Business records at the Minnesota History Center provide a rich vein of research for

students working on History Day projects.

Where to start“First, you need a game plan for

what to collect and why,” Fogertyexplains.“Start by looking at thingsthrough the lens of your community.Ask yourself what’s unique to yourarea.That will help you decide whatcompanies to approach and what toask them for.”

I t’s one of the most overlookedareas of collecting by county and localhistorical organizations.Yet businessrecords play a major role in telling the story of Minnesota’s diversecommunities.Those records containthe state’s economic history – a tale of goods manufactured, servicesprovided, workers employed.

Documenting Minnesotabusinesses was a goal of the foundersof the Minnesota Historical Society,which has amassed one of the largestcollections of business records in the country. Jim Fogerty, head ofdocumentary programs for theSociety, oversees the huge holdings.Every type and size of business isrepresented – industries from farming,milling and mining to retailing, foodservice, real estate, professional sportsand more.

“Many smaller organizations findthe prospect of collecting businessrecords daunting,” says Fogerty.“They’re afraid of the volume, unclearabout how to appraise the materials,uncertain about what to keep. Butbusiness is integral to every aspect ofcommunity life. So it’s important toattempt to document the companiesthat provide a community’s economicunderpinnings.”

Following a few simple guidelines,he says, can make the task manageable.

May - June 2006, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3

Published by the Minnesota Historical Society for county and

local historical organizations and heritage preservation commissions

INSIDEpage 6Cooperative effort reopens LeDuc House page 8State grants-in-aid deadlines

Business continued on page 2

Getting down to businessGuidelines for documenting the local business community

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The local gas station may havebeen a Main Street fixture, he says,but there was one in every town.“Concentrate instead on businessesthat shaped your community andcontributed to its development – likeMarvin Windows in Warroad or the

Oral histories

record the

stories behind

the businesses.

skillfully, he counsels.“Explain why thecompany is animportant part of thecommunity’s story. Then suggest apartnership: In return for the donation,offer your services as archivists.Youcan help them manage their ownrecords – guide them in deciding whatto keep, organize the materials andstore them in a safe, accessible place.”

Such collections often becomeimportant resources for the donor.

2 Minnesota History Interpreter

granite industry in St. Cloud.”

What to collect“Next, ask yourself what kinds

of material to collect,” says Fogerty.“Of course, you’ll want to collect what best represents each business –what it sold, how it operated, what it did better than other companies.

“But because your storage space is probably limited, think about whatmaterials might have the highest valuefor researchers and what will be mostinteresting to your museum visitors.”He offers some suggestions:• Annual reports. These provide

the most concise summary of acompany’s business activities. Oldaccount books and ledgers take up a lot of room and are of little use toresearchers, Fogerty says.“Keep oneor two for display purposes.”

• Employee newsletters. Offering a look at the faces behind thebusiness, employee publicationsshed light on a company’s cultureand document matters of interest to its workers.

• Advertisements: Often colorful and graphically interesting, thesematerials can serve to trace acompany’s development as it growsand changes.

• Photographs: Photos and companyadvertisements add immeasurably to museum exhibits.

• Artifacts: A strong collectioncombines manuscript materials withexamples of the items a companymade and sold.

Fogerty’s advice: “Set your sights on what’s doable. Instead of trying totake on 500 linear feet of records froma business, you might add 10 feet ofadvertisements and annual reports.”

Cultivate relationships When soliciting donations of

business records, make your pitch

At the MinnesotaHistorical Society,

some of the biggestusers of the business

collections areemployees of the

businesses themselves.“People from 3M are always comingover to the History Center to doresearch in their own records,”notes Fogerty.

Many companies will be flatteredby your proposal and will welcomeassistance in organizing their archives,he says. But some may be wary ofturning over certain types of recordssuch as financial statements.“So ask for things in the public domain –materials that will help the publicunderstand the business.”

Business continued from page 1

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Brochures and online

inventories make business

collections accessible to

more patrons.

“Suggest a partnership. In return for the donation, offer your services as archivists.”

Jim FogertyMinnesota Historical Society

Get the stories behind

the recordsAfter you’ve acquired

a company’s records, ask todo oral history interviewswith the founding familyand some of the workers.“That’s a great way to getthe stories behind thebusiness that the recordsdon’t reveal,” says Fogerty.

Even when companiesdon’t have many records ordon’t want to donate them,it still pays to cultivate relationships.“You might arrange to do oralhistories with companies whosepapers you can’t collect,” suggestsFogerty.“That way, you can at least capture for the historicalrecord some of the stories about the business.Those oral histories then become a collection in themselves.”

Where to go for help“Unfortunately, there is no

‘Business Records 101’ booklet inprint,” says Fogerty. But there is plenty

of help for doing oral histories. On its web site, the Minnesota HistoricalSociety offers two manuals that can be downloaded and printed:• Oral History Project Guidelines, and• Transcribing, Editing and Processing

Guidelines.Both can be found at www.mnhs.org/collections/oralhistory/oralhistory.htm.

To explore some of the Society’s business records,go to www.mnhs.org/collections/

manuscripts/business.htm.You’ll findbrief descriptions of more than 120collections of corporate and tradeassociation records and the papers of more than 70 individuals associatedwith Minnesota businesses.

Need specific advice aboutcollecting business records in your community or about organizing and using your business collections? E-mail Fogerty atjames.fogerty@mnhs.org.

May - June 2006 3

Advertisements can serve to document business growth and change. They also add

visual interest to museum exhibits.

An opportunity seizedStearns History Museum acquires cache of architectural records

The seeds for a major acquisitionof business records by the StearnsHistory Museum in 2004 were sowndecades earlier when the countyhistorical society launched a capitalcampaign to build its new museum.

Spearheading that successful1980s fundraising campaign wasexecutive director David Ebnet, whoknew the importance of cultivatingdonors.“We put a lot of effort intobuilding relationships with them,” saysEbnet. “And we’ve worked at staying

in touch over the years.We researchtheir business interests, their hobbiesand so on, looking for connectionsbetween the museum and our donorsand prospective donors. And wealways make sure we educate themabout what we collect and why.”

It’s a strategy that continues topay off.

An unexpected giftAmong those who supported

the new museum with a monetary

gift was the firm of Jim MillerConstruction (now Miller Companies)of St. Cloud. More than 20 years later,the donor came forward with anotheroffer. Through a series of mergers, thecompany had accumulated the files ofthree prominent St. Cloud architecturalfirms. The files, dating from 1915 to1972, were now taking up spaceneeded for other things.“Would the

An opportunity continued on page 4

A collection of architectural drawings

and blueprints acquired by the Stearns

History Museum includes the 1916

Bishop Busch residence in St. Cloud

(above) and the 1936 Milaca City Hall

(left), both designed by Louis Pinault.

The buildings are on the National

Register of Historic Places.

4 Minnesota History Interpreter

Stearns History Museum be interestedin them?” inquired Miller.

A curator was dispatched to lookat the collection and found a treasuretrove of materials. Stuffed incardboard boxes were nearly 1,800architectural drawings and blueprintsfor some of the city’s most importantbuildings – churches,schools, government andcommercial buildings aswell as much of the St.Cloud State Universitycampus – all the work ofnoted architect LouisPinault and his partners.

Deciding what to takeIn addition to the

drawings and blueprints, the materials included the architecturalfirms’ financial records, somefurniture, a large stash of tradejournals and numerous artifacts.Guided by their collections policy,Ebnet and his staff decided to acquireonly records pertaining to StearnsCounty. So the museum elected totake the architectural plans, selectedtrade journals and two artifacts – a drawing table and a file cabinet.

“Because the collection was solarge, we asked the MinnesotaHistorical Society for advice on howto proceed,” Ebnet explains.“Theyreferred us to an appraiser whodetermined the value of the donation.”Ebnet also consulted with AlanLathrop at the University ofMinnesota’s Northwest ArchitecturalArchives to help the donor find ahome for some of the non–StearnsCounty material. The whole processtook about two years before therecords were officially transferred tothe Stearns History Museum in 2004.

The challenges aheadLast fall the museum received a

state grant-in-aid from the MinnesotaHistorical Society to inventory andcatalog the materials.“We’ll use studentinterns to assist our staff archivists,” saysEbnet.“Eventually, the inventory will goup on our web site, where we’ll list theholdings for each building representedin the collection.”

The next big hurdle will bestoring the collection properly.“Wedon’t have room in our main museumfor all the drawings so we’ll have tokeep them in a nearby building,” heexplains.“That means immediateaccess will be an ongoing challenge.”

To raise additional funds as theproject unfolds, Ebnet plans a direct-mail solicitation of area architects,engineers and construction firms.“They understand the value of therecords,” he says.“In fact, they’realready calling to find out when theycan look at the blueprints.”

From his vantage as a member of St. Cloud’s Heritage PreservationCommission, Ebnet knew there wouldbe a demand for research in thematerials. “A number of historicbuildings in downtown St. Cloud are

undergoing renovation,” he says.“Manyof them were altered in the 1960s sothe drawings hold the key to how thebuildings originally looked.”

A gift that will keep on givingIt’s not just St. Cloud residents who

will have the Stearns History Museumto thank for preserving the collection.“Some of the buildings we haveblueprints for were built in placesoutside Stearns County,”Ebnet notes.“Once the inventory is done, we’llnotify other historical societies aboutmaterials that pertain to their counties.

“When all of this came up, it wasa bit daunting,” he admits.“We knew itwould be costly and time-consuming.But we also knew it was tooimportant to pass up. If we hadn’ttaken the materials, they probablywould have been thrown away.”

For more information on thecollection, call Ebnet at 320-253-8424or e-mail davide@stearns-museum.org.When the cataloguing is completed, thematerials will be searchable on theStearns History Museum web site atwww.stearns-museum.org.

An opportunity continued from page 3

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farmers andconsumers.Following is aFarmer’s Sharelunch, where eachdiner pays only whata farmer would havereceived for theproduce from whichthe lunch was made.“It’s a very effectivetool for consumereducation,” saysSCHS director Laura Resler.

The travelingexhibit’s stop inSteele County, scheduled for May 20 to June 15, is made possible by several localsponsors and in-kind donations.For more information, callResler at 507-451-1420.

A 1930s Otter Tail County newspaper

reflected local concerns about the activities

of a new group of residents. The story

behind the headlines is featured in the

program series “Mysteries in History.”

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‘Mysteries in History’Program series reaches all corners of Otter Tail County

I nspired by the popular PBS series“History Detectives,” the Otter TailCounty Historical Society has createdits own series designed to separatehistorical fact from fiction.Titled“Mysteries in History,” the programseries has visited seven communitiesaround the county this spring toexplore intriguing local stories – andsometimes challenge long-held beliefs.

Retired Concordia Collegeprofessor Clair Haugen went to NewYork Mills to shed light on the influxof Communists there in the 1930s.“The mystery,” says OTCHS executivedirector Chris Schuelke,“is howCommunism gained a foothold in

staunchly conservative Otter TailCounty. It wasn’t talked about muchafter the movement faded. Now we’re challenging our audiences torediscover that part of our history.”

“Mysteries in History” was madepossible with a grant from theMinnesota Humanities Commission.For more information on this andother programs in the series, call theOTCHS at 218-736-6038 or visit thesociety’s web site at www.otchs.org.

May - June 2006 5

AROUND THE STATE

For farmers in the 1950s, hard work was

a way of life. It still is. But, today, fewer

families work the land.

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‘Farm Life: A Century of Change’Exhibit in Steele County spotlights farm family life

Though the new exhibit at theSteele County Historical Society isborrowed from Wisconsin, its themes of family and community areuniversal.“Farm Life:A Century ofChange for Farm Families and TheirNeighbors” tells of the profoundeconomic and social changes affectingfarm families in the 20th century asthey witnessed rapid advances intechnology, farm consolidation andplummeting crop prices.

Through artifacts, photographsand interactive displays, visitors learn what it means to live and work on the land at mid-century.Participants in an opening-dayAgricultural Roundtable, includingrepresentatives of farm organizationsas well as farmers past and present,will discuss their personalexperiences in farming and thechanging relationship between

By then, countless individuals –county workers, city business owners,the Friends of LeDuc organization,volunteer garden club members, evenstudents from local schools – hadgiven their time and raised funds tomake the community’s long-held hopea reality. Last fall, recognizing thecommunity-wide effort that preservedthe historic property, the PreservationAlliance of Minnesota honored theproject with a restoration award.

Telling the storyProgram manager Joan Mathison

describes the interpretive plan:“Wetell visitors about both the estate’s

significance and the family’s life here.The house, carriage barn and fouracres of landscaped grounds arethought to be one of the most intactexamples of the work of AndrewJackson Downing, who is consideredthe father of American landscapearchitecture. Mary LeDuc usedDowning’s plan book, CottageResidences, to draw the plan for her family’s dream home.

“William distinguished himself as a Civil War officer, then served asCommissioner of Agriculture underPresident Rutherford B. Hayes. But he was somewhat less successful as

6 Minnesota History Interpreter

AROUND THE STATE

OOpen for businessLeDuc Historic Estate once again welcomes visitors

ne man’s dream. A locallandmark. A symbol of communitypride.The LeDuc Historic Estate inHastings is all of those things. It is alsoa tale of triumph over long odds.

Donated to the MinnesotaHistorical Society in 1958 for eventualuse as a historic house museum, thegrand Gothic Revival house remainedin the hands of its donor until 1986.By then, shifting priorities and budgetconstraints forced the Society toreevaluate. For nearly two decades thehouse, listed on the National Registerof Historic Places, sat empty, its fateuncertain.When, after a lengthy study,the Society decided to seek anotherowner, those with a stakein preserving the housejoined forces in a uniquepartnership.

Negotiations

bear fruitRepresentatives of

state, county and localentities negotiated ajoint plan for the LeDucproperty: With $1.2million from the state legislature, theMinnesota HistoricalSociety would restorethe house, the City ofHastings would thenassume ownership andmaintain the grounds,and the Dakota CountyHistorical Society wouldoperate the estate as ahistoric site.

In May 2005 thehome of the WilliamGates LeDuc family opened for tours.

The LeDuc family faced many challenges building their Hastings home in the mid-1860s:

William LeDuc was away at war, and materials and workers were scarce. The house opened

for tours in 2005 after a year-long restoration.

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committed to preserving andpromoting our historic districts.”To observe Preservation Monththis May, the county society willsell an 1867 bird’s-eye map ofHastings with historic walkingand driving tours on the back.

To generate additionalincome, Roberts says, the LeDuc Historic Estate can berented for business meetings,receptions and photo shoots.For more information onMinnesota’s newest historichouse museum, call Mathison at 651-437-7055 or e-mailleduc@co.dakota.mn.us.

May - June 2006 7

AROUND THE STATE

This May during PreservationMonth, communities acrossMinnesota are celebrating theirhistoric preservation successes.Playing a lead role is thePreservation Alliance of Minnesota,observing its 25th anniversary this year.

To kick things off, the Allianceunveiled the exhibit “MinnesotaSaved!” – a tribute to a quarter-century of historic preservation in Minnesota. A panel of judgesselected 25 preservation successstories from across the state tofeature in the exhibit. After an initial run at Mill City Museum inMinneapolis, the exhibit will tourMinnesota through 2006 and 2007. To schedule it for your community,call Marvel Anderson 651-293-9047.

Check out other events scheduledfor Preservation Month at thePreservation Alliance web site,

Celebrating Preservation Month

The restored Odeon Theater in Belview

(Redwood County), a performing arts

hall built in 1901, is among 25 preservation

success stories featured in a new

exhibit from the Preservation Alliance

of Minnesota.

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David Geister and Pat Bauer, a husband-

and-wife team of interpreters, portray

William and Mary LeDuc at special events.

a businessman. His unprofitableventures in agriculture, milling,real estate and other fields kept the LeDucs in genteel poverty. Twoof the grown daughters ended upsupporting the family with a custom needlework business theyran from home.”

The interpretation comes to life in an object theater – a multimediaprogram in the home’s library –which is based on family journals,letters and photographs in theSociety’s LeDuc family papers.“We’veadded period furnishings to thehouse over the winter so that visitorscan see the rooms as daughter Alicesketched them for posterity,” saysMathison.“Things are taking shapeoutside, too, where we’ve beenimplementing the landscaperestoration plan – rebuilding fences,replanting the apple orchard andpeony garden with heirloom varieties– with help from local naturalists,environmentalists and gardeners.”

Second-season highlightsFrom May through October and

for special holiday events, the site’snine guides welcome visitors for toursand other programs.A highlight of thissummer season will be a Civil Warweekend, June 3-4, celebrating the100th anniversary of the Daughters ofUnion Veterans in Minnesota. Detailscan be found on the Dakota CountyHistorical Society web site atwww.dakotahistory.org.

Chad Roberts, executive directorof the county society, praises what thecounty and city have accomplishedtogether.“Along with the DakotaCounty Courthouse,” he says,“this isthe second historic site saved by theCity of Hastings, which is very

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www.mnpreservation.org, and on theMinnesota Historical Society’s listserv,MNLOCALHISTORY.

TDeadlines for state grants-in-aid

P

Minnesota History Interpreteris published bimonthly by the HistoricPreservation Department of the MinnesotaHistorical Society. Unless otherwise noted,photographs are from the Local HistoryServices office.

Material from this issue may be reprinted with the following credit line: Reprinted withpermission from Minnesota History Interpreter,May - June 2006, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3, publishedby the Minnesota Historical Society. Do notreprint material taken from another sourcewithout permission.

On request, this publication is available inalternative formats: audiotape, large print orcomputer disk. Back issues can be found online at www.mnhs.org/about/publications/interpreter.html.

Readers may submit news for publication. Send to Interpreter Editor, MinnesotaHistorical Society, 345 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906.

For address corrections, e-mailmichele.decker@mnhs.org or call 651-296-5434. For other matters call Tim Glines at 651-296-5460 or e-mail timothy.glines@mnhs.org.

Britta Bloomberg, Head, Historic Preservation DepartmentTim Glines, Manager, Outreach ServicesDavid Grabitske, Grants and Field ProgramsAssociateMary Ann Nord, EditorKate Raver, Layout

www.mnhs.org

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PAIDSt. Paul, MN

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BULLETIN BOARD

lan now to apply for the fallround of state grants-in-aid and statecapital project grants-in-aid.This is thesecond of two cycles for the 2006-07biennium. Application deadlines are:

July 28 Pre-application due.Sept. 1 Final application due.Oct. 3 Grants Review

Committee meets.

State grants-in-aid are awarded in the categories of historicproperties, artifact collections,microform copies, oral history,manuscripts collections, museumenvironments and technology.

Matching grants for historicpreservation projects of a capitalnature are awarded only to county and local jurisdictions.

Note: Monies for capital projectgrants depend on an appropriationfrom the Minnesota Legislature.Updated information on results of the 2006 legislative session will beposted on the Society’s listserv,MNLOCALHISTORY, and atwww.mnhs.org/about/legis/legis.html.

For details about the two grantprograms, including guidelines,eligibility and application forms,go to www.mnhs.org/about/grants.

here’s still time to submit anomination for a topic to be includedin the “Minnesota 150” exhibit,opening in the fall of 2007 at theMinnesota History Center.

The exhibits team is looking forpeople, places, things and eventsoriginating in Minnesota that havesparked change within the state orbeyond its borders. Especially neededare ideas from regions beyond theTwin Cities.

To submit a nomination, go towww.mnhs.org/mn150 and follow the prompts. For more information,call Kate Roberts at 651-297-8839.

Nominations sought