Welcome to the Swift County Historical Society and Museum Website

Welcome to the Swift County Historical Society and Museum website. We sincerely hope that the information contained herein will be of help to you. We especially want to thank you for your unwavering in-person and financial support. Without your visits to the Museum, generous financial gifts and membership fees, as well as your requests for assistance during genealogical or historical research projects, we would not be able to continue to serve you and the Swift County community. We are here to assist you in person and digitally through this website, email, phone and social media. We also publish the Historical Society newsletter, the ECHO, four times per year. If you wish to receive a digital copy of the ECHO, please email us at: swiftcountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Regular Museum Hours are Tuesday-Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. During the summer months we close at 3:30pm.

We are also open by appointment anytime. Simply call us at (320) 843-4467 for an appointment. Please leave your name and phone number if we do not answer and someone will return your call as soon as possible.

We are closed on Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve Day, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Thanksgiving Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). The Museum closes at 3:00pm on the afternoon prior to a holiday.

Our historical and genealogical research library is available by appointment. We have added the popular internet site Ancestry.com to our genealogical library. Should you wish to use the Society’s Ancestry site, you may do so in person at the museum. However, you will need to schedule a date and time prior to arrival. Please call for further information.

Welcome to the Swift County Historical Society and Museum!

Current and Upcoming Exhibits and Programs at the Society and Museum Fall 2025

Swift County Historical Society Chorale begins rehearsals on Thursday September 4, 1:30pm-2:30pm. The Chorale rehearses the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Thursdays of each month. Everyone is welcome to join the choir. There are no auditions. We simply gather as Swift County-ites who love to get together and sing. We perform twice per year – at Christmas and in the Spring. For further information contact the Historical Society (320) 843-4467.

November 13 (Thursday) Brown Bag Conversation – 12:00pm

Veteran’s Day Remembered

Every year we celebrate Veteran’s Day on November 11 (never a movable holiday), but what do we really know about this day and why it is on our calendar? We will look at the history of Veteran’s Day and try to understand why it should be important to each of us. Our special guest speaker for the day will be Preston Flolo, Swift County Assistant Veterans Services Officer and a Veteran of the war in Afghanistan.

Fall 2025 Calendar

(please check back periodically as events are added or change)                                     

November 13 12:00pm Brown Bag – “Veterans Day Remembrances” with Preston Flolo

December 6      Annual Christmas Open House, Arrival of Santa Claus, Model Trains and Villages, Christmas Cookies and Scandinavian Treats for sale; Krum Kake and Lefse Making; Activities for the kids and much more. Santa arrives at 11:30am. (watch for further information)

*Brown Bag Conversations – second Thursday September-November and February-May 12:00pm

*Society Chorale Rehearsal 1st, 2nd and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 1:30pm

*Board of Directors monthly meeting 4th Thursday of each month (third Thursday in November) and no meeting in December

1871 Schoolhouse Permanently Opening

The Historic 1871 District #6 Schoolhouse, located at the Swift County Historical Museum, is now permanently open to the public during regular Museum hours.  To enter, simply ask a staff member to open the schoolhouse for you. The inside has been scrubbed and cleaned, Swift County school exhibits have been set up, and a temporary sidewalk has been laid from the main museum buildings to the school. The exterior has been scraped and painted thanks to many volunteers, and electricity was installed the first week of October. In addition to the interesting artifacts and history related to the school and country schools in general, there are six vintage quilts from the Society’s collection on exhibit for the remainder of the year  We welcome individuals and groups to tour the schoolhouse when you visit the Museum, and we hope that groups will use the space for small group meetings as well as having our schools use the space for educational purposes with their classes. Thank you to all who have contributed toward the relocation and restoration of the schoolhouse. Donations are still needed and are being accepted. Thank you. And please consider a visit to the Museum and the Schoolhouse. If you wish to make a financial contribution to the maintenance of the Schoolhouse, please mark the memo on your check Anniversary Fund Schoolhouse. Thank you!

Military Uniforms and Artifacts at the Museum

The redesign of the Museum’s exhibit space includes an enclosed area and special glass case for military uniforms and artifacts in Veteran’s Hall. This permits us to exhibit more pieces from the Museum’s collection while also protecting the uniforms from dust and other elements. Other military artifacts will also be better displayed and available for educational purposes.

Though the case is now completed we still need to raise an additional $5,600 to make the final payment for materials, primarily the seven glass panels. Members of VFW Post 1403/Benson and the Benson Area Lions Club assisted in the construction of the exhibit case as well as the purchase of some materials. If you wish to make a financial contribution to assist the Historical Society cover the remaining costs, please mark the memo on your check Anniversary Fund Military Exhibit. Thank you!

Annual Events

Memorial Day Program – Thursday before Memorial Day, 7:00pm

Annual Quilt and Garden Walk

Oktoberfest – First Saturday of October, 11:30am – 4:00pm

Christmas Open House – First Saturday of December, 10:00am – 1:00pm

Every family, like every farm, village, town and city, has a story. If yours has a connection to Swift County but you are lacking that final piece of information or would like to know more about the farm your grandfather grew up on, we may be able to help. The Swift County Historical Society is dedicated to discovering and collecting any materials that may help to establish or illustrate the history of Swift County. The Society has the largest collection of Swift County-related genealogical records, in addition to many individual family photo files, church and school records, newspapers from Appleton, Benson and Kerkhoven, Naturalization Records, US and Minnesota records and Swift County maps and Plat books, of any institution in the County. We also have access to most of the US and World files found on Ancestry. So whether you are looking for genealogical or historical information, and whether you would like us to do the research or you would like to do it yourself, call us for further information.

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                                            Swift County Historical Society Anniversary Fund

In 2027 the Swift County Historical Society will be celebrating its 100^th Anniversary. In preparation for that important landmark in the life of the Society and Museum, you are invited to participate as a contributing member to the Anniversary Fund.  The Fund will be used for necessary updates and repairs to the exterior and interior of the Museum including painting, carpet, movable walls to enhance display areas, the purchase of secure display cases, bookcases, file cabinets, folding display walls, mannequins and other items that will greatly enhance exhibition space, exhibits and educational opportunities, and our genealogical research facility.  It is our goal to raise $100,000.00 by the end of 2026 so that these Museum upgrades and purchases might be completed prior to the Anniversary celebration.

If you would like to contribute to the Anniversary Fund, please send your check to:          

Swift County Historical Society                                          

 2135 Minnesota Avenue                                                      

 Benson, Minnesota 56215

 THANK YOU!

Images from the Museum Archives: The Cities of Swift County

_{We are always looking for good quality, archival photos and postcards of the business areas, railroad depots and cities of Swift County. If you have any that you would be willing to permanently donate to the Museum we would be most grateful. We are especially lacking in imagery of Swift Falls.}

If you would like more information on the Historical Society and Museum, or would like to become a member or volunteer, please email us at: swiftcountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com or call us at: (320) 843-4467. Thank you!

Open Hours and Location Information:

Sat-Mon: Closed

Tues-Fri: 9:00am – 4:00pm (close at 3:30 on Fridays during the summer)

Open other times by special appointment

2135 Minnesota Avenue

Benson, MN 56215

(320) 843-4467

swiftcountyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Swift County Historical Society Board of Directors

LoAnn Hagen (President), Janet Iversen (Vice President), Teri Beyer (Secretary), Toni Lindstrom (Treasurer), Ed Pederson, Orvin Gronseth, Gerald Swenson, Dale Erickson, Diane Loen, Jan Pagel, Anne Schirmer, Warren Hanson, Jannet Walsh, Michael Johnson, Ritchie Voorhees and Judy Hursh

_Staff:

_{The Rev. Gary E. Mills, Th. D., Ph. D., Director}

_{Ms. Beverly Aldrich, Assistant to the Director}

_{Ms. Nikki Mortenson, Bookkeeper}