From the collection: 1959 photos of all Edina buildings

02/21/2011

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One of my favorite things at our museum is the collection of Edina building photos taken in 1959. City workers went around the village and took one or more photos of every structure in the community.

We have photos of places like Cameron's store, located at 70th and Cahill in what was then rural Edina.
Cameron's store, 70th and Cahill
Travel there today and you won't see any hint of the busy little store, located at the crossroads shared with St. Patrick's Church and the one-room Cahill School.

We also have photos of Savory's Greenhouses, which still operates today.
Savory's Greenhouses, Edina, 1959
The house photos are helpful for residents researching their house history. In addition to the photos, we have the tax assessor files that include information about building permits on remodeling projects. (I happen to like the photos that show cars and bikes in the driveway.)
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I also like the ones that show people. Many of the business photos show shoppers on the street or entering the building. Odds are, somebody out there knows the man strolling out of the Shell station. Anyone know anything about the coffee vehicle at the pumps?
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I would love to have a volunteer (or group of volunteers) take photos of each address for a Then and Now exhibit. If you'd like to help with the project, please email me or call me at 612-928-4577.
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New to the collection: Crazy quilt documenting Morningside homes

02/19/2010

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One of the unofficial attractions at the Edina History Museum is seeing the new donations to the collection as they come in. Visitors yesterday were treated to the first look at a unique crazy quilt that was begun in 1882. Donated by Edina resident James Grunnet, the quilt documents the homes lived in by members of his family. Three of the homes were located in the Morningside neighborhood of Edina, which was an independent village from 1920 to 1966.

Embroidered on scraps of clothing worn by family members, the local homes include: 4410 Curve Avenue, 4015 Sunnyside Avenue and 4013 Sunnyside Avenue.

Four women in the Grunnet and Leerskov families worked on the quilt, which is in excellent condition. The quilt will not be on display in the immediate future, but before we carefully preserve and store the beautiful quilt, I wanted to share it with you.
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