Digital Exhibits

During to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Brown County Historical Society remained committed to presenting the history of Brown County, and created a digital exhibit on the history of baseball in the county. The exhibit can be see here.

We anticipate making additional digital exhibits in the future, so keep an eye out for them!

First Floor

Becoming Brown County: The Land and its People

Open now is a new permanent exhibit in the Brown County Historical Society’s museum, Becoming Brown County: The Land and its People. The exhibit tells the story of the early history and formation of Brown County during the periods of prehistory, early human habitation, and European settlement.

Specific topics include the geographical formation of the county and how it has affected human settlement, Native American cultures before and after European contact, the fur trade, settlement by Europeans, formation of Brown County, early towns, early industries and businesses, ethnicity and culture of inhabitants, and significant events. The exhibit will include other topics, such as transportation, early education, health care, or recreational activities as space allows. These other sections will be rotated out and replaced with new themes to keep the exhibit fresh.

The exhibit is located on the first floor of the Brown County Museum.

Second Floor

A New Ulm Hero: Captain Willibald Bianchi

More than 3500 American service members have earned the Medal of Honor. Included among them is Captain Willibald Bianchi. In this display, you can learn more about the life and service of Captain Bianchi.

Bianchi grew up in New Ulm, and Bianchi joined the Army in 1940. He served in the 45th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts during World War II and participated in the defense of the Philippines after the Japanese Army invaded in 1941. Captain Bianchi was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for destroying two Japanese machine-gun nests. Captain Bianchi was taken prisoner in April 1942. On January 9, 1945, Captain Bianchi was tragically killed on a Japanese prison ship when it was bombed by a U. S. Navy plane.

Fertile Ground: Wanda Gág and the Turner Roots of Freedom

“Fertile Ground” explores the idea that Wanda Gág’s art did not emerge in isolation. It grew from fertile ground, cultivated by the radical ideals, communal practices, and educational philosophies of the Turnverein movement that shaped her family and her hometown of New Ulm.

Founded by German immigrants committed to freedom of thought, bodily autonomy, social equality, and lifelong learning, the Turners believe liberty had to be practiced, not merely declared. Turner Halls were places of physical training, political debate, music, and art spaces where intellectual freedom and social responsibility were inseparable. Gág absorbed these values early, learning to see creativity as a form of independence and resistance.

This exhibit traces how Turner ideals rooted in democracy, feminism, and socialism formed the soul from which Gág’s visual art and literary voice grew. Her drawings, prints, children’s books, and personal writings reflect a worldview shaped by discipline and play, labor and imagination, individuality and collective care. From the ground up, Wanda Gág’s work carries the marks of a culture that believed freedom must be cultivated.

125 Years of Heritage: Hanska’s Quasquicentennial Celebration

Hanska is a small town on the Minnesota prairie that possesses a long history; 125 years of history in fact. Since 1901, the town of Hanska has been a focal point of the Norwegian community in Brown County and a poster child for small town America. To celebrate this legacy, the Brown County Historical Society has put together an exhibit of stories and objects that detail the community and history of Hanska and surrounding communities. From lefse, rosemaling, and Syttendai Mai, to local businesses, festivities, and disasters, this exhibit covers the history and heritage of the “Little Norway on the Prairie”.

Third Floor

Never Shall I Forget – A New Look At Brown County and the U.S.-Dakota War

The exhibit, Never Shall I Forget summarizes the events of the U. S. – Dakota War that began in August, 1862. The exhibit explores the causes, events, and effects of the war shaped Minnesota’s history.

New Ulm
Battery Cannon

Tipi

Leavenworth
Rescue Wagon