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Tag: Plymouth history

Connect to Plymouth’s Farming Past

Connect to Plymouth’s Farming Past

One of the joys of spending time at the Plymouth Historical Society is the city’s rich farming history. There are many artifacts and documents that help us peer into the past life of Plymouth. Not that long ago, Plymouth was a community that required family farms to survive. Now, Plymouth is a bustling suburb of the culturally rich city of Minneapolis. Those fields are replaced by a much more urban setting with shopping centers, business districts, and a scattering of…

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Object Spotlight: The Yuba Bulletin

Object Spotlight: The Yuba Bulletin

It is hard to even fathom what construction and farming work must have been like over 100 years ago. As I write this, I can hear many construction vehicles reworking Fernbrook Lane right outside of Plymouth’s Old Town Hall, home to the Historical Society. One hundred years ago, similar projects likely would have required the use of horses. The mass use of large machinery was only in its infancy in the 1910s as highlighted by our object spotlight for this…

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Reasons to Study Your Family History

Reasons to Study Your Family History

A high school classmate of mine repeatedly told people his family history traced back to both Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. He shared this fact so much that peers began referring to him by a nickname, “Winston.” He very well could be related to those two famous historical figures. There is a theory that there are only six degrees of separation between any living human being. Why would historical connections be any different? In my recent studies of the Creelman…

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The Story of Harvey Djerf

The Story of Harvey Djerf

Beloved local resident Harvey Djerf passed away on September 1. His celebrity did not stem from his storied accomplishments as a soldier, teacher, and volunteer. Instead, Harvey made the news simply for being a good neighbor and inspiring others to return the favor. On September 11, Plymouth residents created a memorial to their friend Harvey Djerf. The gesture was covered by the Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio, Kare11, and WCCO, among others. Harvey’s story demonstrates the profound effect one person…

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Three Things You May Not Know About Plymouth

Three Things You May Not Know About Plymouth

Local public news station CCX TV aired the following story on June 28, 2012. Titled “Three Things You May Not Know About Plymouth,” the segment features Gary Schiebe (Plymouth Historical Society) and Mayor Kelli Slavik (City of Plymouth) discussing little known facts about the area.   Archival footage courtesy of CCX TV and YouTube. For more information about Gary Schiebe, please see our Summer 2018 newsletter.

A Minor Change Makes All The Difference

A Minor Change Makes All The Difference

Throughout the history of the United States, pioneers of the Western frontier faced the problem of natives already living on the land they were settling. Plymouth’s history is full of stories and documents that talk about this important historical issue. A huge challenge for any historical society is to make sure all perspectives are given a fair chance. Here in Plymouth, there are a plethora of documents that speak of the settlers’ experiences, but few that give the perspective of…

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Old Town Hall

Old Town Hall

Plymouth’s Old Town Hall is home to the Plymouth History Museum. This building was built in 1885, making it 133 years old. In 1985, Plymouth Historical Society published the following history of Old Town Hall’s construction: In the early 1880s the rapidly growing town of Plymouth came to realize it needed a public building from which to carry on its official business. It was probably in the fall of 1884 that Clem Mengelkoch and Tom Ditter were asked by the…

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Naming Medicine Lake, Part II

Naming Medicine Lake, Part II

In Naming Medicine Lake, Part I, we explored the origin of Medicine Lake’s name. According to legend, the Dakota named the lake Mde Wakan or Lake of the Spirit. In Dr. Franklin Curtis-Wedge’s The Story of Mission Farms, Medicine Lake Camps, Conferences, and Conventions (Minnesota Historical Records Survey, c. 1942), the author notes: To a Sioux, anything that is spiritual, mysterious, or supernatural is ‘medicine,’ and this was the word they imparted to the Whites as the equivalent for their ancient name….

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Plymouth in 1881

Plymouth in 1881

One of the most valuable sources of Plymouth’s early history is the chapter on “Plymouth” in Edward D. Neill and J. Fletcher Williams’ History of Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis (Minneapolis: North Star Publishing, 1881). The 11-page chapter details Plymouth’s first settlements, businesses, and residents, providing a unique summation of the township’s first 20 years. Of great benefit to researchers is information pertaining to the town’s first European settlers. Brief biographical sketches were provided for the following individuals: Christopher Braesch, Thomas…

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