What's It Worth?

We received calls on a pretty frequent basis about the worth of certain items. It makes sense, if anyone would know the value of something historic it would be a historical society, right? We don’t necessarily know the value of things, more accurately; we are not allowed to give that information out even if we do. It might seem weird, but the value of items can get a historical society into some pretty tricky waters. If we assigned a value to something, and then let you write it off on taxes, we both get in trouble. Beyond that, it gives us a degree of power we just shouldn’t have.

Consider, for a moment, if you had a gold necklace and you brought it in for appraisal by a historical society. Well, if it had massive historical value, that organization could tell you it’s worth less than true value to try and convince you to donate it. This is highly unethical, and at the end of the day that’s the point. Historical societies, like ours, are guardians of the past. We hold everything in Public Trust, which is exactly what it sounds like, the Public trusts us to take care of these items. We want to honest and straight forward, and put forward the best ethical foot we can. This leads to the follow up question we always get asked, “Do you know someone who can tell me?”

We generally do not give out appraiser’s information for much the same reason that we do not give appraisals ourselves. It is easy for people to make deals and agreements to undervalue items to encourage their donation or sale. We do not want to appear to be making deals, and we always encourage donors to seek an appraiser on their own. If a donated item has an appraisal, we will honor that value, but we do not assign any value ourselves to items we take in.

Written by Dave Nichols, Curator of Collections

An Update to Our Collection Donation Policy

We have recently updated our collections donation policy, and this seemed like a good way to reach a large majority of people. First, a recap of how our old policy worked. In the past we welcomed individuals to bring in donation for the staff to evaluate off the street or by giving us a call/email ahead of time. If the items we accepted into the collection we would send you deed of gift paper work to be filled out and returned. If the items we not accepted we would notify you and ask you to retrieve them.

While this system worked well for us in the past, we realized that many donations were set for return and we hampering our ability to care for those being accepted, as well as caring for those yet to be collected by donors. We want to ensure that all items that come through our doors can receive the best care possible. In order to make sure that can be accomplished; we have made a change to our donation policy as follows. We are no longer accepting walk in donations off the street. We ask that those looking to donate items to us always contact us first.

The goal of this change is two-fold: 1) We want to make sure that we have the space and means to care for everything in the building without causing harm to other items or staff, 2) If we decide that an item does not fit our collection, this saves the donor the hassle of pulling the item from storage and hauling it to the museum only to have to take it back to their home at a later date. We encourage donors to provide pictures and any background information on donations when contacting us. If donations are accepted we will still be sending out deed of gift information to be filled out. As always, if an item doesn’t fit our mission and collection we are happy to provide names and contact information for organizations which might be interested in the items.

We hope this change to our policy will make the donation process easier for everyone going forward; and we appreciate everyone’s understanding as we implement this change. If you have any questions regarding the change please give us a call and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Written by Dave Nichols, Curator

It's All Fun and Games

June 13th marked the launch of our summer 2019 series of free mini-camps and craft workshops at libraries throughout Scott County. This program, funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage (Legacy) Amendment, allows us to bring fun engaging history activities to the young people of Scott County during their summer vacation.

This year our theme is GAMES. Participants in our “I’m Game” craft program will learn a bit about how fun in the past differed from today, and then try their hand at making a kite, or a hoop and stick toy.

Older kids, up for a greater challenge, can register for a “Game On” mini-camp! There, they will get to make a hoop and stick toy, use scavenged materials to invent their own games, and try their hand at historic stilts, hoops and graces games outside.

The kids who participate in these programs are quick to share their knowledge about how the lives of kids in Scott County 150 years ago were different from their lives today. They mention technology, a lack of video games, and the fact that houses didn’t have air conditioning (leading kids to want to play outside more). It was also a bit harder to get the variety of amusements in 1869 that are available today. Towns certainly had shops, and it was possible to order things by mail, but the selection was a bit different, and it took quite a bit longer for your packages to arrive. Children were likely encouraged to create their own toys and games.

That being said, kids still had fun, and, just like today’s big ticket items, there were games and toys that kids across the United States (and other nations) enjoyed. Three of those games- stilts, hoops and graces- are available to try by participants in our mini-camps. We will also be bringing them along with the Scott County Library Readmobile, and to fairs and festivals around the county this summer. Below, see what children’s literature of the past said about these three popular pastimes:

“Up In The Air On Stilts”, from The American Boy’s Book of Sport: Outdoor Games For All Seasons by Daniel Carter Beard  Published 1896

“According to the newspapers, walking on stilts is the very latest fashionable amusement for the ‘new woman’ in London. It is safe to say that before long you boys will be called on to make stilts for your sisters. There can be little doubt that a time is coming when a book written for boys will be the one girls will read, or rather, every book will be written for young people will be addressed to both boys and girls. Just why girls should not walk on stilts or engage in any similar sport no one has yet given a satisfactory answer. Twenty five years ago the boys used to make stilts with very low blocks for their sisters and the girls would seldom use them, but insisted on using their brothers’ high blocked stilts.

One bright boy on Fourth Avenue, New York City, has made a pair of stilts out of old laths from the ruins of some dismantled house. Three laths nailed together form each stilt pole, and the blocks are made of a graduated lot of lath pieces nailed together. Now, if a small boy in the tenement district can make himself a good serviceable pair of stilts out of some old laths, there can be no doubt that the boys who read this book will be able to find the material and tools to build themselves beautiful gadabouts”

“The Game of Graces”,  Lydia Marie Child’s The Girls Own Book, published 1838

“This is a new game, common in Germany, but introduced to this country from France. It derives its name from the graceful attitudes which it occasions. Two sticks are held in the hands, across each other, like open scissors: the object is to throw and catch a small hoop upon these sticks. The hoop to be bound with silk, or ribbon, according to fancy. The game is played by two persons. The sticks are held straight, about four inches apart, when trying to catch the hoop; and when the hoop is thrown, they are crossed like a pair of scissors. In this country it is called The Graces or The Flying Circle.”

A side note- author Lydia Marie Child is fascinating in her own right! Learn more about here here. 

“The Hoop”, from The American Boy’s Book of Sport: Outdoor Games For All Seasons by Daniel Carter Beard  Published 1896

“Everybody knows how to roll the hoop in the usual way. There is no horse, however trained, that obeys the hands of the rider with such precision. There is no ship, with the best pilot, which so correctly follows the guidance of its rudder. Here is a hoop, ruled by a stick, which maneuvers and drives it over the ground in all directions- to the right, to the left, straight on, backward, forward, describing a curve, a broken line, a triangle or, in a word, all the series of geometrical figures. Many players can contest with their hoops, and challenge each other, to know who shall drive his hoop the longest time without getting out of breath, or who shall be the first to reach a goal agreed on. In this latter case, all the players taking part in the contest should stand together on the same line, and start at a given signal… The hoop is like the skipping rope, one of the best exercises for giving strength and suppleness to the limbs.” 

Are you interested in joining us for any of our historic games programs? See the full schedule below, and contact your local library to register for mini-camps! All programs are free of charge.

 I’m Game! Library Crafts:Best for young people aged 6-10 and their families 
Shakopee Library: June 13th, 10:30am-11:00am
Prior Lake Library: June 15th, 12:00pm-12:30pm
Jordan Library: June 20th, 10:30am-11:00am
New Prague Library: July 2nd, 10:30am-11:00am
Elko New Market Library: July 3rd, 2:00pm-2:30pm
Savage Library: July 12th, 10:30am-11:00am
Belle Plaine Library: July 16th, 10:30-11:00am

 Game On! Library Camps:Best for young people aged 8-12
Savage Library: June 13th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
New Prague Library: Jume 18th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Belle Plaine Library: June 20th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Prior Lake Library: July 2nd, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Shakopee Library: July 12th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Jordan Library: July 16th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Elko New Market Libray: July 17th, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Written by Rose James, SCHS Program Manger

Prohibition is on its way!

If you haven’t seen our Play Ball exhibit, I encourage you to come in and take a look around. While we are proud of the Play Ball exhibit, our staff never rests and we are starting to plan our next large exhibition. In 1919, the 18th Amendment, or Prohibition, was signed into law across the country. In honor of this anniversary, our next exhibit will be on this thirteen year period of our history. As a county with some many breweries, this history is important to telling Scott County’s story. Beyond the booze which always comes up with Prohibition, gambling was outlawed too and led to Shakopee’s nickname of Little Chicago for its gambling parlors. This should be a blast to create, or at least I hope so.

Unfortunately, our collection is lacking in items from Prohibition and the time around it. This is where you can help. We are look for artifacts and items from the time of Prohibition to possibly go into our upcoming exhibit. We are interesting in looking at anything you might have from that time, and might be interested in taking it on loan for the exhibit. If you or someone you know has something you think might fit, please contact us. We want to put together the best exhibits that we can, and you can help us ensure that we do.

Bike Season!

It’s the time of year when Minnesotans emerge from their winter hibernation and everyone wants to be outdoors! Scott County boasts an excellent biking trail system, and opportunities abound to ditch your four wheeled vehicle and head out on two wheels. Biking has long been a popular form of transportation for Scott County residents. Check out some bicycle gems from the SCHS collections below, and learn a bit more about Scott County’s cycling history in this blog post. 

Children on bicycles join a parade at Holmes Avenue and Third Street in Shakopee. 1945. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Studio portrait of three cyclists. Handwritten on the back is “Uncle Walter Adams. He rode this bicycle from Sioux City, Iowa to Shakopee and back to Sioux City Iowa” Walter Adams is the man on the left. 1885. Photo from the SCHS Collections

Studio portrait of Fritz Kahle of Belle Plaine with a bicycle. 1890. Photo from the SCHS Collections

Performer at Valley Fair, 1978. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

Steve Lebens of Shakopee, 1965. Photo from the SCHS Collections

Enjoy the summer sun and join us for our annual series of Pedaling the Past history bike tours! Each tour focuses on the unique environmental history of a Scott County community. Tours span between 2 and 5 miles and last approximately 2 hours with frequent stops for discussion and to look at photographs!

Participants must bring their own bikes and all participants MUST wear helmets (no exceptions!). This tour is open to participants ages 10 and up; participants under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

$5.00, SCHS members FREE

Registration Links:
New Prague Tour, Sat. June 8th, 10am-12pm: https://bit.ly/2V8e5Ro
Jordan Tour: Sat, July 13th, 10am-12pm: https://bit.ly/2ZT1GPV
Prior Lake Tour: Sat, Aug 10th, 10am-12pm: https://bit.ly/2VHEJjE
Shakopee Tour: Sat, Sept 14th, 10am-12pm: https://bit.ly/2Vc9Wf6