Northfield Historical Society

Marion, Susan and David Hvistendahl, three long-time supporters of Northfield Historical Society, will be the honorary chairs at the society’s annual meeting Saturday evening, March 17, at Carleton College’s Great Hall.

Marion retired to Northfield in 1990 with her husband, Jake, following rich and varied college teaching careers. She volunteered in the Museum Store and brought local historical figure Ann North to life as part of her Women in History presentations. Marion has also teamed with Brad Ness to present Ole and Lena Night, an NHS benefit.

Susan, a St. Olaf College graduate, has done extensive historical research since moving to Northfield in 2004. She chaired NHS’s Oral History Committee, edited a publication written by Alvin Houston on Lewiston, a local ghost town, and, in 2010, published a book on the Lyceum Building, the second publication of the NHS History Series. Susan is a regular contributor on local history to the Northfield Entertainment Guide.

David Hvistendahl, also a St. Olaf College graduate, has provided legal counsel to NHS since the early 1980s. He has served on the board of directors and as president. His Dr.Visty medicine man show was a fixture for many years during Defeat of Jesse James Days. David also appeared as one of the bank tellers in in the early video re-creations of the infamous James-Younger Bank Raid.

The annual meeting is free to all members of NHS. will begin with a social hour from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., a short business meeting and then food and social time.

The event is sponsored by Community Resource Bank and Carleton College. For more information, contact Hayes Scriven at 507-645-9268.

Civil War enthusiast and amateur historian Jim Stark will discuss the origins of the American Civil War in his presentation, “Why the Civil War was Fought: The Antebellum Period,” Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. at the newly renovated Northfield Historical Society. The event, sponsored by KYMN Radio and the Northfield News, is the first of a series of discussions about the Civil War during the war’s ongoing sesquicentennial.

After reading extensively about Civil War battles and leaders, Stark, a former president of the Northfield and Rice County historical societies, says he wanted to learn more about the causes of the war. “How could a nation that fought for its freedom, and whose people spoke the same language and worshipped the same god find itself wanting to separate in the middle of the 19th century?” he asks.

Stark traces the roots of the Civil War to the 1787 Constitutional Convention where, as one delegate noted, “Slavery sat under the table like a giant snake coiled up ready to strike at any moment.” Stark will discuss how during the next 73 years “we would see one nation become two, with separate economies and dissimilar workforces. This created mistrust and suspicions that began to initiate a divide of political parties, religious institutions, and societies in general.”

Program starts at 6:00 p.m. on February 16.

This past Saturday we hosted the second annual Winter Scream Ice Cream Social.  Many people came out and told Winter “We are not gonna take it anymore!”  Thank you our sponsors, Econo Foods, the Reub N Stein, Hogan Brothers, KYMN Radio and the Northfield News!

Check out the videos from the Northfield News and Northfield Patch . Photos from Northfield Patch.

NHS Photos by Jane McWilliams, Scott Richardson and Hayes Scriven

Northfield Patch Video