Material Artifact Collection

Native Americans, early settlers, farmers, and suffragists; the Mayo Clinic and IBM; flooding rivers, tornadoes, and the Civil War. What do these people, places, and events have in common? Their stories are told at the History Center of Olmsted County through our collections. The History Center has approximately 20,000 artifacts related to the history of Olmsted County and Southeastern Minnesota more broadly. Our curator uses these material collections in exhibits, programs, events, and makes them available to researchers. If you are interested in donating an artifact to the History Center, please contact us directly at 507-282-9447.

Using the Material Collection

The Material Artifact Collection, like the Archival Collection, is available for research. If interested in using the Material Artifact Collection for research, please contact the Curator of Collections or Collections Manager. Please note that walk-ins are welcome, however scheduled appointments are preferred. Understand that all efforts will be made to make the artifact available for research, but due to a variety of factors, not all artifacts are currently available for research. 

You can browse through our collection by visiting MN Collections.* New items are added every week, so check back often!

*This project was made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.