On December 8, 1925, Grace Campbell was working at the Anoka National Bank in downtown Anoka when a team of five men came in to rob the bank. Sixty-two years later, Grace shared her memories of the event, how they were locked in the bank vault, and even corrected the newspaper on how they eventually escaped.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreIn this episode learn a bit about the sausage making of being a small museum - including some of the behind the scenes considerations, upcoming murder mystery fundraising, and our plans to have as much fun as possible.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreLooking to support the war effort, students at Anoka High School created the "Sammie Backer Club" on Oct 3, 1917 after the United States entered WWI. The goal was to send mail to every Sammie (or soldier) who had been a student at their school. Learn about the club and some of the soldiers they corresponded with.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreIn 1954, the Metropolitan Opera held its first regional auditions in Minnesota. They planned to fly the winner to New York and broadcast the performance to the nation on the radio program “Auditions of the Air.” The winner was Ethel Wagner DeLong, a 33-year-old mother of three from the City of Anoka. In this episode, listen to excerpts from her 1954 “Auditions of the Air” appearance and her subsequent MPR interview in 1979, looking back at her accomplishments. Between clips, you’ll hear our conversation with her eldest son, Peter, who shared his memories of his mother and the music constantly permeating their home.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.Text
Read MoreGeorge Atwood moved to Anoka in 1912 where he helped construct Cottages at the Anoka State Hospital and spent winters as a lumberjack in Northern Minnesota. In this episode listen as he shares what it was like living in the lumber camps. Hear George’s voice from an oral history recorded in 1979, and a reading of the short memoir he penned describing the jobs, and even smells, at the Ball Club logging camp.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreWe’re celebration our 100th episode with a special tour Around the County! Rebecca and Sara sit down to share 100 of their favorite facts, memories, trivia, and tidbits from each of the county’s 21 cities (and desperately try to make it to the end without getting tongue tied.) Special guests: the ACHS Board of Directors pop in to share their favorite county memories too.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreIn 1969, Gary Nereson said goodbye to his pregnant wife and crossed the world to serve in the Vietnam War. After three long months with the 9th Infantry Division, he was reassigned to Advisory Team 66 because of his background in electrical engineering. His new job: help bring electricity to rural villages in South Vietnam. Gary sat down with Rebecca to share his story in November, 2024 as part of ACHS’s Echoes of Bravery project.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreIn June of 1935, Mrs Josephine Seeker went to the sheriff’s office in Minneapolis and asked them to begin a search. Where was her sister Mrs Clara Williams??
This act set off a chain of events that led deputies to a run-down farm in Anoka County and a shocking murder – Clara had been beaten, killed, and buried on the suspects farm underneath the remains of their dog in an attempt to confuse searchers. Hear the story of the Ponczek murder case.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreAs you cross the Rum River Bridge into Downtown Anoka the road curves slightly past a long row of tall brick buildings that have been home to businesses for over 140 years. Hear the story of one city block, and the stories it contains from drug stores, shoe, and hardware stores, to restaurants and bowling alleys.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreThe United States officially entered World War I in 1917, three years after its start. Local historian and ACHS volunteer Brian Boldt explored those years and what Anoka County residents knew about the war. While some aided in the war effort with their dollars and aid packages, others looked to Canada and joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces to join the fight.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreEach fall hundreds of kids visit Wargo Nature’s Heritage lab to experience a melding of nature and history with a day immersing them in a part of Minnesota history. The Wargo naturalists are joined by staff from Gibbs Farm and ACHS to create seven different stations the kids rotate through. In this episode listen as Eric Vehe, Program Services Supervisor, shares what goes into creating this program, and hear the kids’ excitement as we take a microphone into the woods to capture the day.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreMore Ghosts abound in Anoka! Rebecca wandered into the music store on Main St. on the hunt for ghost stories and met Jerry Olson from Twin Cities Music Repair. He shared the mysterious happenings that he’s witnessed, and his connection to past Reynolds Music owner, John Reynolds.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreTo officially kick-off Ghost Tour season at ACHS, a classic reboot episode of Ghost Stories! In 2022, we sat down with Ambi Wine Bar and The Big White House to talk about their ghostly encounters. Both businesses are stops on the Ghosts of Anoka Tour which run September and October in the City of Anoka. This episode originally published September 2, 2022.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreThe Great Depression affected the lives of Americans for a decade in the 1930s. In this episode, we explore how the national economic collapse impacted the lives of the local people of Anoka County. Hear about local bank collapses, county relief programs, and WPA projects.
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Read MoreArticle II, Section 1 of the Constitution establishes the Electoral College as the method of electing the President and Vice President of the United States. Since the state began, Anoka County has had five such electors. Mel Aanerud of Ham Lake was one of the state electors in 2020.
In this episode Mel explains the history of the Electoral College, how it works, why it was established, and how the 2020 experience was different from others.This episode is part of a program given August 20, 2024 at the Anoka County History Center.
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Read MoreIn 1957, East Bethel was incorporated in preparation for the construction of a new Air Force Base. This mini-history of the new village recounts the story — with all its twists and turns — of the almost-built base and the various events surrounding the establishment of East Bethel.
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Read MoreKindness matters—especially for Stacey Burnham and Missy Merschman, who began the rock garden in Anoka to “scatter kindness, positivity and love while connecting us to one another.” After the devastating news of her daughter’s suicide in 2018, Stacey began receiving tokens of friendship from Missy that carried her through a time of healing. This grew into a space in Anoka where people can leave a painted rock or take one, sit and contemplate life, or celebrate the joy of the moment. Learn more in this podcast as Stacey and Missy talk about the rock garden and the parent nonprofit, The Kindness Alliance, and share stories of hope inspired by the organization’s events.
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Read MoreEvery year, ACHS moves into the Farm House on the Anoka County Fair for a week in July. In celebration of the Fair starting on July 23, this mini-history episode of the podcast explores its history, and the surprising buildings that have been moved onto the grounds over the years.
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Read MoreMary Woodbury lived in the same house on the Rum River in Anoka for 75 years! She moved there as a toddler in 1861 and was on the front lines watching the city grow and change. The Mad Hatter Restaurant, which now resides in her home, and ACHS have unveiled new house tour you can enjoy that covers the 167 year history of the home. In this episode, learn about the self-guided tour, and hear Mary’s own stories in excerpts from her diary and short memoir, “Reminiscences.”
Host Rebecca Desens, ACHS Director, and Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator.
Read MoreSergeant Peter Burr Hedlund was born in the microscopic community of Cedar, Minnesota, on February 16th, 1944, and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Tểt Offensive of the Vietnam War.
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