Martin County Historical Society

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Martin County Historical Society Your go-to place for Martin County History! Our organization operates primarily out of our museum, the Pioneer Museum, in Fairmont.

Our museum has 8 rooms dedicated to displays (including our large basement!), a well equipped research library, and plenty of room to accomodate many groups of varying sizes. Our museum is now also home to the Martin County Genealogical Society whose room is filled with family history resources. We are also restoring a home, the Pioneer Parsonage. The home will be structurally restored back to a 1910-30 style home and will function as an extension of the museum, giving us more display space for our amazing Martin County Artifacts.

10/17/2026

Hot off the press, Lenny Tvedten's newest book, this one on Martin County farm history, was just delivered this week. The book shares the background, stories and photos of about 50 farms throughout the county.
The Martin County Historical Society Executive Director started in earnest on the book in January of 2025 when he put out a call asking for people to start submitting their local farm history. However, the idea for the book was in him long before then.

*Full article can be found at the link in comments.

10/17/2026

The Martin County Historical Society (MCHS) and Martin County Players are bringing history to life for the autumn season and the haunting holiday with the storytelling performances "Dark Tales of Martin County."
The sold-out show will be performed on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24, at the MCHS Pioneer Parsonage House in Fairmont.

*Full article can be found at the link in comments.

We had a fun time showing a great group of FES 3rd graders around the museum! They learned about the interesting history...
10/15/2026

We had a fun time showing a great group of FES 3rd graders around the museum! They learned about the interesting history of Martin County and got to tour a lot of our displays like the jail cell, the schoolhouse desks, the Fairmont Youth Center pinball machine and more (all things you can stop down and see too!). Also, a big thank you to our volunteers for all of their help!!!

A great evening at the Pioneer Museum for the Wheels of Murder book talk with author Jeffrey M. Sauve, exploring the sto...
10/09/2026

A great evening at the Pioneer Museum for the Wheels of Murder book talk with author Jeffrey M. Sauve, exploring the story behind the infamous 1896 Sherburn Bank Robbery!

Don't forget, we've got a very interesting book talk, tonight (October 7) at 7:00pm at the museum. If you have ever want...
10/07/2026

Don't forget, we've got a very interesting book talk, tonight (October 7) at 7:00pm at the museum. If you have ever wanted to learn about the infamous 1896 Sherburn Bank Robbery, then tonight is for you! Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

Spooky season is upon us and we are so excited to announce a new event: Dark Tales of Martin County! Join us at the Pion...
10/05/2026

Spooky season is upon us and we are so excited to announce a new event: Dark Tales of Martin County!

Join us at the Pioneer Parsonage for an evening of strange stories (as presented by the Martin County Players and based on local history/lore) & a sumptuous supper! The event will be held two nights, October 23rd & October 24th, with doors opening at 5:30pm. Tickets are $40 per person; space will be limited, so reserve soon!

Reservations can be made online at https://www.mchsmn.org/dark-tales-of-martin-county or by phone at 507-235-5178

Don't forget, we've got a great event coming up next week! A book talk with author and historian Jeff Sauve about the in...
10/01/2026

Don't forget, we've got a great event coming up next week! A book talk with author and historian Jeff Sauve about the infamous 1896 Sherburn Bank Robbery. Next Wednesday, October 7th, at 7:00pm. Free admission, public invited!

October is going to be filled with a great slate of amazing events, so be sure to look out for announcements like this!A...
09/28/2026

October is going to be filled with a great slate of amazing events, so be sure to look out for announcements like this!

Author and Minnesota Historian Jeff Sauve will be presenting on the infamous 1896 Sherburn Bank Robbery - Wednesday, October 7th at 7:00pm at the Pioneer Museum!

There is no charge to attend and the public is invited; books will be available for purchase at the event. (Parental guidance is advised)

09/27/2026

Michael Thate, a 1997 Fairmont High School graduate with time spent at Princeton and George Washington University and who's currently at MIT as a McDonald Senior Distinguished Research Scholar, gave the featured speech at the Martin County Historical Society (MCHS) Annual Meeting on Thursday.

*The full article can be found at the link in the comments.

Highlights from a Memorable Evening of History & Inspiration — MCHS 2026 Annual Meeting
09/27/2026

Highlights from a Memorable Evening of History & Inspiration — MCHS 2026 Annual Meeting

Address

304 E Blue Earth Avenue
Fairmont, MN
56031

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 12pm
1pm - 4:30pm

Telephone

+15072355178

Website

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