Pine County Historical Society

Preserving, Protecting, and Disseminating the History of Pine County, MN.

Brief History of the Pine County Historical Society and its Museum:  Founded in 1948 with charter members from throughout the county, the Pine County Historical Society has had its physical home in Askov since sometime in the 1960s.  It was first located on Main Street in the building now known as Lena’s and then Burlington Northern Railroad gave the Askov depot to the Society which then became known as the “Depot Museum”.  Subsequently the Society acquired the old service station that came to be known as the Farm Museum, and the former Presbyterian Church which was renamed the Pine County History Center. 

In 2011, BNRR requested that the Society relocate the depot, and the acquisition of the old East Central School building became a reality. Consolidation of all the artifacts from the three sites began in the school in the spring of 2012, and the new Pine County Historical Museum opened its doors at the beginning of June, 2012.

Museum Contents:  The exhibits (over 10,000 county artifacts) are organized in these themes:  Art (Local Artists), Automotive, County Cities and Towns, Farming, Home and Family, Logging, Machines and Miscellaneous (from Homes, Businesses, Services and Government), Main Street Store Fronts from the Past, Military, Native American History, Politics, Railroad, Religion, Schools, Textiles, Toys and Dolls, Waterways & a research library.

Special Activities and Programs:  The museum has also held exhibits, classes and lectures on the following: The Holocaust (lecture and visual presentation), World War II (videos), Celebrating Our Traditions (Native American photographs of Ivy Vianio), The Abandoned Farms of Isanti County (photographs), A Moment in Time (portraits by local photographers), Happy Danes on the Plains (the story of immigration), carving and painting exhibits, and art and photography classes. Also entertainment, concerts, dances, and dinners have been held for the public. The museum has had an exhibit traveling Scandinavia since 2014 to return home in Spring 2016.

Designation:  The Museum is a Non-Profit Organization (501c3) primarily for the purpose of Protecting, Preserving and Disseminating the History of Pine County (our mission statement).

Support:  The museum’s support comes from contributions.

Membership:  There are currently approximately 550 memberships (this changes on a daily basis) of which 350 are family memberships; the remainder are individual memberships. About 27% are out-of-county, 6% out-of-state, and .2% out-of-country.

Visitors:  To date (August 2015) the museum has had an average  of 2500 recorded visitors per year, with the rate of attendance increasing all the time. These visitors come from all over the US (46 states) and the world (7 foreign countries).

Volunteer Staff:  Since opening, the museum has had over 100 volunteers, with 35  of these continuing to serve on a regular weekly/monthly basis, and another 20  on an occasional basis.  Many of these put in 8+ hours weekly.  “We have been in awe of the dedication and commitment of eager and talented volunteers offering their time, resources, supplies, historic treasures, and skills to make this dream a reality.”

Attempting to Make Ourselves Sustainable:  In addition to donations, these activities work to make the museum sustainable through the following:  The Little Mermaid Café whose profits go toward the maintenance of the building; Events (concerts, programs, dances) which require tickets and entrance fees; The Creative Co-op, an antique and consignment shop with 30% of sales going to the museum; The Thrift Store, with a percentage designated for the museum; Rental of offices, banquet rooms, and event centers.

What do we believe?  We are passionate about the preservation of history, for ourselves and for those still to come.  We believe it is important for us and our children to learn about the past in order to go forward to the future.

Why do we need your help?  Because we cannot do this monumental task by ourselves.  We need your financial support… nothing goes to pay our staff, only to pay utilities, repairs, and improvements to the facility, i.e. the expenses of operation.  Please consider helping us.  Thank you!