$380,000+ in Legacy Small Grants Support History Projects Across Minnesota

Jun 22, 20180

The Minnesota Historical Society announces 45 recipients of 50 Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grants ($10,000 and less), totaling $387,728 in 26 counties.

Small grants are awarded quarterly to help nonprofit and educational organizations, government units and tribal organizations preserve and share Minnesota history. This cycle of awards was approved by the MNHS Executive Council on May 25.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008. The Legacy Amendment supports efforts to preserve Minnesota land, water and legacy, including Minnesota history and cultural heritage.

Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Small Grant Recipients

Recipients of small grants ($10,000 and less) from the April 2018 cycle are listed in alphabetical order below. Each project will preserve and enhance Minnesota’s cultural and historical resources. All grants are competitive and are awarded according to program guidelines and criteria and professional standards.

Afton Historical Society and Museum, Afton, $9,688

Replace Smoke and Fire Detection System: To hire qualified technicians to upgrade Afton Historical Society's smoke and fire detector system.

Aitkin County Historical Society, Aitkin, $895

StEPs Assessment Program: To provide Aitkin County Historical Society with professional continuing education through a national museum training program.

Carleton College, Northfield, $6,700

Design and Print Publication, Carleton 1968: To hire qualified professionals to publish an essay on the history of Carleton College in 1968.

Charles E. Gagnon Museum and Sculpture Garden, Rochester, $4,273

General Conservation Assessment and Long-Range Preservation Plan: To hire a qualified museum consultant to conduct a general preservation needs assessment survey and long-range collections preservation plan.

Citizens for Global Solutions Minnesota, Minneapolis, $9,500

Minnesota United Nations History: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of the United Nations in Minnesota.

City of Henning, $10,000

Trinity Lutheran Church Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the Trinity Lutheran Church building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, $10,000

Water Works Interpretive & Wayfinding Signage: To hire qualified professionals to produce design and construction documents for interpretive and wayfinding signage for Water Works, a Minneapolis park.

City of Ogilvie, $10,000

Water Tower Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the Ogilvie water tower, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

City of Winona, $7,500

Winona Athletic Club National Register Evaluation: To hire qualified consultants to evaluate the Winona Athletic Club for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

Clarissa Community Museum, Clarissa, $7,994

Planning for Redesign of Museum Lighting: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Cook County Historical Society, Grand Marais, $9,035

Research the Influence of Jack Linklater on Sigurd Olson: To hire a qualified professional to research and write an essay on Jack Linklater's influence on author and environmentalist Sigurd Olson.

Dassel Area Historical Society, Dassel, $7,500

Photo Accession and Digitizing: To digitize a collection of photographs, allowing for greater public access to this historic resource.

Edina Morningside Community Church, Edina, $7,900

Edina Morningside Community Church CMPP [Collections Management Policy and Procedure] and Archives Survey: To hire professionals to assess and write a collections plan for a historically significant collection, which will allow greater public access to this resource.

Ethnic Dance Theatre Inc., Minneapolis, $9,823

Archive Project: To hire a qualified professional to assess the archival collections held by Ethnic Dance Theatre.

Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Little Falls, $7,125

Franciscan Sisters History Book: To hire qualified professionals to publish a book on the history of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, 1950-present.

Friends of Linden Hill Inc., Little Falls, $9,500

Update National Register Nomination: To hire a qualified historian to complete an updated nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for Linden Hill (Charles Weyerhaeuser and Richard Musser Houses).

Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society, Fridley, $9,961

Phase I Survey of the Madeira Schooner-Barge: To hire a qualified archaeologist to conduct a survey of the Madeira schooner-barge.

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Minneapolis, $4,867

Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, $5,296

More Room for Shelving: To provide appropriate storage materials for museum collections.

International Institute of Minnesota, St. Paul, $2,200

Structured Content on MNopedia: To create entries about the International Institute of Minnesota and Festival of Nations for the MNopedia project for online research.

Inver Hills Community College Foundation, Inver Grove Heights, $9,955

Community and Technical Colleges History Manuscript: To hire qualified professionals to produce a manuscript on the history of community and technical colleges in Dakota County.

Kittson County Historical Society, Lake Bronson, $9,879

Acquire Microfilm Reader/Printer/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Listening Point Foundation, Ely, $6,050

Online Tour of Listening Point: To hire qualified professionals to develop a script and preliminary video for an upcoming online tour of Sigurd Olson’s Listening Point property and writing shack.

Maritime Heritage Minnesota, St. Paul, $9,996

Lake Minnetonka Nautical Archaeology Project, Anomaly Assessment & Sonar: To conduct a marine archaeology investigation of anomalies found in Lake Minnetonka.

Milaca Area Historical Society, Milaca, $9,879

Acquire Microfilm Reader/Printer/Scanner: To purchase a microfilm reader/printer/scanner to make microfilmed records more accessible to the public.

Mille Lacs County Historical Society, Princeton, $8,164

Planning for Redesign of Museum Lighting: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Minnesota Architectural Foundation, Minneapolis, $9,500

Minnesota Women in Architecture FAIA Oral History: To document in 10 oral history interviews the history of Minnesota women architects who have achieved FAIA (College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects) status.

Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum, Bloomington, $9,081

We Won’t Go! (And We Don’t Want You To Go, Either) Oral History: To document in 10 oral history interviews the history of Vietnam War draft board raiders and draft resisters in Minnesota.

Mower County Historical Society, Austin, $7,947

Lyle Oral History Phase III, Lyle Beyond the City: To document in 10 oral history interviews the history of Lyle, Minnesota and surrounding communities.

Nobles County Historical Society, Worthington, $9,313

Acquire Primary Resources on Microfilm: To add 103 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

North Central Minnesota Farm and Antique Association, Grand Rapids, $10,000

Repair Boiler in 1903 J.I. Case Steam Traction Engine: To hire a qualified professional to repair a significant object in the museum’s collections.

Northfield Historical Society, Northfield, $9,940

Latino Oral History Project: To document in 10 oral history interviews the history of the Latino population in Northfield.

Olmsted County Historical Society, Rochester, $5,070

Rochester State Hospital Closure - Story and Impact Oral History: To document in oral history interviews the history of the closure of the Rochester State Hospital.

Olmsted County Historical Society, Rochester, $8,294

Planning for Redesign of Exhibit and Collection Space Lighting: To hire a qualified museum lighting professional to develop a museum lighting plan.

Ramsey County Historical Society, St. Paul, $9,902

Digitization of 8mm and 16mm Films, a VHS Tape and U-matic Video Tapes to Digital Files: To digitize a collection of archival video recordings, allowing for greater public access to these historic resources.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies), Minneapolis, $10,000

The U.S.-Dakota Conflict in Minnesota's Newspapers Educator Engagement: To create updated curriculum on the U.S.-Dakota War for use in Minnesota classrooms.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Duluth, Writing Studies Department), Duluth, $3,000

Awareness, Reconciliation and Change: A History of Antiracist Activism in Duluth, MN: To document in 8-9 oral history interviews the history of antiracist community activists in Duluth.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (Glensheen), Duluth, $10,000

Stained Glass Conservation on Main Staircase Landing: To hire a qualified conservator to restore a significant object in the museum’s collections.

Regents of the University of Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press), Minneapolis, $10,000

Files Survey: To hire a qualified professional to assess the archival collections held by the University of Minnesota Press.

Springfield Area Historical Society, Springfield, $6,000

HVAC Evaluation 2018: To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the museum environment.

St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, $6,543

General Conservation Assessment & Long-Range Preservation Plan: To hire a qualified museum consultant to conduct a general preservation needs assessment survey and long-range collections preservation plan.

St. Cloud State University Department of Anthropology, St. Cloud, $10,000

Detecting the 1862 U.S. Military Post at Sauk Centre: To locate the material remains of a U.S. military post built at Sauk Centre during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

St. Louis County Historical Society, Duluth, $2,792

PEM2 Dataloggers for Preservation Monitoring: To monitor, assess and make necessary changes to environmental controls at museum sites.

St. Louis Park Historical Society, St. Louis Park, $2,997

Acquire Primary Sources on Microfilm, Phase III: To add 37 rolls of microfilmed newspapers to make primary records more accessible to the public.

St. Olaf College, Northfield, $9,980

The History of Japanese-American College Students in Minnesota During WWII: To hire a qualified historian to research the history of Japanese-American college students during World War II in Minnesota, 1941-1946.

Todd County, Long Prairie, $10,000

Rock Wall Condition Assessment: To hire a qualified architect to conduct a condition assessment of the Todd County Courthouse rock wall, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

White Bear Lake Area Historical Society, White Bear Lake, $3,389

White Bear Town Hall Architect Research: To conduct primary source research to determine whether Cass Gilbert was the White Bear Town Hall architect.

White Earth Reservation Tribal Council, White Earth, $10,000

Installation of Window Film to Protect Cultural Items for Generations to Come: To improve lighting conditions in the museum by installing UV window film.

Winona County Historical Society, Winona, $4,500

Engaging Winona County Residents in Exhibit Development: To hire a qualified consultant to engage the community in exhibit development for Winona County Historical Society.

Wright County Historical Society, Buffalo, $5,800

Evaluation of Building Mechanical (HVAC) Systems: To hire a qualified and experienced HVAC engineer to evaluate how well the current system controls the museum environment.

About Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants

The Minnesota Historical Society received a legislative appropriation of $11 million for the 2018-2019 biennium for the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (“Legacy”) Grants: $4,500,000 for FY2018 and $6,500,000 for FY2019.

Grants are available for history and historic preservation projects in two tiers. Small grants of $10,000 or less are awarded quarterly. The next small grant application deadlines are July 13 and Oct. 12, 2018. All grants are administered through a competitive process using professional standards and criteria.

For more information on the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants program, including application deadlines, visit legacy.mnhs.org/grants. Applications are accepted only

through the MNHS grants portal.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.