At just 16 square blocks, Hilltop stands as the smallest city in Anoka County while also completely surrounded by Columbia Heights. Matthew Schneeman took an audio journey to this special space to tell the story of its creation. This episode includes a rebroadcast of KFAI’s MinneCulture episode, “The Tiny City That Almost Wasn’t.”
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreIn this episode, learn about the secret lives of those closest to ACHS! Don Johnson (ACHS Staff) and Allison Schmitt (ACHS Board Member) chat about their experiences in archaeology and geophysics while also dispelling the myth of being a real-life Indiana Jones. They share how their academic skills transfer to the museum, proving that indeed, no education is ever wasted.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreKassy and Rebecca (ACHS Archivist and Director) traveled to a conference overrun by other history nerds this past month, and brought the microphones along with them. Listen to what the museum folk got up to at the Minnesota Alliance of Local History (MAHLM) conference, how Kassy survived the SPAM museum, and conversations with museum friends all over MN from Otter Tail County to Richfield.
Hosts Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, Kassy Mackenthun, ACHS Collections Manager, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreThe Association of Midwest Museums, the largest network of museum professionals in the Midwest, invited ACHS staff to participate in their Essential Questions Series focusing on the challenges and triumphs we experienced during the pandemic. Rebecca, Kassy, and Sara discuss the unexpected opportunities that arose from slowing down as well as how we continue to carry those lessons into the future.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreThe ACHS Cemetery Tours are back by popular demand this spring! But what does it take to organize, research, and put on a tour? Go behind-the-scenes with Daryl Lawrence and Sara Given as they share the winding road that ends at Glen Cary Cemetery in Ham Lake and Forest Hills Cemetery in Anoka.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreVickie Wendel returns from retirement to chat about her 30 years working at the Anoka County Historical Society. Vickie saw the museum through the introduction of computers and internet (at different times of course), and our move from Colonial Hall to the current building. During that transition when a contractor bid $20,000 to create the first exhibit, Vickie declared she would get it done!
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreConstruction on the Coon Rapids Dam began December 1912. This episode explores the journey it took to build a dam that spanned nearly half a mile across the Mississippi River. Hear its history as well as the voices of those who worked there in its early years, or lived next to it in one of the remaining seven “dam houses.”
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Kassandra Mackenthun, ACHS Collections Manager.
Read MoreJill Morrison from Bee Memorable Marketing joins Rebecca to talk about local non-profit Toys for Joy, and how different generations approach furnishing their lives, and being able to pass on those pieces.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreLester Peterson was born in 1908 on the farm his great-grandparents homesteaded in Ham Lake. In 1987, he shared his memories and favorite stories growing up, including attending school in Constance, the six Peterson “Tall Men” brothers who performed at the Palace Theater, and the Constance Post Office robbery.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator, and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreMyra Blumenthal Shapiro grew up in Columbia Heights in the 1930s and 40s. The city she remembers from her childhood with one stop light is very different from the bustling city today. She shares stories about her father, the community that surrounded her, the Heights Theater and the way her graduating class still comes together each year. Myra recorded her “docu-memory” in 2010.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director.
Read MoreKassandra Mackenthun joined the ACHS staff as their new Collections Manager at the end of 2022. In this episode she sat down with her new boss, Rebecca, and talked about how she thinks about history, what she wants to tackle first in the collection, and her joy in sharing history with family.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreTony Palumbo began his career in the Anoka County Attorney’s Office in 1977 as a clerk. when he passed the bar two years later, Tony became the Assistant County Attorney. He held this position until his election to County Attorney in 2010, retiring in 2022. In this episode, Tony reflects on his journey to become a lawyer, his 45 years in the County Attorney’s office, and the emotional toll that comes with the job.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreJim Kordiak served as Anoka County Commissioner for 32 years and was often seen walking the streets of his constituency in Fridley and Columbia Heights. Days after the first election his name wasn’t on the ballot since 1986, Kordiak reflected on his time in office, how he decided to run for the first place, and his motivation to start a new chapter of his life.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreSam Hermanstorfer enlisted in the Army in 1968, after three years working to raise his status from 4F to 1A. A year later he was in Vietnam assigned to the 1st Division 26th Infantry Company B in the motor pool. Sam describes his journey to Vietnam, and his day-to-day life as a soldier from arriving in Vietnam and building their own hooch, to his strategy of “acquiring” better food than the C Rations provided.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreAndy Risvold from Forgotten Star Brew Co. in Fridley shares the history (new & old) about the brewery. Located in the last remaining building from Northern Pump where over 10,000 employees made weapons during WWII, the brewery honors that legacy with a new life.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreMove over Ford and Chevrolet, from 1910 to 1922 the City of Anoka was home to its own car manufacturing business: VEERAC. This August, ACHS hosted an old car club at the museum for an afternoon dedicated to this unique vehicle. Listen to the program as Sharon Hastings, and Steve Florman share the history of the company, their connections to it, and even the story of the one, intact and running VEERAC in the world.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreThousands of people attend the Anoka Halloween parades each year to see the floats. What they don’t see is all the work behind the scenes. Liz McFarland has organized the parades as a volunteer with Anoka Halloween for over 10 years. She stopped by the museum to share the story of how she fell into the role, and all the details that go into creating the Anoka Parades.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreWriter, comedian, and actress Mary Jo Pehl grew up in Circle Pines, MN. She carried those memories with her working on Mystery Science Theater 3000 in the 1990s, working them in for comedic effect. In this episode, Mary Jo sits down to talk about her childhood and her unique experience as a comedienne working on cult classic MST3K.
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreThe Anoka State Hospital housed and treated mentally ill patients from 1900 to 1999 and its large, three-story cottages standing next to the Rum River are a source of fascination. As part of an oral history project in 2014, Karen Siewert talked about her time working there in the early 1960s, conditions in the overcrowded buildings, and her continued work to transform the Hospital’s cemetery into one of remembrance and dignity for the patients buried there.
TW: Mental illness and outdated treatment practices
Host Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director
Read MoreTo 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.
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