Support Us

Upcoming Events

Urban Sanctuary: The Life of Minnehaha Creek
Bob Thompson & Jack Weston

Saturday, March 29th from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
​​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
​Rediscover the natural beauties of Minnehaha Creek through lush photographs and vivid descriptions of the creek's wildlife and history. In this talk, author and photographer, Bob Thompson and Jack Weston, will guide you through their book, Urban Sanctuary: The Life of Minnehaha Creek, and show you how some of nature's most stunning wonders can be found in your own neighborhood.
​
Ticket Prices
Member: $10
Non-member: $15

Purchase tickets at the door or online​​​ ​​
Ticket Prices
Member: $10
Non-member: $15
 ​
Purchase tickets at the door or online​​

The Nation Makes the Man: Norman Rockwell and World War II Masculinity 
​Mary Agnes Ratelle

Saturday, April 26th from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
​​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
​Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States' leadership was deeply invested in the state of American Masculinity. As the U.S. entered World War II, a new era of American Masculinity emerged, highlighting the aggressive and patriotic military man. Norman Rockwell, in his Saturday Evening Post illustrations of Willie Gillis, diverged from this trend, portraying the "American everyman". In this talk, EHS Interim Executive Director, Mary Agnes Ratelle, discusses the visual portrayal of American masculinity and its roots in Roosevelian ideals, as well as the work of Norman Rockwell and its impact on American culture. ​
Ticket Prices
Member: $15
Non-member: $17
 ​
Purchase tickets at the door or online​​

A Road Trip Around Minnesota: Veteran Memorials
​Jay Grammond

Friday, May 23rd from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
​​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
Minnesota is home to a remarkable array of Veteran Memorials - each with its own story and significance. From street names to granite monuments to powerful statues and unique tributes, these memorials honor the bravery and sacrifice of our servicemen and women in meaningful ways. Join historian, photographer, and military history program organizer Jay Grammond as he takes you on a virtual road trip around the state, showcasing some of the most inspiring memorials he has encountered in his travels.  Discover hidden gems and well-known landmarks that pay tribute to veterans from war and peace time across the ages. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a proud supporter of our military, or simply curious about these powerful symbols of remembrance, this presentation will offer valuable insights and inspiration. Why not start planning a road trip of your own to visit these sites and experience their impact firsthand?

Weddings from the Weird to the Wonderful: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Jessica Cygan

Saturday, July 5th from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
​​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
A discussion on the traditional, the wonderful and the ugly of vintage bridal fashion. Guest speaker, Jessica Cygan, will talk about where our modern ideas about weddings came from, and answer questions like: Why do we wear white and when did that tradition begin?  How did royal weddings influence our views of weddings? Is that expensive dress only used once? Did they actually make dresses out of parachutes in World War II? Why were 1980s wedding dresses so ugly? Answers to this and many more burning questions explained about bridal fashions from 1840 to 1980. 

Ticket Prices
Member: $17
Non-member: $20
 ​
Purchase tickets at the door or online​​

Past Events

Lustrous Legacy: History of American Jewelry
Olivia Lonetti

Friday, January 17th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
​​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
From Art Nouveau to Art Deco, and mid-century modernism, we'll journey through over 250 years of key American jewelry movements. Discover the art, culture, and craftsmanship that define each era and what to look for in establishing value. Learn the quintessential styles of each period and how to identify them, and discover what might be in your jewelry box from these periods. Through a blend of historical context, notable designers, and market evaluations, this lecture will provide a comprehensive guide to your jewelry collection.​

Ticket Prices
Member: $10
Non-member: $15 ​

Photos with Santa

Saturday, December 7th from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
Historic Minnehaha Grange Hall

Santa is in Edina this holiday season, and he is visiting the Historic Minnehaha Grange Hall! Skip the long lines at the Mall and reserve a magical, personalized time with Santa in the beautiful backdrop of a historic building. Our staff will use your phone to take the photos so that you will have your winter memories immediately. Festive refreshments will be provided.

Click the button below to reserve a time slot for your group!
​
Ticket Price: $20*
*Please only purchase one ticket per group. All proceeds benefit the Edina Historical Society, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Fashions of World War II
​Jessica Cygan

Saturday, October 12th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
​​​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room

Women's fashion in the 1940s was profoundly influenced by World War II‘s impact. In this talk we will explore how patriotism led the entirety of the United States to band together, making sensible decisions that would help the war effort and subsequently transform fashion forever. Clothing was dictated by necessity, utility and rationing. Despite that, wartime did not mean giving up on beauty and dressing the best you could. Whether a woman worked in a factory, as a homemaker, enrolled in the military, or started a victory garden—each of them did their part for the war effort and dressed in the fashion necessary for a patriotic woman in the 1940s.

Fading Ads of the Twin Cities
Jay Grammond

Friday, July 26th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
​Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
​
Do you remember seeing those old painted ads on the sides of buildings for Coca-Cola and Grain Belt Beer? Our guest speaker, Jay Grammond, has been drawn to fading ads, or “ghost signs” for quite some time. In the Summer of 2020, that interest became so much more when he signed a book deal to publish a book about the topic. Join Jay as he takes you on a virtual walk around the Twin Cities to view this sort of “art gallery”, exploring the rich history of companies that found a home in the Twin Cities.

More than a Housewife: Women in Postwar Magazine Illustration
​Mary Agnes Ratelle

Saturday, April 27th from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Edina Historical Society Museum/Terrace Room
​
The 1950s housewife has been a mainstay of American visual culture, used to embody both the hopes of postwar economic opulence and the limitations of the domestic sphere that second wave feminism pushed against. In this talk EHS Interim Executive Director, Mary Agnes Ratelle, explores the visual representation of the 1950s housewife, analyzing her representation in magazine illustration and placing these images into the context of postwar marketing practices and psychological theory. ​​