by Dennis Dalman
Stearns County residents will be able to visit the Stearns History Museum in St. Cloud free throughout the year 2024.
That was a decision approved by the Stearns County Board of Commissioners at a recent meeting.
Before the free admittance started on Jan. 1, 2024, admission costs were $7 for an adult, $3 for a child 5 and over; and free for children ages 4 and under.
The museum’s staff members are pleased by the free-admission decision.
“We are very excited for this opportunity,” said Amy Degerstrom, who is executive director of the museum. “We’re celebrating 40 years in our current building this year, and we thank the county for recognizing the importance of access for all to our museum. Membership is still an important aspect of our daily operating costs and we look forward to telling you about more affordable access to those benefits as well in the coming months.”
Jeff Bertram, Stearns County commissioner and museum board member ex-officio, was also happy about the decision.
“As the Stearns County Board of Commissioners representative on the Stearns County History Museum Board, I have been very impressed by all the museum has to offer. The county board wants the residents of Stearns County to be able to experience the museum, and that is why we are offering residents free admission to learn about our rich history.”
Free admission is available to those who live in Stearns County and does not include access to paid museum programs or events. For more information about free admission, contact Degerstrom at executivedirector@stearns-museum.org or call 320-253-8424. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Current exhibits include “Wayfinding,” with artifacts related to the history of transportation in the county; “Just for Fun: Toys We Loved,” which features an assortment of toys from the past, including dolls that date back to the mid-1880s; “On Solid Ground,” an exhibit showing the impact of the granite industry in central Minnesota; and an ongoing exhibit of large glass-display panoramas that show the flora and fauna of the county. An upcoming exhibit now being planned is “The 1980s” with clothing, music, movies, pop culture and household items of that decade. There are many other things to do and see at the museum. To explore its many options, visit its website at stearnshistorymuseum.org.
A Stearns County Historical Society was founded in 1936 by a group of local citizens who were determined to save historical artifacts and knowledge of the county’s history. In 1973, a building near downtown St. Cloud became a history museum. In 1982, ground was broken for the current Stearns History Museum, located at 235 33rd Ave. S. in St. Cloud. The museum itself is next to a 75-acre nature park.
The museum now has 635 dues-paying members, and last year there were 6,840 visitors to the museum. Annual membership fees are $45 for a senior individual, $55 for an individual and $75 for a household. There are also levels of gift memberships, such as Curator, Friend, Advocate and Leader. The benefit of having a membership is it allows the member to attend without charge any special event that takes place at the museum.
Besides its series of exhibits, the museum is a place to do family-ancestry research and a venue for many special events involving a wide variety of historical-cultural-social-economic aspects of central Minnesota.
The mission of the museum is to “connect people through the power of history and culture, offering a premier cultural heritage experience in central Minnesota.”
Stearns History Museum is nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
This is a summer scene of the plaza in front of the Stearns History Museum in St. Cloud. History-related activities quite often happen outside the museum in the warmer months.
