Dakota County Historical Society

DCHS works with donors & partners to  preserve, interpret and promote the history of Dakota County.

 Your Dakota County Historical Society continues to evolve and expand its mission to preserve, interpret and promote the history of Dakota County.

We rely on contributions from our members and supporters to create engaging events and presentations at the site, bringing its history to life.

In 2018 - 19, our organization reached approximately 1,000,000 people from all over the country. Through our three historic sites, we provided on-site tours, events and programs to nearly 20,000 people. In addition, we provided public outreach to schools and retirement groups reaching more than 3,000 people. 

Our largest outreach effort came with our World War I event at the Mall of America. We set up our exhibit in the Northeast Court and hosted a fashion show in the Rotunda. Through television, radio and newspaper publicity of this event, our organization was seen by more than 750,000 people. During the Memorial Day Weekend, another 50,000 people walked by the exhibit, seeing our name and the amazing history on display.

DCHS created three exhibits for both the Dakota County Library System and Dakota County Parks Department. These exhibits were used at special events throughout the year.

We hope you will consider a donation to our organization to allow us to continue these amazing efforts in the future.

UNRESTRICTED GIFTS  --An “unrestricted gift” to the DCHS’s 2018 Fred Lawshe Memorial Museum Annual Fund will be used to generally advance the Society’s mission of, “collecting, preserving, promoting and presenting the history of Dakota County, MN.” 

About DCHS
The DCHS operates the Lawshe Memorial Museum and Research Library in South St. Paul, the LeDuc Historic Estate in Hastings, the Sibley Historic Site in Mendota, and presents programming at other sites county-wide, including local government centers and libraries.

DCHS boasts an artifact collection of over 35,000 items including photos, print items and 3D objects.  Three times a year, it publishes a widely respected history magazine, Over the Years. It maintains online research databases containing more than 500,000 searchable records, and staffs a research library that assists thousands of individuals annually.

 In 2018, the Lawshe Museum hosted History Storytime, a joint effort to get children interested in reading and history with the South St. Paul Public Library.  The museum also featured the "Dakota County During WWI" exhibit and the annual Quilt Show.

The LeDuc Historic Estate continues to offer a wide range of events from tastings and teas to our more traditional, Civil War Weekend.  

 The Sibley Historic Site presented the popular Mendota After Hours events, along with Fur Trade Weekend and the general tours.

Donors and members make all of this possible. We could not do these things without your solid support! Thank you for past support. Thank you for considering the Dakota Historical Society in your future charitable giving plans.