Giants of the Earth Heritage Center

An historical society that uses the latest genomic, genealogical, and video technologies to personalize each family's historical experience.

Giants of the Earth Heritage Center is a rapidly growing historical society that originated in a small town in Southeast Minnesota, but now serves the world as an international heritage forum and historical resource center. Its primary mission is to empower communities to examine and appreciate their own heritage and promote more conscious stewardship of that heritage, thinking primarily of the seventh generation in all their deliberations.

The center makes use of the latest technologies to understand how to best steward that which each generation is responsible for. Genomic testing provides a patchwork quilt mapping of each family's unique ancestry. It further connects people with relatives who might have inherited family heirlooms, such as photos, which can be scanned and shared online. Thus, our growing online family tree we have the perfect filing cabinet for preserving photos, journals, videos, and other artifacts from people's ancestors. These serve as primary sources for each family's history that can serve as a real starting point for familial reflection on stewardship.

GIANTS OF THE EARTH HERITAGE CENTER was originally incorporated in 2009 as a non-profit educational institution, dedicated to honoring, preserving, and interpreting the history and heritage of the people from Spring Grove's Norwegian Ridge in southeastern Minnesota. Drawing on a rich cultural history, the Center began recording and reflecting on the achievements of indigenous peoples and immigrants to the Spring Grove area. The Center draws upon varied resources, while also providing a gathering place and a sense of community and identity to its public.

To realize its purpose, the Giants of the Earth Heritage Center has three goals:

Discover your story

• Genetic Genealogy and Ancestral Analysis Testing
• Traditional Collaborative Genealogy Services
• Heritage Classes and Camps

Preserve your story with our

• Photo and Media Preservation Services
• Videotaping of family stories

Share your story

• Create your Family History Book
• Create Family Trees for printing or sharing online
• Create a Family Oral History using our Video Documentary Services

The significance of this shared heritage mandates an important role for the institution as a laboratory for intergenerational and experiential opportunities, which immerse participants in a continuing story of the American experience.