December 2, 2020 Today, it seems too bizarre to have happened, but it did. What’s more, it happened twice. The John H. Stevens House was transported by schoolchildren. This piece of rope, held in the collection at Hennepin History Museum, is [...]
November 3, 2020 This marching music stand in the collection at Hennepin History Museum was used by a clarinetist in the Minneapolis Journal Newsboys’ Band. It would have screwed into a bracket on the front of the clarinet and held sheet music so that he [...]
July 1, 2020 The phrase “Safe Energy – No Nukes” can be found on protest signs, bumper stickers, and t-shirts like this one in Hennepin History Museum’s collection. The anti-nuclear movement in Minnesota was strong throughout the late 1970s and 80s and left an impression on the environmentalist perspectives of today. The Northern Sun Alliance was a large proponent of the movement [...]
May 6, 2020 Madame Mitchell was a talented local milliner in the late nineteenth century and the creator of this hat, which can be found in the collection of Hennepin History Museum. She worked in Chicago for twenty-five years before opening a store on Nicollet Avenue in 1883 which was known for its elegance. She sold hats and bonnets, ribbons and [...]
April 13, 2020 This is a German Concert Zither from Hennepin History Museum’s collection. Known for its high difficulty level, the modern-day concert zither has 187 basic tones and a greater range than both the piano and the guitar. It is also the traditional instrument of the [...]
April 10, 2020 This lovely wedding dress from Hennepin History Museum's collection was worn by Mrs. Elizabeth Calderwood Case for her wedding to George P. Case in 1904. Though the couple wed in Manhattan, NY, Elizabeth was originally from Hennepin County and would return home many times. Her life was defined [...]
March 31, 2020 The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened on April 3, 1982 in Minneapolis and produced countless souvenirs in the three decades it remained in operation. Many of these souvenirs can be found in the collection at Hennepin History Museum. The Minnesota Twins, [...]
March 24, 2020 Image from HHM Collections This fez from Hennepin History Museum’s collection belonged to a member of the Zuhrah Shriners, a Twin Cities chapter of the Shriner International fraternity. The Minneapolis center was founded in 1923 and is the largest in the Midwest region, with [...]
March 21, 2020 This souvenir cup from Hennepin History Museum’s collection has a familiar view of Minneapolis City Hall and Courthouse. It can be found on postcards, travel blogs, and as we see here, dishware. However, this painted picture of the building is one of the earliest renditions we have. It was [...]
February 4, 2020 Image from HHM Collections These shoes from Hennepin History Museum’s collection were purchased from Kaplan Brothers in Minneapolis, one of the first discount clothing stores in the Midwest. Kaplan Bros. opened in 1926 and sold workwear and outdoor clothing out of a building on Franklin Avenue and Bloomington Avenue [...]
