JUST FOR THE RECORD: Archival Confections From the Permanent Collection
The Hennepin History Museum holds a rich variety of archival material ranging from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The collection is an essential source of research for many authors, journalists and genealogists. These records help tell the story of Hennepin County and the people who transformed a frontier community into a vital center of finance, industry and culture.

 

Please enjoy these samples from our collection, they will be updated periodically.

Letter - 1862
This letter was written from a camp at Fair Oakes, Virginia during the civil war. Percival S. Barnes served in the Second Company of Minnesota Sharpshooters. In this letter to his mother, he describes the battles his company has recently engaged in and mentions friends Henry Chase and John Ball.

On 25, August, 1864, he was captured and died in a rebel prison.

Gift from:
Helen R. Randell

The content of the letter reads:

June 9th 62
Camp at Fair Oakes Monday

My Dear Mother

As I know you want to hear from me as often as possible and as I have a little time to spare I thought I must write a few lines. Since I wrote last we have been detached from Berdans Reg. on detached duty and attached to the Minnesota 1st Reg. as a Company of sharpshooters and skirmishers an arrangement which pleases us very much as it seems like being amongst friends to be with the first Reg. We are now encamped about 6 miles from Richmond on the Battlefield of a week ago yesterday. McClellan is concentrating everything for the attack on Richmond which we expect every day. We have built Breast works along the line to fall back upon I suppose in case we are repulsed. Yesterday our pickets were attacked by the enemy and driven in - we were immediately drawn up in line of Battle and every preparation made for a big fight but they did not attack us. I wrote a letter to Father giving an account of the Battle of Hanover Courthouse which I hope he received. Our Co. was with the Minnesota 1st in the Battle of Sunday but I was not with them being left in camp on account of being lame in one knee which troubled me for several days but I have got over it now. Out Company was in advance of the 1st Reg. skirmishing in the woods and did some very good service killing about 35 of the rebels that we know of for they were left on the ground and probably wounding a great many that were carried away - and we had only one wounded. Today Capt. Russell received a dispatch from Col. Berdan thanking him for the important service rendered by our Company in the battle. Today I came across Henry Chase in Company D in the 1st Reg. I hardly knew him at first. I often see John Ball who is a second Lieutenant of course you recollect him he is very much changed in appearance. I hardly know what to make of not getting any letters from you or Father. I am almost afraid that some of you are sick - it has been more than a month since I heard from you. I think the letters are miscarried. It is probable that this Brigade will stop at Richmond when we get there and do Prevost Duty if so we shall have a pretty easy time. I have no space to write more so I shall have to stop. Direct your letters to 2nd Minnesota Sharpshooters care of 1st Minn. Reg. Gormans Brigade Washington D.C. so good bye Dear Mother I hope soon to be with you at home give my love to Father your aff. son Percy. I will write more next time.


The Roosevelt Club
The Roosevelt Club was a political-dramatic organization composed of 250 young businessmen of Minneapolis. Its first attempt in entertaining the public was in 1901 when a minstrel show was presented. The undertaking was so successful that the following year the club members decided to give an annual production of some kind, and thus bind its members firmly together during the political off-years.
Light opera, with both male and female characters performed by the all-male club members, was the form that met with the most favor. "The Viking" was the opera selected for the first year, and it proved such a successful venture, and received so many flattering comments from the theater-going public, that the members enthusiastically attempted each year to surpass the previous year's success.

The Roosevelt Club is just one of hundreds of clubs whose artifacts and archival materials are held in the Hennepin History Museum. 

Rosevelt Club program, 1905