Scott County Historical Museum

05/29/2026

Don't forget about our upcoming event, "Saving Your Stuff" this Tuesday June 2nd at 6:30pm here at SCHS.
The event is free, but we only have space for about 40 people. Give us a call or send us a message and we'll save you a chair!

05/28/2026

Just a friendly reminder, we do not allow "doorstop" or drop off donations. There are a few reasons for this: We are extremely limited on space. We are also a non-profit operating on a very limited budget. When we are forced to dump things which do not fit within the scope of our collection, it cuts into our already tight budget.

Having the opportunity to know where the items came from and the story behind the item is just as valuable, if not more valuable, as the object itself.

While we know you want to find a home for your historical pieces, we ask that you either stop by when we are open or send an email (with photos if possible) and we can arrange a time to talk.

Thank you for your support!

05/26/2026

Come out to SCHS and check out our newest exhibit - "Ride On: 50 Years of Valleyfair!"

Everyone is welcome to this free event!
5:00pm - 7:00 pm at SCHS.
Donations are greatly appreciated.

SCHS Members get the perk of early entry from 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

*SCHS will be closed prior to the event so we can prepare*

05/23/2026

We will be closed on Tuesday May 26th so we can prepare for our Exhibit Opening Event later in the day!

Thank you for understanding and we hope to see you there!

Members only 4-5pm and General Public 5-7pm

05/21/2026

Passing along some information for an event which will be held this coming Monday:

The Elko-New Market VFW Memorial Day Service & History Tour will be held May 25th. Service is at St. Nicholas Catholic Cemetery in Elko New Market.

Following the service - expected to conclude between 9:30 and 9:45am - Ron Zweber will lead a 1 hour walking tour highlighting the 9 Civil War veterans buried in the older section of the cemetery. This tour offers a chance to honor our earliest veterans and learn how their lives shaped the beginnings of New Market Township.

All are welcome to join. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. Once we arrive in the older section of the cemetery, the amount of walking will be limited.

05/18/2026

Today is International Museum Day. I thought about going through and picking out a few of my favorite pieces from our museum but figured it might be fun to also remind you that our collection is viewable/searchable online. Find your favorite object here:

 The Scott County Historical Society’s collection of paper and material objects together includes over 50,000 items related to the history of Scott County. Our collections include photographs, typewriters, postcards, letters, clothing, books, and oral histories. Every item in our collection was m...

05/15/2026

Happy bike to work/bike to school day! Here is Steve Lebens with his Schwinn Sting Ray.

05/06/2026

Today we celebrate nurses on National Nurses Day. We have a variety of objects in our collection here are a few: a Red Cross nurse's cape, an unidentified nurse from St. Francis (1968, taken by LeRoy Lebens), and a Home Nurse Girl Scout patch earned by Michelle Hennen in the 1970s.

05/04/2026

Happy Monday and May the 4th be with you! (aka Happy Star Wars Day!) May 4th is also International Firefighters Day. There is quite a history of fire departments among each of the different communities here in Scott County.
Here are just a few photos including: Shakopee Fire Department with their truck in front of the station in 1928; a few members from the Shakopee Fire Department putting out a fire on 4th during training; New Prague Firefighter with the Truck in 1958; the Belle Plaine Fire Department in 1965 in front of the station; and the Jordan Fire Department during their 125th anniversary.

05/02/2026

May 2nd celebrates scrapbooking and we have a few scrapbooks in our collection - two of which focus on the life of former Scott County Sheriff W. B. "Rip" Schroeder. The picture here is from the scrapbook documenting his service as Scott County Sheriff from 1962-1971.
Did you do any scrapbooking as a child or as an adult?