History Center
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 29, 2025The Rock County Historical Society hosted its annual meeting Monday night, Oct. 27. The evening included refreshments, a business meeting and a presentation about the North Star Story Map. The Story Map, a project of the American Institute of Architects Minnesota, is an interactive website featuring locally sourced stories about buildings of meaning around the state. Ann Mayhew of the…
By Lori SorensonOctober 23, 2024The Rock County Historical Society received word on Friday that it would receive a $111,722 grant from the Minnesota Historical Society. “This is big news,” said Wendel Buys, director of the Rock County History Center. He said the grant funds will be used to purchase museum quality collection storage. Specifically, “mobile, high-density shelving” will be installed in the History Center’s new…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 17, 2024The 1915 Big Brown Luverne arrived in Luverne last week and will join the 1909 Luverne Thirty already on display at the History Center. The two cars are believed to be the only two produced by Luverne Automobile Company that are still in existence. They were made by the auto company started in 1904 in Luverne by brothers Al and Ed Leicher. The company manufactured passenger cars, mostly of…
By Jason BerghorstJune 19, 2024“Andrew, you really put Luverne on the map.” That’s how Dr. Anita Gaul summed up the work of Andrew Prekker of Luverne in creating the winning design of the new Minnesota state flag. Gaul is vice chair of the Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission and joined Prekker to present a program about the new state flag at the History Center in Luverne on Flag Day, June 14. Gaul, a history…
By Jason BerghorstJune 12, 2024Residents of Rock County gathered at the History Center in Luverne Thursday evening, June 6, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that began the liberation of France and turned the tide of World War II. The program, co-hosted by History Center director Wendel Buys and Chamber director Jane Lanphere, included a slide presentation, video clips, a time of remembrance and…
June 05, 2024The Rock County Historical Society presented its 12th annual “Tales from the Graves” and pie and ice cream social Sunday afternoon at the History Center. Local actors played the roles of featured “guests” who were prominent in Rock County history and helped to tell the story of the county’s past.
December 27, 2023The day after Christmas is a busy one at the History Center in Luverne in recognition of Candy Cane Day. Visitors were able to enjoy the red and white post-Christmas party complete with craft-making, warm beverages, snacks and a scavenger hunt. Some traditional stories indicate the candy cane was first seen in Germany, where children were given the peppermint stick while attending nativity…
By Lori SorensonDecember 06, 2023The Rock County History Center and Luverne Area Chamber hosted a “Wine and Pages” event Monday night, Nov. 27, as part of a series of holiday outreach events to draw visitors into the museum. Using old, yellowed, discarded books, participants sipped on wine and nibbled holiday desserts while folding book pages to create self-standing “Antique Book Holiday Trees” propped by book covers. …
By Lori SorensonNovember 15, 2023Miniature war games returned to the History Center Saturday with a small group of players and periodic Veterans Day audiences. The games use miniature soldiers (about the size of a thumb), artillery and vehicles on a tabletop battlefield. War game enthusiast Mike Westerbur and his son, Dylan, debuted their World War II battlefield at the History Center for Veterans Day in 2019. “I’ve been…
By Betty Mann, president, Rock County Historical SocietyFebruary 25, 2020Rock County will celebrate its 150th Anniversary this year. The news will be the history of Rock County, townships, and communities. The following appeared in the Rose History of Rock County, printed in 1911. County and Township Organization — 1870-1878 (continued from 02-20 edition) Luverne The petition asking for the creation of Rock county’s first township was dated February 15,…
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