by Dennis Dalman
Jeff Sartell, a descendent of city founder Joseph B. Sartell, spoke about the importance of honoring and preserving local history in a talk before the City Council during the open forum portion of its Aug. 12 meeting.
In 2007, Sartell’s centennial year, a group of residents and history buffs, including Jeff Sartell, put together a pictorial-and-text history book of the city and also formed the Sartell Historical Society. But since that time, the historical society has been an orphan of sorts without a permanent home.
Last year, Sartell said, those history buffs and new ones decided to raise awareness about the society and its needs, including – ideally – a permanent home or museum. Sartell said he and others are hoping the city will be able to use the current police- and fire-department building as a site for a historical center. That building will be abandoned when the new Public Safety Facility (for police-and-fire functions) opens.
As part of an effort to raise awareness, the historical society last year hosted an event featuring a history exhibit with photos, artifacts and text in the Sartell Community Center. There were also other history-related activities, such as old-fashioned trolley ride tours of the city. The historical society plans a similar birthday celebration for the city this fall.
In addition, the society uses the glass display cases inside the community center to display photos, artifacts and news clippings about the city based on various themes, such as baseball or the city flood of 1965. Those displays are changed to new ones every three months.
Many historical artifacts are currently being kept in various homes and buildings throughout the city. It is the goal of the historical society, Sartell said, to gather those artifacts together so they can be properly preserved and displayed for the public. Doing so, he added, would become a learning experience for younger Sartell residents unaware of the city’s history and for newcomers to the city who want to learn about its past.
There are 13 board members of the Sartell Historical Society. They meet once a month.
At several previous council meetings, current members of the City Council and Mayor Ryan Fitzthum have all expressed an interest in preserving Sartell history, including the possibility of finding a permanent place for a headquarters and/or museum.
