Vickie Wendel returns from retirement to chat about her 30 years working at the Anoka County Historical Society. Vickie saw the museum through the introduction of computers and internet (at different times of course), and our move from Colonial Hall to the current building. During that transition when a contractor bid $20,000 to create the first exhibit, Vickie declared she would get it done!
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreConstruction on the Coon Rapids Dam began December 1912. This episode explores the journey it took to build a dam that spanned nearly half a mile across the Mississippi River. Hear its history as well as the voices of those who worked there in its early years, or lived next to it in one of the remaining seven “dam houses.”
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Kassandra Mackenthun, ACHS Collections Manager.
Read MoreJill Morrison from Bee Memorable Marketing joins Rebecca to talk about local non-profit Toys for Joy, and how different generations approach furnishing their lives, and being able to pass on those pieces.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreLester Peterson was born in 1908 on the farm his great-grandparents homesteaded in Ham Lake. In 1987, he shared his memories and favorite stories growing up, including attending school in Constance, the six Peterson “Tall Men” brothers who performed at the Palace Theater, and the Constance Post Office robbery.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreMyra Blumenthal Shapiro grew up in Columbia Heights in the 1930s and 40s. The city she remembers from her childhood with one stop light is very different from the bustling city today. She shares stories about her father, the community that surrounded her, the Heights Theater and the way her graduating class still comes together each year. Myra recorded her “docu-memory” in 2010.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreKassandra Mackenthun joined the ACHS staff as their new Collections Manager at the end of 2022. In this episode she sat down with her new boss, Rebecca, and talked about how she thinks about history, what she wants to tackle first in the collection, and her joy in sharing history with family.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreTony Palumbo began his career in the Anoka County Attorney’s Office in 1977 as a clerk. when he passed the bar two years later, Tony became the Assistant County Attorney. He held this position until his election to County Attorney in 2010, retiring in 2022. In this episode, Tony reflects on his journey to become a lawyer, his 45 years in the County Attorney’s office, and the emotional toll that comes with the job.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreJim Kordiak served as Anoka County Commissioner for 32 years and was often seen walking the streets of his constituency in Fridley and Columbia Heights. Days after the first election his name wasn’t on the ballot since 1986, Kordiak reflected on his time in office, how he decided to run for the first place, and his motivation to start a new chapter of his life.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreOne man at the Anoka County Historical Society has taken more than 10,000 pictures of items in the collection, making the items more accessible to more people.
Read MoreSam Hermanstorfer enlisted in the Army in 1968, after three years working to raise his status from 4F to 1A. A year later he was in Vietnam assigned to the 1st Division 26th Infantry Company B in the motor pool. Sam describes his journey to Vietnam, and his day-to-day life as a soldier from arriving in Vietnam and building their own hooch, to his strategy of “acquiring” better food than the C Rations provided.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreLWV-ABC presented ACHS with a Friend of the League award, November 2022.
Read MoreAndy Risvold from Forgotten Star Brew Co. in Fridley shares the history (new & old) about the brewery. Located in the last remaining building from Northern Pump where over 10,000 employees made weapons during WWII, the brewery honors that legacy with a new life.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreMove over Ford and Chevrolet, from 1910 to 1922 the City of Anoka was home to its own car manufacturing business: VEERAC. This August, ACHS hosted an old car club at the museum for an afternoon dedicated to this unique vehicle. Listen to the program as Sharon Hastings, and Steve Florman share the history of the company, their connections to it, and even the story of the one, intact and running VEERAC in the world.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreThe Banfill-Locke Art Center in Fridley is a historic building that has a colorful history, rich in culture and community service. Built in 1847 by John Banfill, a mason from Vermont, it first served as a wayside inn along the Red River Trail at the confluence of Rice Creek and the Mississippi River. Just two years later, the Banfill Inn had gained a reputation as a “resort hotel” to some, as described in a letter from 1849: “We arrived at Banfill’s in time for an early supper, which consisted of viands that even in these luxurious days would be tempting to the appetite; after supper the dining-room was cleared, and we had a grand dance …”
Read MoreThe name “Lino Lakes” is unique and, according to the United States Geological Service, only one community by that name exists—the one located in Anoka County, Minnesota.
Unusual names most often have unusual origins and this story begins at a meeting in a small room in Tim Manning’s barber shop in 1955. The community, then called Centerville Township, would begin its life as a newly incorporated village and needed a name.
Read MoreThousands of people attend the Anoka Halloween parades each year to see the floats. What they don’t see is all the work behind the scenes. Liz McFarland has organized the parades as a volunteer with Anoka Halloween for over 10 years. She stopped by the museum to share the story of how she fell into the role, and all the details that go into creating the Anoka Parades.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreWriter, comedian, and actress Mary Jo Pehl grew up in Circle Pines, MN. She carried those memories with her working on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in the 1990s, working them in for comedic effect. In this episode, Mary Jo sits down to talk about her childhood and her unique experience as a comedienne working on cult classic MST3K.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreThe Anoka State Hospital housed and treated mentally ill patients from 1900 to 1999 and its large, three-story cottages standing next to the Rum River are a source of fascination. As part of an oral history project in 2014, Karen Siewert talked about her time working there in the early 1960s, conditions in the overcrowded buildings, and her continued work to transform the Hospital’s cemetery into one of remembrance and dignity for the patients buried there.
TW: Mental illness and outdated treatment practices
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreTo officially kick-off Ghost Tour season at ACHS, 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.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreLinda Lee Rodgers grew up in the close-knit community of Cedar, MN (located within the south east portion of Oak Grove today). Once a small town in its own right with a Main Street, railroad depot, creamery, and grocery stores, Cedar’s “modest grandeur” has faded over time. Linda shares her love of her hometown, and its history she is working to preserve.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
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