Winona County Historical Society

Founded in 1935, the Winona County Historical Society is Minnesota's largest county historical society. We operate three museums in Winona County and offer a wide variety of exhibits, programs, events and classes, and provide rental spaces for public and private events!

The Winona County Historical Society operates three museums:

The Winona County History Center

The Willard Bunnell House in Homer

The Arches Museum of Pioneer Life

The Winona County Historical Society is a private non-profit educational institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of materials that document the human history of Winona County. The Society currently has some 1700 members and 90 active business supporters. The Society operates three museums. The Winona County History Center in downtown Winona houses the main museum facility, Laird Lucas Library and Archives, Society offices and event center. The Bunnell House is located in Homer and the Arches Museum of Pioneer Life is located between Stockton and Lewiston.

The Winona County Historical Society was founded in June 1935 at a meeting of interested citizens in the Winona County Courthouse. The first president was William Codman, a local attorney and amateur historian. The first secretary was Mildred Sebo, a local 4-H leader in the county. The year before, Mildred organized a Winona County historical pageant in Whitewater State Park that was very successful, and it was from that event the idea of starting the Society emerged.

The Armory of the Winona County History Center was restored the summer of 2012. Thanks to a Minnesota Cultural Heritage Grant from Minnesota's Legacy Funds and the Elizabeth Callendar King foundation the 1915 armory was reenforced, tuck-pointed, and its battlements and turrets are back!

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