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Ramsey County History Summer 2023 – Roller Skating

Heidi Heller

Volume 58, Number 2: Summer 2023 Rolling through the Decades Roller Skating in Ramsey County Author: Heidi Heller What better way to spend a Saturday night than rolling ‘round and ‘round a skate floor with friends? Some will remember the disco era, complete with a sparkly, mirrored ball and…

History Revealed: Recent Archaeology

Jeremy Nienow, Bob Jensen, Barry Madore

Recent Archaeology in Ramsey County Dr. Jeremy Nienow and Bob Jensen, with Barry Madore History Revealed Series Program Date: July 23, 2020 YouTube Video In partnership with the Roseville Library. Archaeologist Jeremy Nienow discussed some of the findings from recent archaeological digs…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2020: “Public Archaeology: Unearthing the Past in Ramsey County and Beyond”

Jeremy Nienow

Public Archaeology: Unearthing the Past in Ramsey County and Beyond Author: Jeremy L. Nienow Over the past few years, archaeologists and cultural resource management consultants like Jeremy Nienow occasionally open their doors to amateur help. This effort, known as public archaeology, allows those interested in culture and…

60 Stories of Maplewood History

Reviewer: John M. Lindley

60 Stories of Maplewood History Bob Jensen, editor, with Pete Boulay, Nicole DeGuzman, Elaine Ekstedt, Virginia Gaynor, Frank Gilbertson, Brenda Rudberg, Chris Soutter, and Mike Steinmetz Maplewood, MN: Maplewood Area Historical Society, 2017 125 pages; Softcover; photos and maps; $15.00; order at www.Maplewood Historical Society.org Over the years, Ramsey County History has tried…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2014: “The Birth of the Ramsey County Fair”

James Lindner

The Birth of the Ramsey County Fair Author: James Lindner The person credited with the concept of the original county fair is Elkanah Watson, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, who, in 1810, started the Berkshire County Fair. Watson wanted to promote ways to improve farm productivity through education, “personal ambition,” and…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2013: “Fine Art Exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair, 1885–1914”

Leo J. Harris

Fine Art Exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair, 1885–1914 Author: Leo J. Harris The first Minnesota art exhibit was held in St. Paul at the 1857 territorial fair. From that year until 1884, few art exhibits were displayed at the fair, partly because the location Fair moved to different…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2000: “A Roof Over their Heads: The Ramsey County ‘Poor Farm'”

Pete Boulay

A Roof Over Their Heads: The Ramsey County ‘Poor Farm’ Author: Pete Boulay In less than a year after Minnesota became a territory, Ramsey County hired its first overseer of the poor, the editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, James Goodhue. The “poor farm” under his authority had…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2000: “Plans for Preserving ‘Potters’ Field:’ – Heritage of the Public Welfare System”

Robert C. Vogel

Plans for Preserving ‘Potters’ Field:’—Heritage of the Public Welfare System Author: Robert C. Vogel In early 2000, a management plan was developed for the cemetery on the Ramsey County Poor Farm. The cemetery’s roots go back to 1895 when the county board of commissioners established a “potters’ field” for…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1981: “1910s ‘One-Horse’ Gladstone Recalled”

Lucile Arnold

1910s ‘One-Horse’ Gladstone Recalled Author: Lucile Arnold A memoir of the vanished hamlet of Gladstone along Frost Avenue in today’s Maplewood. The writer recalls its two-room schoolhouse with its bell tower and spiral fire escape, swimming in Gladstone Lake, childhood games, the frequent railroad traffic and streetcar service, Mrs.