History Never Stops...Learning Never Stops
Please Note: Registration, by calling 507.454.2723 Ext. 0, for programs, tours and receptions are encouraged. Walk-ins are welcome but we can not guarantee space. Please wear a mask. Thank you!
Events & Fundraisers
Warm Winona Winter Wishes Gift Bucket
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
Click to Learn More
Holiday Shopping and Happenings!
Shop Small and Museum Store Sunday
November 26 - 28, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
History Center Museum Shop
Downtown Winona will be offering deals and fun getting ready for the holidays. Give the gift of
Winona County history. November 26 - 28 spend $25 or more in the Museum Shop and get a free Watkins gift (while supplies last) and $5 off a new or gift membership. Membership to WCHS makes a great gift! Benefits include:
Members’ Annual Holiday Sale
25% Off Museum Shop purchases all December!
As an annual gift and thank you for our amazing members’ support the Museum Shop has a special 25% off sale all December long. Some exclusions apply. The Museum Shop is open daily 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. and features locally made items, books,
apparel, games and toys, Winona and Minnesota gifts and much more!
Downtown Winona Holiday Window Walk
November 26 - December 31
The Grinch is the theme for this year’s Holiday Window Walk supported by the Winona Main Street program. Check out the window displays downtown, including ours at the History Center and vote for your favorite.
Shop Small and Museum Store Sunday
November 26 - 28, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
History Center Museum Shop
Downtown Winona will be offering deals and fun getting ready for the holidays. Give the gift of
Winona County history. November 26 - 28 spend $25 or more in the Museum Shop and get a free Watkins gift (while supplies last) and $5 off a new or gift membership. Membership to WCHS makes a great gift! Benefits include:
- Subscription to The Argus
- Event, Class and Program Deals
- Free Admission to WCHS Museums
- and the Archives
- Museum Shop Discounts
- And more!
Members’ Annual Holiday Sale
25% Off Museum Shop purchases all December!
As an annual gift and thank you for our amazing members’ support the Museum Shop has a special 25% off sale all December long. Some exclusions apply. The Museum Shop is open daily 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. and features locally made items, books,
apparel, games and toys, Winona and Minnesota gifts and much more!
Downtown Winona Holiday Window Walk
November 26 - December 31
The Grinch is the theme for this year’s Holiday Window Walk supported by the Winona Main Street program. Check out the window displays downtown, including ours at the History Center and vote for your favorite.
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Our Annual Events
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Programs, Activities & Classes
Historic Walking Tours
Take a closer look at the historical places and people of Winona with a walking tour! Brush up on your local trivia for prizes. All tours are an hour long and cost $10 per person. Bottled water is included. Sign up by calling 507.454.2723 ext. 0. Sponsored by WNB Financial.
Halloween Downtown Tours
October 30 and 31
1 p.m. starting at the History Center.
Take a closer look at the historical places and people of Winona with a walking tour! Brush up on your local trivia for prizes. All tours are an hour long and cost $10 per person. Bottled water is included. Sign up by calling 507.454.2723 ext. 0. Sponsored by WNB Financial.
Halloween Downtown Tours
October 30 and 31
1 p.m. starting at the History Center.
Book Chat
Book Chat is free and open to the public. Participate in great discussions about the themes in each month’s book. Held monthly at the History Center. Discussions begin at 12:05 p.m. for about an hour. Led by Audrey Gorny.
Oct. 27 - Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
As MGM is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, 77 year-old Maud Gage Baum sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set.
Dec. 1 - Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts, and Fictions by Sheila O’Connor
Drawing on the little-known American practice of incarcerating adolescent girls for “immorality” in the first half of the twentieth century, O’Connor follows young V from her early work as a nightclub entertainer to her subsequent six-year state school sentence for an unplanned pregnancy.
Book Chat is free and open to the public. Participate in great discussions about the themes in each month’s book. Held monthly at the History Center. Discussions begin at 12:05 p.m. for about an hour. Led by Audrey Gorny.
Oct. 27 - Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
As MGM is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, 77 year-old Maud Gage Baum sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set.
Dec. 1 - Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts, and Fictions by Sheila O’Connor
Drawing on the little-known American practice of incarcerating adolescent girls for “immorality” in the first half of the twentieth century, O’Connor follows young V from her early work as a nightclub entertainer to her subsequent six-year state school sentence for an unplanned pregnancy.
Online Lecture Series: The Ecological History of Winona County
Now Available to View Online: Webinar Series in partnership with Winona State University
Now Available to View Online: Webinar Series in partnership with Winona State University
Diane Wilson | Seeds for Seven Generations
Michael Lee | Minnesota’s Driftless Area: a Biodiversity Hotspot
Andy Robertson, Kevin Stark, Roger Meyer, and Kathy Allen | Mapping Ecologic History in the Driftless Area of Minnesota
Gregory Edge | Oak Savanna and Woodland: Using the science of disturbance ecology and silviculture to help restore unique Driftless Area ecosystems
Eli Sagor | A View from the Minnesota Woods
Michael Dockry | Learning from the Indigenous Roots of Sustainable Forestry in the USA: Promoting Sustainability, Community Healing, and Partnerships
This lecture is co-sponsored by the All-University Arboretum and Land Stewardship Committee as part of the 8th Annual Arbor Day celebration and WSU’s “Tree-Campus USA” recognition.
The Ecological History Lecture Series, March 23 – April 21, 2021, is made possible in part by the people of Minnesota through a grant funded by an appropriation to the Minnesota Historical Society from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. We thank the generosity of the people of Minnesota. The webinar series is open and free to the public.
Pioneer School
We are looking forward to bringing back Pioneer School in 2022.
Students step back in time to experience life in a one room schoolhouse. This popular summer day camp is offered at the Rural Heritage Museum annually. Check out more on the Pioneer School page to learn about this fun experience.
We are looking forward to bringing back Pioneer School in 2022.
Students step back in time to experience life in a one room schoolhouse. This popular summer day camp is offered at the Rural Heritage Museum annually. Check out more on the Pioneer School page to learn about this fun experience.
History on the River - Educational Cruises
We look forward to welcoming you back aboard for our educational cruises in 2022.
Educational Cruises Celebrating Our Heritage!
Experience the history, culture, arts, science, stories, music, and more that make Winona Minnesota so unique, on the Mississippi River.
Educational Cruises Celebrating Our Heritage!
Experience the history, culture, arts, science, stories, music, and more that make Winona Minnesota so unique, on the Mississippi River.