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*If you would like to donate an item to our collection please call to make an appointment with our curator, Jack Kabrud, (612) 870-1329.* OBJECTS
The Hennepin History Museum holds thousands of objects relating to the history of Hennepin County, Minnesota. These artifacts relate to every conceivable topic, from podiatry to flour milling, house keeping to horse racing -- anything you can think of. This collection forms the basis of HHM's exhibits and educational programs. All of the artifacts in our collection are available to researchers, but with our frequently rotating exhibit schedule, you are able to view a large number of objects at any given time. Here we showcase some of our most significant collections.
Dolls & Toys
The Hennepin History Museum has an extensive collection of dolls and toys dating from the mid-19th century to the present. Several of these artifacts include games that were developed in Minneapolis, including the still-popular Cootie game (see photo and inset). Mid-20th century toys are especially represented, with many examples of tin figurines and wood toys popular from the 1930s to the 1950s. The HHM doll collection is particularly strong, including every imaginable type of doll, from wax and porcelain to composite and rag to plastic. At any given time, examples of HHM's meticulously preserved collection of dolls are on display at the museum. See the exhibit schedule for current toy and doll showings.
 The first Cootie game was designed by William H. (Herb) Schaper, an avid Minnesota angler enamored with bugs. It was introduced in the fall of 1949. Dayton's took the first dozen games on consignment and had sold 5,592 sets by the end of 1950. Cootie quickly went national and was an instant success, unmatched in the industry for some 40 years (until the early 1990s and the success of action figures). By the mid-1960s, Schaper Manufacturing was selling more than 25 different games from its headquarters in Golden Valley. Curiously, several of Schaper's games had insect themes, including Ants in the Pants, Tickle Bee, Inch Worm, Guess'n Bee and Tumble Bug. For more on Cootie and Schaper Manufacturing, see Bruce N. Wright's Object Lesson in the Fall 1997 Hennepin History magazine.
Native American
Hennepin History Museum's collection of Native American artifacts contains beautiful examples of ceremonial and utilitarian objects used by local Ojibway and Dakota people. Ceremonial and celebratory objects include jingle dresses, horn spoons and drums. Utilitarian objects include beaded moccasins and clothing, cradle boards and even a birch bark canoe. The HHM collection also includes examples of Native American craft traditions that were applied to the tourist trade, things such as baskets and elaborately beaded objets d'art. Beginning in Fall 1999, many of HHM's Native American collection will be on rotating display in the museum. 
Generosity is an important virtue in Dakota culture. This horn spoon (foreground), ca. 1903, was used in food offerings and embodies Dakota generosity. War Club (background), ca. 1870s. Pipestone head with a beaded handle.
Decorative Arts
 HHM's decorative arts collection is comprised of objects that were either brought to or used in Hennepin County. The collection consists of artifacts made of glass, pottery, metal, plastic and other types of materials. These objects were used for promotional purposes, (such as the ubiquitous coffee mugs we all have) and as pure decoration (such as a Weller Pottery jardiniere and pedestal). Then there are the objects that were beautiful in form and also functional, such as the 1840s beer pitcher pictured here. Pieces from the decorative arts collection are on display at HHM at any given time. Green glazed earthenware pitcher with hound figure handle, showing a molded border of grapevines around the neck and hunting scenes on the front and back. This type of pitcher was produced in many American and European potteries during the 19th century. This particular piece was brought from Germany and used in St. Anthony in the 1850s.
Minnehaha Falls was a national tourist destination by the late 1800s.  These commemorative plates were popular with visitors to as well as residents of Minneapolis. Items like these are often donated from around the country, as families dispose of souvenirs from past travels. Not only did these items travel across the country, but they were also created throughout the United States and Europe. These plates were made in, from left to right, Cleveland, England and Germany.  These vases were brought to Hennepin County by World War II veterans returning from France. They were created by French artists from bomb casings dropped during the war. The small vase on the right has "Argonne" chased onto its surface. Quilts
 The Hennepin History Museum is proud to be a part of A Century of Quilts. Administered by the Minnesota Quilters, A Century of Quilts is an exhibit project and a catalog of every quilt held in many Minnesota museum collections. When all the quilts are documented and cataloged, the record will be held in the Minnesota Historical Society archive. HHM holds many fine examples of quilts made in and brought to Hennepin County. Our examples date to the 1830s and include many types of patterns; however, our collection is especially strong in the category of crazy quilts, most dating from the 1880s to 1920s. Mourning quilt, approx. 20" x 20".  This small crazy quilt was created as a memorial, probably to five members of the same family. The large number of deaths (five coffins), plus the image of a short-stemmed rose representing a child's death, suggests an outbreak of contagious disease. Also note the angel of death in the upper left corner.
Household Artifacts
Household artifacts are the most common objects in anyone's life. Kitchen gadgets, small and large appliances, dishes and countless other items have been designed both to address basic needs and to enhance the ease with which we perform the most mundane and most complicated tasks. No other category of artifact says more about our society and our priorities than household artifacts. So it would follow that this is one of the strongest areas of HHM's collection. The basis of the Hennepin History Museum's collection was built on donations from the Hennepin County Territorial Pioneers Association. These artifacts were objects traditionally associated with pioneer life: butter churns, spinning wheels, oxen yokes, etc. Today, the HHM collection includes household artifacts from all eras of Hennepin history, including modern conveniences from the 1950s (a mangle, a pink electric mixer) and common tableware (Fiestaware, Jewel tea dishes and bowls). There are also promotional items associated with modern life, like Betty Crocker cookbooks, Gold Medal flour pin cushions, Nash's coffee tins.
 These examples of Hall's Superior Quality Earthenware were common in many homes throughout the country, as well as in Hennepin County. They were used as premiums for purchases made when the Jewel Tea salesman came door to door.
Today, coffee is one of the few products left that we buy in a reusable tin. In the past, everything came in tins, including cough drops, as we see on the red tin on the right.  Nash's coffee was a staple item in any household, and Minneapolis-based Nash Finch Company is still a leader in grocery store chains.
Costumes
The Hennepin History Museum costume collection has examples dating to the Civil War era. The collection includes the wedding trousseaus of the wealthy and the kitchen aprons of the not-so-wealthy. Minneapolis manufacturers like Munsingwear are represented, as well as that most famous arbiter of high-fashion, the Young-Quinlan store. Some of the great mid-20th century items include a boy's cowboy pajamas from the 1950s, eastern-inspired hippie clothing from the 1960s and Earth shoes from the 1970s. Call for the current schedule of costume exhibits.
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