Cook County Historical Society will celebrate its centennial birthday in 2025!

The Cook County Historical Society (CCHS) was established in the fall of 1925 and is a county- and member-supported organization dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the county’s storied past. 

In its early days, the historical society stored its initial collections in scattered locations (including the old leaky jail), managed a smattering of records, and relied on a shifting volunteer base. 

The organization established a history museum in 1966 when Cook County acquired the original Lightkeeper’s House from the federal government to be used as a historical site. CCHS has managed the history museum ever since. The museum was expanded in 2006 to provide additional exhibit, storage, and office space. Hampered by recent water intrusion issues, CCHS continues to make adjustments to accommodate growing collections, operations, and programming.

CCHS remained a small organization managed by volunteers and part-time directors. Many of these volunteers became board members as CCHS began to more formally organize its efforts. Over time, the scope and responsibility of CCHS has greatly expanded. In addition to objects, art, manuscripts, archives, books, videos, and images,  CCHS has also accrued several historical sites as well. 

In 1998, the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, known locally as the Chippewa City Church, was donated to CCHS by St. John Catholic Church to be used as a museum of history. Grants from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Minnesota Historic Society helped with repairs and stabilization of the 1895 building. Volunteers make this space available for touring June to September.

Shortly after receiving the church, a local commercial fishing family donated the Nee-Gee to CCHS in 2003. The 1935 harbor tug, whose name means “friend” in Ojibwe, was built by the Scott family in the Grand Marais harbor. Grants were secured to stabilize the boat and place it alongside a newly constructed 1930s replica fish house on the western side of the Grand Marais harbor in the Recreation Park. Built by board members, the structure portrays an early 1900s fish house, which, along with the Nee-Gee, has come to represent a remnant of the once-thriving local fishing industry and is available to see throughout the summer months.

In 1989, Lloyd K. Johnson gifted the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery to CCHS. Built to resemble the original Johnson trading post, which burned down in 1926, the building has been expanded to include archival storage, kitchen, and office space. The gallery rotates monthly exhibits of regional artists and holds a robust permanent art collection, which includes many works of Johnson’s mother, early settler and artist Anna C. Johnson.

In 2013, CCHS partnered with Cook County to secure a MN Historical and Cultural Heritage Legacy grant to purchase the 1911 Bally Blacksmith and 1959 Metal Fabrication Shops. Many stabilization projects, repairs, and upgrades have taken place. The contents of the buildings have been cataloged, displays of materials, tools, and equipment have been created, and many oral histories related to the site have been recorded. Blacksmithing demonstrations and tours happen in the summer months. while CCHS uses the workshop space for repairs and projects throughout the year.

CCHS has worked to place three of the historical sites on the National Register of Historical Places: the original Lightkeeper’s House, Chippewa City Church, and the Bally Blacksmith Shop.

Management, interpretation, and preservation of these sites have played a larger role in recent years for CCHS, and current strategic planning supports this activity into the future. In 2023, CCHS received $700,000 in MN appropriations to go toward the renovation and preservation of our historic sites, as well as to help construct an archival storage facility. To that end, we have completed smaller upgrades and repairs at the JHP Art Gallery and the Bally Shops so far. We also recently completed a Historic Structure Report of the Chippewa City Church, which will provide a foundation for the preservation of the historic character of the church and help to reduce the loss of historical significance. Current progress on a new landscape plan surrounding the church will decrease the threat of wildfire to the structure while increasing sustainability and diversity of the trees and plants. Due to the level of deterioration of the structure, the church has become the recent focus of our preservation efforts.

Upcoming CCHS plans include the following projects:

  • Church: extensive phased preservation work (roof, chimneys, trusses, walls, logs, foundation, landscaping/drainage)

  • Nee-Gee: expanded shelter, ADA access, improved interpretation and viewing

  • Museum: Repair to the sump pump system, painting updates, deck access

  • Bally: upgraded garage door, ADA access, outdoor demo/display space

  • JHP Art Gallery: improved accessibility, front plaza upgrades for community green space

Archival storage is yet another large project on the horizon that we continue to work towards. The aim of this project is to provide both space as well as the proper temperature and relative humidity controls needed to safely preserve our mixed collections. The plan set in motion back in 2019 proved to be significantly more expensive than originally anticipated, and there are unresolved issues with the current building location. Planning has been paused while additional options are being considered. 

Needless to say, juggling the various timelines and funding for these larger projects over the next few years will be a very big undertaking. The expected project budgets of the church and the archival storage will stretch far beyond the appropriations received, so the monies will be used to match additional granting funds.

Operations have expanded over the years, but our resources are still limited. We rely on committed volunteers to help open our sites to the public. Staffing has increased to two full-time and four part-time positions. The Director manages the day-to-day operations, finances, development, programming, and administration. Our Managers of the art gallery and the museum handle staffing and volunteers, operations, research, collections, content production, exhibits, and rentals. The JHP Manager currently assists with finances. Our Community Engagement Manager handles the memberships, donations, newsletters, outreach, and social media, while our Facilities Manager keeps the sites in working order and helps to track and plan needed preservation work. 

Additional CCHS programming includes new printing and publishing of regional history books, handling daily research requests, digitization of interviews and videos, events, collection-building, tours, oral history interviews, presentations, demonstrations, and digital tours and stories. Partnering with area heritage organizations, we are also helping to develop the Historical Alliance of Cook County in order to promote a collaborative and richer view of the area’s cultural history.

As we celebrate our 100th year, we will be welcoming members to new benefits and membership levels, showcasing a centennial exhibit, and sharing new stories on a variety of platforms. Stay tuned for announcements of more events and happenings – and celebrate with us!