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Ramsey County History – Spring 2022: “Six Decades Making Music and Memories: Minnesota Boychoir”

Barbara W. Sommer

Six Decades Making Music and Memories: Minnesota Boychoir Author: Barbara W. Sommer Sixty years ago, father and son—Morris M. Nilsen and Morris A. Nilsen—wished to give back to their community, and, so, they founded the Morris Nilsen Boys Choir, featuring the high treble voices of young, male singers. In the first…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2022: “Fifty Years of Friendship Connected in Community Service: The Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated”

Marion Jones Kennon

Fifty Years of Friendship Connected in Community Service: The Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Author: Marion Jones Kennon In 1972, sixteen women joined in friendship and service to charter the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Today, their chapter is one of 292 across most…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2019: “William DeWitt Mitchell: The Other William Mitchell”

Thomas H. Boyd and Douglas R. Heidenreich

William DeWitt Mitchell: The Other William Mitchell Authors: Thomas H. Boyd and Douglas R. Heidenreich “Like Father, Like Son” is a common saying that most certainly applies to this article. Thomas H. Boyd, a St. Paul attorney, and Douglas R. Heidenreich, former dean of the William Mitchell College of…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2019: “One Hundred Years Serving New Americans: The Centennial of the International Institute of Minnesota”

Krista Finstad Hanson

One Hundred Years Serving New Americans: The Centennial of the International Institute of Minnesota Author: Krista Finstad Hanson 2020 Co-Winner of the Ramsey County Historical Society Virginia B. Kunz Award As visitors and clients open the doors to the International Institute of Minnesota in St. Paul, they…

Ramsey County History Podcast #13 – Spring 2019: International Institute of Minnesota

Paul Nelson and Krista Hanson

International Institute of Minnesota The International Institute of Minnesota opened its doors in St. Paul in December of 1919 to serve the needs of recent immigrants and refugees. One hundred years later, the world has changed, but the International Institute is still in St. Paul, still doing…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2018: “St. Paul’s Mary Griggs Burke, Abby Weed Grey, and Aimee Mott Butler: Three Extraordinary Women Who Supported Art and Artists”

Moira F. Harris

St. Paul’s Mary Griggs Burke, Abby Weed Grey, and Aimee Mott Butler: Three Extraordinary Women Who Supported Art and Artists Author: Moira F. Harris Although most histories of the visual arts in the Twin Cities celebrate the contributions of men who were collectors, much less well-known are…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2018: “A St. Paul Artist Behind Enemy Lines: Carl Bohnen, World War I, and Americanism”

Steve Trimble

A St. Paul Artist Behind Enemy Lines: Carl Bohnen, World War I, and Americanism Author: Steve Trimble St. Paul artist Carl Bohnen (1872–1951) was an accomplished pencil-and-charcoal portrait artist. In 1914, a group of local, wealthy arts patrons underwrote the cost of sending Bohnen and his family to Germany…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2018: “‘Dr. Nellie:’ One Physician’s Experience at the Front in the Great War”

Johannes R. Allert

“Dr. Nellie:” One Physician’s Experience at the Front in the Great War Author: Johannes R. Allert Nellie N. Barsness (1873–1966) was the first woman from the State of Minnesota to graduate from the University of Minnesota’s medical school (1902). She then set up her practice in St.

Ramsey County History – Summer 2017: “Can America Be Bombed? The St. Paul Science Museum’s Answer”

Brian McMahon

Can America Be Bombed? The St. Paul Science Museum’s Answer Author: Brian McMahon In the spring of 1941, the St. Paul Science Museum (predecessor to today’s Science Museum of Minnesota) opened an exhibit provocatively titled “Can America Be Bombed?” The museum’s president, Charles Lesley Ames, was alarmed…