2020
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New roofs, shelving and a cruise through Rice County history
ver the last year the Rice County Historical Society has, like so many others, seen a whirlwind of change. However, despite the changing times we have been able to weather COVD-19 and accomplish several goals within our organization. In the fall of 2019, RCHS was awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage grant to purchase and install new high-density mobile shelving in our building addition. These new shelves provide us with much needed space to continue to grow our collection for the future. In April, two weeks after the COVID pandemic struck, we began the process of re-roofing our Harvest and Heritage halls, made possible by Rice County. These buildings had some sizable leaks in the past, all of which are gone. This new roof allows us to better protect the historic Guest Columnists machines and other artifacts in the Susan Garwood & buildings. David Nichols Museums were among one of the
last groups allowed to reopen, but we are proud to say that among the Minnesota museum community we were one of the first county historical societies to reopen in the state, opening on June 10. Thanks to the work of volunteers, we have been able to modify our space to allow visitors to enjoy the gallery while still maintaining social distance. While our research room is still closed, we are handling research requests remotely so that our community can continue to view and access their history. Our successes don’t end at the museum itself. In late August we held a history cruise around the county, giving the community a chance to learn about historic structures and the sites of the county. This event drew people from as far away as Austin and Apple Valley. It was a great success, and as our goal is to help share the history of the county it was a great way to engage our mission and help people get outside in these isolating times. The Pleasant Valley School on the Rice County Fairgrounds is being scraped of years of lead paint by volunteers, and is expect to be finished by next summer. Additionally, through the support of the Faribault Housing and Redevelopment Authority we’ve also been able to repair all of the windows in the west wing of the historic Alexander Faribault House, repair trim in select places around the house and repaint the entire house. Perhaps two of our biggest projects are yet to come. First, our log cabin, situated on the Rice County Fairgrounds, is scheduled to have a new roof in October. Second, the Lockerby sheet metal family was donated to us in September 2019 should also be up this fall. Through the tireless efforts of volunteers, fundraisers, and craftspeople we have been able to restore the whole family. We expect to have them up and ready for viewing by end of the year. The past 12 months have been a challenge for everyone, we are grateful for the support we have received from the community and the continued interest in our local history.
PROGRESS 24
Fall 2020
Susan Garwood is Rice County Historical Society executive director, David Nichols is its curator.
