Explore the day away.

Explore Exhibits and Take a Trip Back In Time

At the Stearns History Museum, you can walk from one decade to the next all in one day. It’s like time travel, right in your own backyard.

Permanent and changing exhibits highlight the history of people, places, and stories in Central Minnesota’s history. We encourage you to explore at your own pace, schedule a tour, and come back often.

Green Card Voices

The stories that make up this exhibit are Central Minnesota stories, told by community members who live here, work here, and serve here.

What I Fought For

Coming December 2020—”What I Fought For” documents the profound connections of veterans and refugees.

Pandolfo & the Pan Automobile

Discover the story of Sam Pandolfo, who convinced St. Cloud residents to invest in the Pan Motor Company in 1917. Was he a great salesman in over his head, a con man out to swindle people, or a victim of corporate sabotage? You decide!

Just For Fun: Toys We Loved

Recall old childhood memories. The exhibit includes dolls that date back to the mid-1800s, a Snurfer, a precursor to today’s snowboard, and a collection of early-manufactured Tonka trucks. It also features a working Lionel Electric Train on loan to the Museum by retired dentist Jeff Poehler.

Choices Made, Choices to Come

We brought the outside in so you can explore Stearns County Natural History and its environmental impacts.

Auf Wiedersehen, But Not Goodbye

Explore the experiences of Stearns County residents as they struggled to both survive and make sense of World War I.

Alice Wheelock Whitney

Understand the importance of community giving through Mrs. Whitney’s story. This prominent St. Cloud family left their mark on the community, and their descendants continue to do so statewide.

Minnesota's Secret Language School

Photographs and narratives tell the remarkable story of the Japanese American men and women who trained as linguists at the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) at Camp Savage and Fort Snelling during World War II.

On Solid Ground

Immerse yourself in a 1930s granite quarry and discover the impact of the granite industry in Central Minnesota.

Upcoming Exhibits

“What I Fought For,” an exhibit about how veterans’ lives are intertwined with those of refugees in profound and deeply personal ways, is coming to the Stearns History Museum in December 2020.

There’s More to Explore

The Stearns History Museum hosts exciting events, programs, and research opportunities throughout the year. Be sure to take a look around and enjoy all we have to offer.

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