Exhibits
Finnish American Historical Exhibit at Hibbing Courthouse
A traveling exhibit entitled Mayme Sevander’s Odyssey: To Soviet Bondage and Back will be on display at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Hibbing December 24, 2007 through March 2008. The exhibit chronicles one northland Finnish family that left to pursue a dream of communism in what would become the U.S.S.R. The Russian Revolution in November of 1917 received enthusiastic support from many Finnish-Americans, who saw in it the harbinger of a better world. They were not alone in their quest, and a number of northland Finns followed what they saw as the path to a new idealistic society.
Raised in Superior by idealistic Finnish-American parents, Mayme (Corgan) Sevander was 10 years old when her family left the United States bound for Soviet Karelia in 1934. The exhibit chronicles the many hardships Mayme survived. Sevander made a career in Russia as a teacher and, by the time of her death at age 79 in 2003, had established herself as an authority on Finnish-American idealists who emigrated to Soviet Karelia. Her research work and several books have been published in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States. After meeting a Duluth group visiting Petrozavodsk to establish a Sister City relationship, Sevander’s interest in Duluth renewed, and she returned to teach Russian at the College of St. Scholastica.
The exhibit is free. The Range Courthouses Traveling Exhibit Program is provided by St. Louis County Historical Society through funding received from St. Louis County. The exhibit may be viewed during normal public business hours in the St. Louis County Courthouse, 1810 - 12th Ave. E., Hibbing, MN. For hours or directions, call (218) 262-0100.
Contact / More information: Executive Director JoAnne Coombe at 218-733-7580
Product of the Range: USS Des Moines
The Product of the Range: USS Des Moines exhibit is now open at the Hibbing Courthouse. The exhibit showcases the importance of iron ore from the Iron Range used during WWII. Roughly two-thirds of the ore used during WWII was exported from the region, and the USS Des Moines is a good example of what that ore helped build. The USS Des Moines served as the flagship of the Navy’s 6th Fleet in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean. It also carried Dwight Eisenhower from Athens to France during his last trip to Europe as President of the United States.
Ralph Andres built the 8-foot model, which took over two years to complete. It is well designed and extremely detailed. It is now a traveling exhibit of the St. Louis County Historical Society. The exhibit will be on display for at least a year and is free for viewing. The Hibbing Courthouse is located at 1810 E. 12th Avenue.
The Veterans’ Memorial Hall was established in 1909 and is a program of the St. Louis County Historical Society. It is the mission of Veterans’ Memorial Hall to preserve and collect veterans’ artifacts and to educate the general public about the history of veterans from northeastern Minnesota.
Contact: Daniel Hartman
(218) 733-7500
506 W. Michigan St
Duluth, MN 55802
dhartman@vets-hall.org
Duluth Artist Loans Four Paintings for Exhibit at Depot
The St. Louis County Historical Society is pleased to announce that Duluth artist Dale Lyons has loaned four original paintings for exhibit within the J. C. Ryan Forest History Gallery. The paintings, added in early December, focus on the use of draft horses in northern Minnesota logging in the late 19th – early 20th century. Lyons’ paintings are based on his research of the industry and era so as to be historically accurate. Lyons is an accomplished self-taught artist, with his first showing in 1984 at the Tweed Museum in Duluth. The use of draft horses is a new sub-topic for the gallery, and anyone interested in donating items with a history relating to St. Louis County draft horses may contact the Society’s Collection Manager at (218) 733-7583.
The J. C. Ryan Gallery hosts an extensive display of artifacts and information about St. Louis County’s logging history. There are three short videos about early lumbering and sawmill operations. Photos, artifacts and information portray the hardships of early logging camp life and the various uses of wood over the decades, as well as the tools used to harvest the timber. On display are many items, from two-man hand saws to vintage gas chainsaws.
The St. Louis County Historical Society museum and office are located in the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center (“the Depot” building) at 506 West Michigan Street, across from the Duluth Public Library. There is public parking at 6th Avenue West and Michigan Street. One entry fee provides admission to building’s four museums. Annual membership holders of any organization housed in the Depot are admitted free. New memberships are available from the Visitor’s Services Desk. Museum days, hours and general information is available at www.duluthdepot.org and by phone at (218) 727- 8025.
Contact/More information:
Executive Director JoAnne Coombe at 218-733-7580
New Navy Reserve Exhibit Opens at the Depot
Veterans’ Memorial Hall (VMH) announces the opening of the new Navy Reserve exhibit, An Unforgotten Legacy, The History of the Duluth Naval Militia & Reserve on September 7th at the St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center (the Depot). The exhibit focuses on the history of the Duluth Naval Militia and Reserve from its inception in 1903 to its closure in 2007. It includes an array of stories and events that were important to the men and women who trained or served at our local facility.
This exhibit has been organized by Veterans’ Memorial Hall with the help of the Navy Operations Support Center, Duluth, MN, USS Paducah and YP-61 Club, Northeast Minnesota Historical Center, and Minnesota Historical Society.
Veterans’ Memorial Hall is a joint project of the United States Military Service, veterans of northern Minnesota and the St. Louis County Historical Society.
Come, help us remember an important chapter of Duluth’s history.
For more information contact:
Daniel Hartman
Email: dhartman@vets-hall.org
Call: (218) 733 – 7500
Vintage Hats Exhibit Opens in Duluth
Duluth, MN – Topping It Off – A Look at Vintage Hats in St. Louis County will open at the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center (“the Depot” building) on Monday, May 14, 2007. The St. Louis County Historical Society will showcase men’s and women’s hats from various eras during the 1800s and 1900s, along with information relating to styles, former millinery shops in St. Louis County, and the art of hat making. The exhibit was developed by the St. Louis County Historical Society and is made possible through the generosity of St. Louis County, the Depot Foundation, and others.
Topping It Off may be viewed during regular museum hours beginning May 14, 2007. One entry fee provides admission to four museums in the building. Annual membership holders of any of the building organizations are admitted free. New memberships are available at the Visitor Services Desk in the lobby.
The Depot is located at 506 West Michigan Street, across from the Duluth Public Library. Public parking is available at 6th Avenue West and Michigan Street. Museum hours and other general information is available at www.duluthdepot.org and by phone at (218) 727-8519.
ACCOMPANYING PHOTO
Four hats from the St. Louis County Historical Society Collection:
A top hat from A.B. Siewert & Co., Duluth
A a black cloche from Silvian’s, Duluth
A red hat from Ann Cargill, Bradley Building, Duluth
A bonnet, ca. 1876 donated by Susan Reed Holmes
Contact / More information:
Executive Director JoAnne Coombe at 218-733-7580
