Washington County Heritage Center

Black & White Movie Night is back! This time we present three classic short subjects: two featuring Mabel Normand, the Queen of Silent Film Comedy, and one in which Buster Keaton plays dozens of characters. Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle also make appearances. Be prepared to spend an hour laughing! Actress Mabel Normand from Ziegfeld. […]

WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN?  On April 2, 2024 at 6:30pm wrestling historian and author George Schire returns to the Washington County Heritage Center to share the identities and stories of wrestling's mystery men.   In the old territory days of professional wrestling, there was a highly populated city called, "Parts Unknown".  It couldn't be found on […]

    This event is a celebration of the new exhibit designed by Gammelgården Museum of Scandia at the Heritage Center, all about handwork and winter crafts. This exhibit won't be here forever, so see it while it lasts!

Orphan Train in Minnesota The hidden story of the orphan train movement in Minnesota will be explained from its beginnings to its climax. Approximately 5,000-6,000 children were sent to Minnesota via the orphan trains, nearly half of whom arrived between1882 and 1892. Become acquainted with the personalities, both locally and nationally, who initiated the largest […]

Lovness Estate in Grant, Minnesota  Local resident Lonnie Lovness will present the story of her parents Don and Virginia Lovness, who built two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes by hand just west of Stillwater.  At the age of four she carried small rocks in a bucket to help as her parents labored long hours, and when […]

  A classic! Settle into the Washington County Heritage Center for a showing of "His Girl Friday" (1940), a screwball comedy starring Cary Grant.   Grant stars as Walter Burns, a workaholic editor for a New York newspaper. Walter’s ex-wife Hildy (Rosalind Russell), a star reporter for the paper, enters his office and not only […]

Tonight’s feature is one of the greatest of all silent comedies. Safety Last is the film in which Harold Lloyd hangs from a clock face and performs breathtaking stunts, high above the street below. If you’ve never seen it, this is your chance!

Join us Saturday, August 3rd anytime from 9am – 12pm for Lawns to Legumes Garden Tour Day!  We are building a pollinator garden at the Washington County Heritage Center through a grant generously awarded by Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water. For the tour, we will be sharing info about the garden plans and […]

Are you interested in family history but are not sure where to start? Getting Started in Genealogy will show you how to ask the right questions, find and evaluate sources, use tools such as DNA, and organize and share your findings. Amanda leads a one-hour introduction to genealogy full of stories, laughter, and fun with helpful […]

Photo by Louis M via TripAdvisor Herb Reckinger Jr. presents on the Rock Island Bridge, a swing bridge with lots of history located in Inver Grove Heights! About the event: The Rock Island Bridge was a swing bridge connecting Inver Grove Heights in Dakota County to Washington County at St Paul Park and Newport. The […]

WCHS is AWESOMELY excited to host a program by Angie Hong, author of "Exploring the St. Croix River Valley: Adventures on and off the Water" and creator/host of the page "MN Nature Awesomeness" on Instagram and Tik Tok. Books will be available for purchase at the event or online now at the WCHS Store.  About […]

Pampero Firpo MARK YOUR CALENDARS for Thursday September 12th!  Our resident professional wrestling author and historian George Schire will be on hand from 6:00 to 8:00pm to share the "AWA's GREATEST HEELS!".     Will your (not so) favorite bad guy be included in the discussion?  And were they really as bad and evil as they […]