Museum Guide

We would like to welcome you to the Winona Couty History Museum! History shows the city and county derived their names from “Winuŋna” (wee-NEW-nuh), a Dakota descriptive word meaning “first-born who is a daughter.” Over the centuries, writers recorded the name as Wenonah, Weenona, and Wynona. Others called this area “Wabasha’s Prairie,” “The Island City,” or “Wing Prairie.” The trail of names and spellings hints that this place along the Mississippi River means many different things to many different people. We invite you to discover what it means to you. A city and county rich in history! While visiting the Winona County Museum you will certainly discover that rich history! We have a number of permanent and visiting exhibits! Here are what we are fortunate to show now!  The Joy of the Arts: Winona Lake Park Bandshell- This exhibit celebrates 100 years of municipal music, featuring the Winona Lake Park Bandshell. One of the last of its kind, the iconic structure in the city’s public lakeside park hosted musical sensations across the years and is still a popular concert site to this day. Winona’s Lumber Industry - Lumber played an important role in building Winona. Dive into the origins of the lumber industry in Winona and realize its effect on the city and county as we know it. General Store Each period-accurate artifact on the “General Store” shelves helps to show what a 19th-century shopping experience might have been like. Stories & Structures: How Buildings Tell Us About Ourselves - In this exhibit, visitors learn about iconic buildings in the Winona area and discover the people who built them. Voices of the Armory- Replete with personal interview components, “Voices of the Armory” brings museum guests a peek into the past of the historic National Guard Armory that houses the History Center Museum. Security State Bank - Relive an era where Jesse James posed a real threat to banks like this one in Lewiston, MN. The Security State Bank replica façade and interior illustrate how bank companies outfitted their buildings to guard against danger. Flatliners Speed Society- This fast-paced tale reveals the story of some Winona-based car enthusiasts and their 1931 Model T Ford racecar that won world records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Traveling & Temporary Exhibits- This special section of the museum changes at intervals to highlight different stories, usually brought in by community members or area organizations. The Cube- Stuffed with sensory activities and learning materials, “The Cube” is a safe, fun space for younger museum visitors to get hands-on with history.  Also, learn more about Recording your Oral History!  If you or someone you know would like to record an oral history, contact the Curator of Collections and schedule an interview. We have a lovely Oral History Lab complete with comfy chairs, historic wall art, and friendly staff to put you at ease. Our trained interviewers guide you through a conversation-style interview that helps you summon up details from the memories you’d like to share on your recording. To learn about our Oral History Program, check out! https://winonahistory.org/participate/oral-history-program/ We look forward to welcoming you and having you learn and see more about the Winona Couty History Center! 507-454-2723. https://winonahistory.org/visit/ Winona County Historical Society160 Johnson Street​Winona, Minnesota  - Open Daily 10am – 4pm  

The McLean County Museum of History traces its roots back to 1892, the year the McLean County Historical Society was founded. Today, the Museum is a nationally accredited, award-winning institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and sharing the rich history of McLean County. The Museum’s early roots date to December 5, 1903, when the Historical Society held its first meeting in a room set aside for the Society in the newly completed McLean County Courthouse. That historic building, located at 200 N. Main Street in downtown Bloomington, is now home to the McLean County Museum of History. The Museum features seven exhibit galleries, more than 18,000 objects, over 15,000 rare and hard-to-find books on local history and genealogy, and 2,000 feet of historical papers and images in its archives. Its exhibits and educational programs invite visitors of all ages to discover the people, places, events, and experiences that shaped McLean County. Exhibits The Museum’s permanent exhibits include Challenges, Choices, and Change, a 5,000-square-foot experience presented across four galleries: Making a Home, Farming in the Great Corn Belt, Working for a Living, and A Community in Conflict. Visitors can also explore Abraham Lincoln in McLean County, the Merwin Gallery, the hands-on Pioneer Discovery Room, and the historic Courthouse Exhibit. The Museum is also home to changing temporary exhibits: New in 2026: More Than A Game: A Community History of Baseball & Softball Opened July 18, 2026, this new temporary exhibit explores more than 150 years of baseball and softball history in McLean County. From early games played before the Civil War to today's CornBelters, baseball and softball have been woven into the community's story for generations. The exhibit examines how changes in race and gender equality, leisure time, technology, and social life played out on local ballfields. Visitors can step up to the microphone to call a game, learn how to grip a pitch, keep score on a recreated 1930s Pantagraph scoreboard, watch archival footage, hear sounds from the dugout, and test their knowledge with local baseball and softball trivia. The exhibit is scheduled to remain on display through 2031. Also currently on display is A Deadly Deception: The Asbestos Tragedy in McLean County, a temporary exhibit examining the history of the asbestos manufacturing plant on Bloomington’s west side and the people who endured its toxic working and environmental conditions. The exhibit is scheduled to remain on display through 2027. Plan Your Visit Visitors enter and exit the Museum through the Cruisin’ with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center, making it a natural starting and ending point for a visit. Located on the ground floor of the McLean County Museum of History, the Visitors Center features Route 66 information panels highlighting the history and local connections of the Mother Road, along with a gift shop offering locally produced products, Abraham Lincoln souvenirs, Route 66 merchandise, and other unique items. It also provides local tourism information to help visitors discover additional attractions, historic sites, and things to do throughout McLean County. The McLean County Museum of History is open year-round, Monday through Saturday. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with extended hours on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Museum is closed Sundays. Admission is free for everyone on Tuesdays. Admission is also free for Museum members, students and children, and several other groups. Come explore the stories of McLean County, discover fascinating artifacts and exhibits, and experience history where it happened. McLean County Museum of History 200 N. Main Street Bloomington, Illinois 61701 Entrance on Washington Street For current hours, exhibits, events, and visitor information, https://mchistory.org/visit  

The Wisconsin Maritime Museum, in Manitowoc, WI cares for a collection of nearly 20,000 objects and a substantial archive pertaining to the maritime history of Wisconsin, Manitowoc shipbuilding, and USS Cobia. This includes more than 60 boats, approximately 300 regionally-built outboard motors, and over 250 ship models. Shipbuilding tools, marine navigational equipment, naval uniforms, and maritime archaeological artifacts also make up significant and growing portions of the collections. When objects are accepted into the museum’s collection, we agree to take care of them in perpetuity. This is an ongoing commitment, and a responsibility we take very seriously. The museum also cares for more than 10,000 Great Lakes shipwreck artifacts, curated on behalf of the State of Wisconsin, in its role as the preferred repository for recovered Wisconsin shipwreck artifacts. (Note, federal legislation in 1987 codified that it is expressly illegal to remove items from historic shipwrecks). The WMM collection is one of the largest maritime collections on the Great Lakes and reflects the museum’s mission of connecting all people with Wisconsin’s waterways, by engaging and educating the public about the Great Lakes, Wisconsin’s maritime history, Wisconsin’s WWII submarines, and USS Cobia. As the museum has grown over the past half-century, caring for our expanding collections has, likewise, become more challenging. While our Franklin Street facility allows us to house over 12,000 objects, items are now vulnerable to damage and deterioration. Through the years this facility has become overcrowded, making a more efficient storage system necessary. So preliminary work, largely grant funded by two programs with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), plans for expansion has begun! We invite you to visit our museum an experience the history of Maritime in Manitowoc, WI and more! https://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/visit/