About Us

The Scott County Historical Society – Stans Museum

The Scott County Historical Society is a countywide, professional institution taking a leadership role in the management of the historical resources of ScottCounty.  It serves its communities through preserving and making information available through professional collection practices, exhibits, and education / outreach programs for all ages.  It strives to make history relevant and fun!

The Scott County Historical Society’s mission is to search, save and share the history and cultural heritage of Scott County.

 

Brief Summary of Organization

The Scott County Historical Society incorporated in 1969 with goals to locate, collect, preserve and exhibit historic material, and to interpret and disseminate the history of Scott County. One of its first projects was the establishment of the Minnesota Valley Restoration Project. With the Minnesota Valley Restoration Project receiving much of the attention, the collection, local research, and exhibition functions of the Society were temporarily placed on hold. In 1994, the Scott County Historical Society received a substantial grant from the Stans Foundation, which contributed the museum building, restored 1908 Dutch Colonial boyhood home of Maurice Stans, and started an endowment fund. The Scott County Historical Society became the owner and custodian of the Stans government and African Collections.

The collections of the Society include books, photographs, artifacts, oral histories, newspapers and other material related to the history of Scott County. The collections are limited to items related to Scott County and its residents.  The Society’s programs and exhibits are designed to meet Minnesota Standards for Teaching Social Studies benchmarks.