Washington County Historical Society

Johnsdale Paranormal Group Program – 7PM
2022-10-22 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Warden’s House Museum, 602 Main Street North, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
In August, the Johnsdale Paranormal Group conducted their first investigation at the Warden’s House since 2019. What a night! After just a short time in the home, the group declared it to be “the most active night they have ever experienced.”

Come and find out what happened this year at the Warden’s House!
Click here to purchase your ticket for the 7PM program.
You will receive an email confirmation after completing your purchase. Please bring your email confirmation to the event, either on your phone or printed. If you do not receive an email confirmation or have questions, please contact us at 651-439-2298.

ArtReach Gallery Reception
2022-10-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Another gallery change from ArtReach St. Croix means another opportunity to chat with the artists! On October 23 from 2pm-4pm, artists from the current show at the Washington County Heritage Center will be on hand to discuss their pieces before a new show moves in. This is your chance to discuss artistic process and inspiration with these talented locals! The event is free and light refreshments will be served.

"The World's Greatest Showmen" - The Ringling Brothers Story with curator Jennifer Cronk from Circus World
2022-10-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Lions, tigers, bears, and…Washington County? Find out what the connection is between the St. Croix Valley and the big top with a presentation by Jennifer Cronk, curator of Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Sons of an itinerant harness maker, the Ringling Bros. learned a lot about perseverance during their childhoods in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. They developed a love of entertaining and ambitiously formed a circus in 1884. Learn how self-discipline and determination helped the Ringling Bros. succeed beyond their wildest dreams while bringing The World’s Greatest Show to the masses.

Arcola Mills 175th Anniversary Party
2022-10-30 12:00 - 14:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States

Flashlight Tours at the Warden's House
2022-10-31 08:00 - 17:00 | Warden’s House Museum, 602 Main Street North, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Back for 2022! Our tour guides are very excited to take you through our favorite House for spooky season.

Tours are at 4pm, 5:30pm and 7:00pm.

Price: $8/adults, $3/children ages 6-17. Tickets available day-of on a first come, first served basis.

Site Manager Julianne O’Connell will present a PowerPoint that is about 10 minutes long to set the mood for the tours that evening.

Private Event: Gateway Brown's Creek Trail Association
2022-11-03 18:00 - 21:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States

Warden's House Winter Cleaning Party
2022-11-04 09:00 - 13:00, 2022-11-06 09:00 - 13:00, 2022-11-11 09:00 - 13:00, 2022-12-05 09:00 - 13:00, 2022-12-09 09:00 - 13:00, 2022-12-11 09:00 - 13:00, 2022-12-16 09:00 - 13:00 | Warden’s House Museum, 602 Main Street North, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
TLC the Warden’s Winter Cleaning Parties! Join Warden House site manager Julianne to help clean the Warden’s Home. November 4th, 6th, 11th, 20th and December 5th, 9th, 11th, 16th.

On each date, we’ll pick one of the original rooms to clean. Coffee and hot chocolate will be provided and all cleaning materials will be provided.

Christmas Pictures at Hay Lake School
2022-11-05 12:00 - 16:00 | Hay Lake School, 14020 195th St N, Marine on St. Croix, MN, 55047

Private Event: River Market Community Co-Op Board Meeting
2022-11-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States

Lolek Homeschool Group - Stillwater
2022-11-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States

St. Croix Valley Civil War Round Table Program
2022-11-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Scott Mingus, award-winning author of more than a dozen books on the American Civil War and Underground Railroad, will be discussing “Wargaming Gettysburg” from 7-8 p.m. at the November 14 meeting of the St. Croix Valley Civil War Round Table. His talk is open to the public.
Learn more about the St. Croix Valley Civil War Round Table at: https://www.scvcwrt.org/

Private Event: We Can Change the World (WCCW)
2022-11-16 18:45 - 20:45 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States

Annual WCHS Christmas Book Sale & Author Day
2022-12-03 12:00 - 16:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – our Annual WCHS Christmas Book Sale & Author Day!

Featured authors include: Brian Casey, Ryan Gale, Gary Goodman, Nancy Goodman, Chris Nelson, Brent Peterson, Naomi Purves-Adams, Gloria VanDemmeltraadt, George Schire, and Jon & Candy Severson.

Bill McCarthy Poetry Book Launch
2023-01-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Bill McCarthy is releasing a new book of poetry! To celebrate and launch the new pieces, he is hosting a book release event at the Washington County Heritage Center. Bill plans to have a musician perform as well as readings from his book. Light refreshments and coffee will be served. The new book will be available for purchase at the event.

How Fur Traders Shaped Minnesota, Literally!
2023-01-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Herb Reckinger Jr. of the South Washington Heritage Society gives a talk about fur trading and the North West Company. Why does Minnesota’s northeastern border slant down? NWC was responsible for defining Minnesota’s current day border as well as exploration and settlement of Canada/northern parts of the United States. Additionally, Herb will give details on the fierce competition between NWC and their rivals, Hudson’s Bay Company.

"Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida" with author Anne Hanson
2023-01-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
When Anne Hanson’s dad first asked her to investigate the secret past of his parents, little did she know what she was getting into. For two decades, despite all her digging, she failed to unearth even the tiniest speck of evidence that the families of her grandparents, Frank and Ida Hanson, had ever existed. If her quest were a detective novel, its title would have been, “The Case of the Missing Ancestors.”
Finally, Anne unearthed her grandparents’ true identities and the secrets they took their graves. Journeying into an early twentieth century drama of pain and heartache, she solved a mystery from an era when a young couple, thwarted by social conventions, could simply vanish and create new lives. They radically altered their family destiny, with aftereffects that reverberated for generations.
Yet “Buried Secrets: Looking for Frank and Ida” is, ultimately, a love story. When she learned the truth of her grandparents’ past, Anne comprehended the true depth of their love. Buried Secrets also illuminates the love between a dad and the daughter who gave him answers he had longed for his entire life.
Anne will be presenting her program virtually, but event attendees may attend in-person at the Heritage Center or virtually over Zoom (see link below to register for Zoom).
Author Anne Hanson
About the Author:
Anne Hanson has written for the Boston Globe and numerous newspapers, as well as for corporate publications and the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s American Ancestors magazine. A Wesleyan University graduate, she grew up in suburban Philadelphia. Anne lives with her husband in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Annual Winter Ice Cream Social
2023-01-28 12:00 - 16:00 | MN
The Annual Winter Ice Cream Social will be held on Saturday, January 28th from noon to 4pm in North Lowell Park near Mulberry Point. Generous partners include: Leo’s Grill & Malt Shop, Lift Bridge Brewery and The Daily Grind Espresso Café! Free ice cream, bonfire and a chance to visit with your neighbors you haven’t seen since the first snowfall!

Our tent will be set up in Lowell Park near the Gazebo from 12pm-4pm for free ice cream, root beer floats and coffee. Chili will be available for $5 – cash only. And you can’t miss the incredible sculptures made from teams from AROUND THE WORLD for the World Snow Sculpting Championship 2023 put on through Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce and City of Stillwater, Minnesota – Local Government!

Black & White Movie Night: "The Kid" starring Charlie Chaplin
2023-02-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Black & White Movie Night is back at the Washington County Heritage Center! Retired university professor Steve Schroer will provide an introduction to the film.
About the movie: Chaplin’s first full-length feature is a silent masterpiece about a little tramp who discovers a little orphan and brings him up but is left desolate when the orphanage reclaims him. Chaplin directed, produced and starred in the film, as well as composed the score.

Found in the water: The John Jeremy Story
2023-02-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Over the course of history, families develop special skills such as blacksmithing, gold & silver smiths, plus many other occupations that are handed down through the generations. One family in Stillwater had a very unique talent that went through three generations until it was no longer used, and that was of finding of drowning victims. Learn about John Jeremy’s highly unusual employment with WCHS Executive Director Brent Peterson!

Native American Mounds History with Jon Quijano
2023-03-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Jon Quijano is an award-winning history documentary writer. His latest field research is taking place here in the St. Croix River Valley, gathering knowledge about the peoples who have called the valley home for thousands of years. This is a talk on his findings and his research process on a work in progress.

Stillwater's Most Infamous Madam
2023-03-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
WCHS Treasurer Tom Simonet gave a talk about Stillwater’s most infamous lady of the night Nellie “Red Nell” Mandeville. Red Nell became a businesswoman of sorts, hiring other area women to entertain male residents and visitors.
Red Nell’s appearance on the Police Register became as predicable as the sun setting. From August 1882 through July 1883, Nell was arrested ten times! Over this period, she paid $847 in fines but never spent one day in jail. She was charged for running a “house of ill fame.” Curiously, she was always arrested with a man named Mike Keogh, who was charged with the same crime. Red Nell’s colorful life weaves from her birthplace in Ohio in 1848 to her final resting place in Minnesota in 1888. Newspaper articles and history of other area madams show the difficulty of this high-risk lifestyle.

SOLD OUT WCHS Annual Meeting and Dinner
2023-03-23 17:30 - 19:30 | Stillwater Event Center, 1910 Greeley Street South, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
The WCHS Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Stillwater Event Center, located at 1910 S. Greeley Street in Stillwater (next door to the Heritage Center).
The doors open at 5:30 PM for a social hour preceding a dinner served at 6:30 PM. Award-winning caterer Todd Scheel Catering will cater the event. The annual meeting will start at 7:30 PM, with election of board members and an update on the Society’s activities.
Following the short business meeting, photographer Doug Ohman will speak about “Vanishing Landmarks”
Cost of the dinner and program is $25 for WCHS members and $30 for non-members, payable at the door. The public is invited and welcome, but reservations must be made. To reserve call 651-439-2298 or email emily.krawczewski@wchsmn.org.
Want to become a WCHS member? Click here to become a member!

"Winter’s Children: A Celebration of Nordic Skiing" with author Ryan Rodgers
2023-03-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Author Ryan Rodgers presents on his book “Winter’s Children: A Celebration of Nordic Skiing,” the story of Nordic skiing in the Midwest—its origins and history, its star athletes and races, and its place in the region’s social fabric and the nation’s winter recreation.
Winter’s Children traces Nordic skiing in the Midwest from its introduction in the late 1800s to its uncertain future in today’s changing climate. Generously illustrated, this is an engaging look at the earliest ski teams and touring clubs; the evolution of cross-country skis, gear, and fashion; and the ambitious effort to maintain a vast trail network across Minnesota’s state park system.

ZOOM INFO:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89932131389?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 899 3213 1389
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Surviving the Holocaust: Journey to a New World -- Why the Jews? with Ken Engel
2023-04-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Washington County Heritage Center, 1862 South Greeley St, Stillwater, MN, 55082, United States
Ken Engel’s parents survived the Holocaust. As a member of the Speakers Bureau of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas/Tolerance Minnesota, the JCRC Middle East Speakers Bureau, and other platforms, he’s given hundreds of presentations to school, college, municipal, synagogue, church, military, educator, industry and private groups, clubs and organizations about the Holocaust, his parents’ experiences during World War II, Israel, Judaism, and related subjects. He’s trained thousands of survivors, children and grandchildren of survivors, community activists and lay members on how to effectively and comfortably share their individual stories with a wide range of audiences.
Ken is Chair of CHAIM (Children of Holocaust Survivors Association in Minnesota), a Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area 150-strong member group of children (second generation, a.k.a 2Gs), grandchild (third generation, a.k.a 3Gs), and other descendants and friends of Holocaust survivors.

He is a member of the governing Coordinating Council of Generations of the Shoah International (GSI), a U.S.-based group of Jewish leaders of Second Generation and other Holocaust-related organizations. GSI networks and shares information and resources on the Holocaust and related issues with Holocaust survivor families, organizations and institutions worldwide via GSI’s monthly e-newsletter and on GSI’s website, www.genshoah.org.

GSI also advocates for the interests of survivors. GSI has more than 25,000 members on six continents and is the largest Holocaust survivor family organization in the world. His close, long-term participation in GSI — which has included speaker training and conducting educational efforts across the U.S. — has helped make him a more effective speaker on these subjects.

An attorney in private practice in downtown Minneapolis, Ken and his sweet wife live in Minneapolis’ Bryn Mawr neighborhood, and have happily welcomed their first three grandchildren — all bright and beautiful, of course!
The program is free to the public and no reservations are required. Event attendees may attend either in person at the Washington County Heritage Center or virtually on Zoom.

ZOOM INFO
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvfuuorz8vHtQzEU3UXaivtzd407VxnPsW
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Meeting passcode: [REDACTED]
