At the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, we are dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing the remarkable history of the lake area. One of the most popular ways we do this is through our f
ree museums, which welcome over
7,000 visitors from near and far each year. Like the communities around the lake, each of our museums has its own personality and story to tell, and they each have their own needs. This year, we hope you’ll
Give to the Max to help us meet those needs, and more.
Our
Excelsior Museum houses exhibits about the history of the south shore including the popular
Excelsior Amusement Park, Excelsior’s historic
Water Street, the steamboat
Minnehaha, and it’s also home to the groundbreaking 1892 sailboat
Onawa. This 1952
Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway train depot is in need of a fresh coat of paint, some minor repairs, refreshed landscaping, and a new
Heritage Fruit Garden is in the works to showcase Excelsior’s important history as a fruit-growing town.
The 1906 streetcar steamboat Minnehaha is in ship shape, but remains in her boat barn due to the loss of her launch ramp. We’re actively exploring a new launch site on the Upper Lake, and we need your help to fund feasibility studies and to help cover the $16,000 a year required just to securely house her today. We hope that soon, she’ll be back helping to earn her keep as the lake’s only “floating museum.” And we know she’ll pay her passengers back many times over through the thrill of experiencing steam travel as they did over one hundred years ago.
Wayzata Depot Museum & Garden Railroad are busy destinations for residents and tourists of all ages. This 1906 depot is owned by the city of Wayzata and houses our museum, highlighting Wayzata’s history and its importance as the lake's first “rail town.” We’re planning a redesign of the Garden Railroad to enable it to highlight the history of communities around the lake. A fun new way to learn something old!
The Westonka Museum is a hidden history gem! This collection tells the story of the Upper Lake, including time spent there by the famous Andrews Sisters, the indigenous earthworks from which Mound takes its name, and a display of the history of Tonka Toys which made the lake world famous and attracts enthusiasts from around the world. Your donation will help us refresh some of these exhibits and pay the rent, while we work to find ways to attract even more visitors by making this collection a bit less “hidden.”
You can learn more about our museums here, and we invite you to pay us a visit!
We hope you’ll help us keep their doors open by supporting our efforts to sustain Lake Minnetonka’s history. Your gift of any size will allow us to build on our successes and realize our dreams for our museums, and all the other ways we practice our mission. We couldn’t do it without you!