Writer's Block: A job well done by the Anoka County Historical Society
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the Anoka County Historical Society has been busy the last couple years.
It’s launched a slick, modern website, started a brand new podcast and found creative ways to engage the public during a life-altering pandemic. And that’s on top of contributing a regular column to this newspaper, managing the History Center’s archives, attending to the day-to-day business of running a nonprofit, and more.
For the historical society’s volunteers, staff and board members it’s a labor of love — but it’s definitely a lot of labor. So it’s nice to see all the hard work rewarded with a little recognition.
On April 29 the Anoka County Historical Society, or ACHS, received not one but two Minnesota History Awards from the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums for work in 2019 and 2020.
One award was for the 2019 project “We’re in This Together.” ACHS partnered with Twin Cities Public Television to create a documentary that chronicled the local impact of military conflicts during the last 30 years so the stories would be preserved for future generations. The historical society had to raise about $60,000 in order to create the film, a supplementary exhibit and related oral histories.
The other award honored the 2020 virtual crime drama “An Un-Wise Murder.” The digital fundraising event used volunteer actors to tell the true story of the May 1900 shooting death of members of the Wise family in what would later become the city of Andover.
If you’ve never had a chance to peek behind the curtain at what productions like this entail, trust me, they’re not easy. These were ambitious undertakings.
But while the documentary and murder mystery were some of the bigger, flashier projects of the past two years, they exemplify what I’ve seen ACHS strive to do consistently: find innovative ways both to record history for posterity and to make history accessible and relevant to the community now.
As with many small historical societies, ACHS has only a few full-time staff members and limited resources, so these accomplishments speak to the dedication of the staff, volunteers and board. The community owes them a debt of gratitude.
County and city historical societies play a vital role in the fabric of our communities. Newspapers are sometimes said to write the first draft of history, but these are the organizations that help preserve and distill that history. They help us understand who we are.
Congratulations to the Anoka County Historical Society on the well-deserved recognition.
