of Stillwater was purchased in 1978.

In 1996 the Society reconstructed the Carriage House that originally stood behind the Warden’s House. In 2001 climate control was added and the textile collection and archives were moved into the new facility.

The Society’s latest museum is the new Washington County Heritage Center on Greeley Street in Stillwater, Minnesota. 16 years in the making, the new Heritage Center represents the rich and dynamic history of all towns and areas in Washington County. Visit the site page for more information. 

Statement of Purpose

The general purpose and plan of operation of the Washington County Historical Society shall be to investigate and study the history of the County of Washington and the State of Minnesota; to provide for the collection, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge and information with reference thereto; to provide for the collection and preservation of papers, books, records, relics, and other things of historical interest; to display such materials in appropriate museums and exhibits; to acquire, hold, own, operate, and provide for the marking and preservation of historic sites and buildings; to publish any and all materials which shall bear upon the history of this county and state.

Board of Directors

A board of eleven directors selected from the membership, three of whom are elected to three-year terms each year, governs the Society.

Directors take an active part in Society operations and provide, as volunteers, such services as budgeting and monitoring finances, fundraising and grant writing, setting goals and organizational policy, hiring and evaluating employees, setting and monitoring collections policy, and representing the Society at community events. The current directors are:

  • Dave Lindsey, President, Cottage Grove
  • Ryan Collins, Vice President, Stillwater
  • Karlene McComb, Secretary, Stillwater
  • June Eagleton, Marine on St. Croix
  • Holly Fitzenberger,  Stillwater
  • Dennis Glock, Stillwater
  • Sheila Hause, May Twp
  • Rick Hodsdon, Stillwater
  • Angie Noyes, White Bear Lake
  • Tom Simonet, Treasurer, May Twp
  • Karen Ukura, Hugo