BCHS OFFERS POPULAR PROGRAMS FOR HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL AGES AND INTERESTS!
Lunch and a Bite of History – A “Brown Bag Lunch” series held monthly at noon in the BCHS annex, featuring historians, authors and speakers discussing a wide range of topics. You bring the lunch and we’ll bring the history! To view past recordings of Lunch and a Bite of History programs, see our Program Recordings page.
Special Programs – From time to time, the BCHS presents special programs. Annually in March, an event is held in recognition of Women’s History Month; in May an event pays tribute to mothers and other events may be scheduled like Popcorn Wagon Blast in September.
Outreach Trunk Program – This program includes four trunks that will be brought to your site by a program facilitator. 1) Buffalo Trunk every part of a buffalo was used. See and feel the bones, hide, teeth, tail, horns, hooves, and bladder of the buffalo. 2) Native American Trunk See and feel ceremonial and personal items, decorations, and tools used by Native Americans. 3) Fur Trader Trunk See and feel furs, tools, trade silver, decorations, and other trade items are included in the trunk. 4) Settler Trunk See and Feel butter paddles, a corn fritter pan, a rug beater, skates, a hair crimper, a quill pen, and square nails.
Dakota War Week Commemoration – This history-packed week includes compelling “Lunch and a Bite” noontime presentations, and popular historic tours of Downtown New Ulm and New Ulm City Cemetery.
BEWARE OF NIGHT CRAWLERS
Based on the Book Threads of Evidence, by Jim Jensen
Jim takes you back in time as he details the story of one of Minnesota’s most bizarre retail crimes ever committed. It all took place on New Ulm’s Minnesota Street. The story made the national and local news due to the unusual circumstances.
Darla Gebhard, Research Librarian for the Brown County Historical Society, wrote this about Threads of Evidence: “Jim Jensen’s careful research and attention to detail offers readers a great book about one of New Ulm’s most infamous crimes. His description of New Ulm at the time, its people, its business sector and the events surrounding the crime create a book that preserves a piece of New Ulm’s history. The book is also a wonderful motivational tool and brings readers a great message about honesty, hard work and perseverance.”
Jim’s books will be available for purchase at this special event.
The 12:00pm time slot for this event has filled, but a 7:00pm time slot has been added for the same day!
NUHS Oak Street Singers:
Caroling in the Community
Stop by the BCHS Museum on Friday, December 15th at 11:45am to hear the NUHS Oak Street Singers caroling a few songs!
BCHS History Book Club
Each month participants meet to discuss a book selected for review by the group members. The group meets in the Museum Annex located at 12 North Broadway, New Ulm, MN (the building just north of the Brown County Museum.) For more information, call 507-233-2621 or email education@browncountyhistorymn.org. The December 2023 BCHS History Book Club will meet Wednesday, December 1st at 7:00pm.
The December title, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis by Timothy Egan tells of Edward Curtis. Curtis was charismatic, handsome, a passionate mountaineer, and a famous portrait photographer, the Annie Leibovitz of his time. He moved in rarefied circles, a friend to presidents, vaudeville stars, leading thinkers. But when he was thirty-two years old, in 1900, he gave it all up to pursue his Great Idea: to capture on film the continent’s original inhabitants before the old ways disappeared.
Curtis spent the next three decades documenting the stories and rituals of more than eighty North American tribes. It took tremendous perseverance — ten years alone to persuade the Hopi to allow him to observe their Snake Dance ceremony. And the undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate. Curtis would amass more than 40,000 photographs and 10,000 audio recordings, and he is credited with making the first narrative documentary film. In the process, the charming rogue with the grade school education created the most definitive archive of the American Indian.
Saving Your Stuff:
How to care for art, heirlooms, and personal collections.
Presented by the MNHS
This program is free, but reservations are required. Please call 507-233-2616 or email education@browncountyhistorymn.org if you have any questions.
Learn about the “ten agents of deterioration” and how to preserve and protect the things you value. There will be a 45 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute open question and answer period. Recommendations for how to find additional resources will be provided at the event.
The presentation will be held at the BCHS Museum Annex at 12 North Broadway, New Ulm, MN (the building just north of the Brown County Museum.)
About the presenter:
Megan Narvey is the Outreach Conservator at the Minnesota Historical Society, where she provides guidance to individuals and local historical organizations on caring for collections big and small across the state of Minnesota. Before coming to MNHS, Megan worked as an Objects Conservator at the Western Archaeological Conservation Center in Tucson, Arizona, and as the Objects Conservation Fellow at the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa, Ontario. Megan received a BA in chemistry from Carleton College and an MA in Principles of Conservation, and an MSc in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums from University College London.
