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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 Podcast #11 – Spring 2018: North Star: Civil War Stories

Paul Nelson, Daniel Bergin, and Bill Green

North Star: Civil War Stories Ramsey County Historical Society (RCHS) and Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) have collaborated in the production of the documentary film, North Star: Civil War Stories, about Minnesotans of African heritage who served in the Civil War. At the premiere screening, filmmaker Daniel…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2018: “Charles and Elaine Eastman: Their Years in St. Paul, 1893–1898”

Teresa Swanson, Sydney Beane, and William Beane

Charles and Elaine Eastman: Their Years in St. Paul, 1893–1898 Authors: Teresa Swanson, Sydney Beane, and William Beane Born in 1858 in Minnesota, Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa) survived the US Dakota War of 1862 and fled with his family to Canada, where he was raised in the…

RCHS/TPT Film – North Star: Civil War Stories

RCHS and TPT

North Star Civil War Stories Ramsey County Historical Society is proud to partner with TPT-Twin Cities PBS to produce a ground-breaking new documentary, North Star: Civil War Stories, which uncovers hidden details of African-American men from Minnesota involved in the Civil War. Using emerging research and scholarship, North Star: Civil War…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2018: “Terror Visits Fort Snelling: The 1940 Murder of Mary Jane Massey”

Steve Lydon

Terror Visits Fort Snelling: The 1940 Murder of Mary Jane Massey Author: Steve Lydon On the afternoon of July 13, 1940, thirteen-year-old Mary Jane Massey disappeared from the grounds of Fort Snelling, a quiet US Army base on the western outskirts of St. Paul. Mary Jane’s father…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2017: “The Ties That Bind: Mounds-Park Nurses and the Great War”

Johannes R. Allert

 The Ties That Bind: Mounds-Park Nurses and the Great War Author: Johannes R. Allert After the United States entered World War I in 1917, some graduates of the Mounds-Park Nursing School in St. Paul joined the American Red Cross, which played a supportive role in the conflict,…

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…

Ramsey County History Podcast #8 – Spring 2017: Fort Snelling and the Civil War

Paul Nelson and Steve Osman

Fort Snelling and the Civil War The Euro-American phase of Minnesota history begins with Fort Snelling, starting in 1820. The fort’s busiest period was 1861-1865 — with the Civil War and the US Dakota War of 1862. All of the soldiers headed south to fight for the…