By: Nick Demuth
Murray County Historical Society
Happy Fall Greetings!
Happy Fall from all of us at the Murray County Historical Society! Our summer has been eventful and full of progress. We’ve accomplished several exciting projects here at the museum and have more to look forward to as we head into the fall season.
Behind-the-Scenes Progress
Some of the most significant work this summer happened behind the scenes. We are excited to share that we secured a grant from the Minnesota Historical Society to improve our Collection Management Software.
With that funding, we successfully transferred all our data and photographs from the old system into the new software. This upgrade will allow staff to access and manage our collection from anywhere — a huge step forward in preserving and organizing Murray County’s rich history.
Expanding Access to Local Newspapers
Speaking of access, we are thrilled to announce that the first phase of our newspaper digitization project is complete!
Several early Murray County newspapers are now available online for the public to access — completely free of charge. Details on how to explore these digital archives will be shared later in this newsletter and on our website.
Summer Grant Applications
It was also a busy summer for grant applications.
On July 15th, we submitted an application for the National Park Service Disaster Recovery Grant Program, designed to assist with repairing historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places that have suffered damage from storms or other natural events.
Our application focuses on restoring the historic Turntable at End-O-Line Railroad Park, which has been affected by repeated flood events in recent years. If awarded, we expect to receive notification in October.
We also applied for a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant to rehabilitate the storm windows at the Dinehart Holt House. We had applied for this project in the past but were not awarded funds. This year, we incorporated the reviewers’ feedback and are hopeful that this updated application will be successful.
A Busy and Successful Summer
Beyond our grant work, it was a wonderfully busy summer for public programming and events.
Our two major annual events — the Murray County Fair and the Dinehart Holt House Front Porch Concert Series — were both very successful.
We hosted performances by The CarKnees, The Route 68 Big Band, and Tony Moger, each drawing an enthusiastic crowd.
During the Murray County Fair, more than 850 visitors stopped by our museum sites, including the Sierk Building, Dinehart Holt House, Wornson Cabin, and the main museum building.
Our summer exhibit, highlighting racing and outdoor recreation in Murray County, received positive feedback from fairgoers and visitors. That exhibit is now being carefully taken down to make room for our next feature — a traveling exhibit from the Minnesota Historical Society coming soon!
Looking Ahead
As we move into fall, we’ll continue building on the momentum from a productive summer — maintaining our collections, strengthening our exhibits, and pursuing funding opportunities to enhance preservation efforts across our sites.
Thank you to everyone — staff, volunteers, members, and visitors — who continue to support the mission of the Murray County Historical Society.
