To officially kick-off Ghost Tour season at ACHS, we sat down with Ambi Wine Bar and The Big White House to talk about their ghostly encounters. Both businesses are stops on the Ghosts of Anoka Tour which run September and October in the City of Anoka.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreLinda Lee Rodgers grew up in the close-knit community of Cedar, MN (located within the south east portion of Oak Grove today). Once a small town in its own right with a Main Street, railroad depot, creamery, and grocery stores, Cedar’s “modest grandeur” has faded over time. Linda shares her love of her hometown, and its history she is working to preserve.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
Read MoreACHS's first podcast episode guest, Daryl Lawrence, returns! In this episode Daryl talks the journey writing a book about his great and great great grandmother, tips for other people thinking writing their family histories, and a grant we just received so everyone can access his family’s archive.
It feels good to welcome Daryl back after 40 episodes (gasp!)
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
Read MoreThe history of Ham Lake’s name begins with Scottish settlers and a town named Glen Carey before Minnesota even became a state. Join Mel Aanerud as he tells stories from Ham Lake’s history including the origins of Soderville and how the construction of Highway 65 demolished the small town within Ham Lake.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
Read MoreJosh Hamm began working at Federal Cartridge in 2021 continuing a family tradition after his mother, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather also worked at the company. During his oral history at ACHS he described what it’s like working at the factory, what line he watches over, and even the smells and sounds of the building.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
Read MoreOn her family’s Ramsey farm in 1890, 10 year old Phoebe [Daisy] Guderian was kicked in the head by their horse and survived. In this episode, follow along with the story as told from newspaper reports, Daisy’s own daughter, letters from the doctor who came from the rescue and his descendant. Special guest Peter Jablonski.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
Read MoreBruce Cameron enlisted to fight in WWII in 1942 and trained to be a part of an armored tank division. In combat a total of 19 months, he became part of history at Normandy, crossed France to take Paris back and was in the Battle of the Buldge. He shared his memories of his time in service in an oral history at the Anoka County Historical Society in 1991. On this Memorial Day episode we remember his, and all Anoka County County residents, that served.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator
Read MoreOver the last several years, ACHS has made thoughtful changes in staffing and operations. This, when coupled with strategic planning from the board of directors, resulted in a COVID-friendly digital existence and plenty of options for the future. The next step in exploring, “what if?” required an investment from the savings account and the creation of a Development Specialist position. To fill this part-time, one-year contract hire, ACHS partnered with Lindsay Christensen. In this podcast, you’ll hear more about Lindsay as a person, her hopes for ACHS, and how you can help support these endeavors.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreOn May 6, 1965 a series of tornadoes hit the Twin Cities, including Fridley and Spring Lake Park in Anoka County. We talk with author Allen Taylor about what happened that night, how people learned of the danger, and why this weather became so devastating. Interspersed in this conversation, you’ll hear clips of WCCO’s award-winning radio coverage of the event that saved hundreds of lives.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreAdem Ojulu joins ACHS through funding from the McWatt Fellowship. In this episode they share how coming from an African immigrant family shaped their interest in helping black immigrants tell their own stories, preserving native languages, and how that melds with project plans during this fellowship with ACHS.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreThe Ramsey County Historical Society, Anoka County Historical Society, Dakota County Historical Society and Hennepin History Museum have partnered to establish the Arthur C. McWatt Fellowship Program.
Read MoreThe Big Stoop Orchestra played to a crowd of 600 at Anoka High School on January 28, 1948. In this special episode, hear the story of how Wilburne “Big Stoop” Chamberlain started the band in 1946, the band’s time at Oak Ridge Resort on Crooked Lake, as well as listen to music the band played at that concert in 1948. Special thanks to Mark Joslyn and podcast guest Ron Chamberlain.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreSince stories remain the heart of history, ACHS consistently looks for new avenues of gathering and preserving those that live in Anoka County. In this episode of History 21: The Podcast, you can hear the conversation between Rebecca Desens and Ben Mchie, one of two fellows hired though Legacy funds this spring. Ben underscores the importance of intergenerational storytelling, how strategic conversations can help bring understanding to a community, and the magic of his program called Street Teams.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreBorn at the tail end of the 19th century in 1897, Hazel Hartman lived in a different Anoka County than we experience today. In this oral history, recorded at her home in 1989, she shares memories about growing up in Constance (located in present day Andover) and her life in a rural Fridley after she married Carl Hartman (Fridley’s first mayor) in 1928.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreErin McBrien returns to the podcast with ACHS Board Member, Steve Florman, to reflect on her one year anniversary working with the collection at the Anoka County Historical Society. How did Erin react to the (quite literally) dump truck-sized load of documents and photographs from Federal Cartridge to go through? What does Erin’s job have to do with a [19]80’s video montage? What surprised her most about being a “lone arranger”? This truly behind-the-scenes conversation will shed light on what goes into managing the collections at ACHS. Feel free to laugh along!
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreSometimes the most impressive things live right in our backyards and we don’t even know they exist. Join Cindy McKenny, former front desk staff at ACHS, as she talks about her experiences with Reading Corps, a program supported by Americorps. You’ll meet her new boss, Chris Erickson, program and community partnerships manager, and hear some stories about their time tutoring. Feeling curious? We’ve also included ways you can be involved!
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreThe 19th century American industrial revolution dynamically changed our society. We moved from an agrarian way of life to an agrarian/manufacturing combination. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli captured this upheaval when he said, “In a progressive country change is constant, change is inevitable.” This article is about one of the catalysts that contributed and stimulated revolutionary changes in Anoka County in the 19th century.
Read MoreFamily is a constant thought in Dennis Berg’s life, and it was for them he wrote his autobiography, “Growing Up Barefoot.” Listen as he reads excerpts from it about his childhood on the farm (complete with outhouse!), meeting his wife, finding employment with the Greenberg’s and being drafted to serving in Vietnam.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Ebnet-Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
CW: This episode contains descriptions of engagements in Vietnam. If you would like to skip this section entirely, it lasts from the 22-34 minute mark of the episode.
Read MoreWe remember Flora Aldrich as a doctor practicing in the early 1900s who saw patients out of her stately home on 3rd Ave., So, Anoka. In that role she published two medical books and provided countless recommendations on healthy living. What history often forgets is her single novel, “the one man “. In this podcast you can get a taste of Flora’s attempt at creative writing, then commiserate with hosts Sara and Daryl about just how bad we think it is. Warning, in discussing the books themes we ignore all spoilers!
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Daryl Lawrence, ACHS Board Member.
Read MoreAlbert Kordiak served as Anoka County commissioner for 32 years, beginning a family legacy that lasted a total of 64 years when his son retired. During his lifetime, Kordiak built a legacy based on supporting causes he firmly believed in, including the anti-communist movement in the 1950’s, advocating for his hometown of Columbia Heights, and remembering his Czechoslovakian roots. In 2009, Kordiak took time to record an oral history for ACHS that detailed many of his experiences.
Hosts Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director, Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Erin McBrien, ACHS Archivist.
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