SCHS, orphanage museum to merge

The Steele County Historical Society and the Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum will merge in early 2022. The announcement was made last week during the Steele County Historical Society’s annual meeting.
“Over the past year we have been working on a new addition to the story and history of the Steele County Historical Society,” said Kellen Hinrichsen, executive director of the Steele County Historical Society. “Our mission states that we preserve a shared history today for tomorrow. This mission encompasses all history of the county.”
“The state school is a very unique story and part of Owatonna’s history,” Hinrichsen said. “Yet, it’s very much its own unique story.”
Initial steps to merge the two entities began in January of 2021 when the historical society met with representatives from the orphanage museum. “During these meetings, we began discussions of our two organizations merging and growing within Steele County,” Hinrichsen said. “This will bring local history under one umbrella.”
With the recent death of Harvey Ronglien, who along with his wife, Maxine, successfully spearheaded efforts to establish and expand the Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum in Owatonna, the transition seems more necessary than ever, according to the two organizations.
The merger will ensure that the work pioneered by Ronglien and carried on by the many dedicated staff and volunteers over the years will continue long into the future, said Hinrichsen, adding that the move is a financially neutral one.
Much will remain the same at the orphanage museum, with staff and volunteers being retained, though new opportunities will be available, according to Hinrichsen.
Hinrichsen and Anne Peterson, current director at the orphanage museum, are working on ways to make the stories at the museum more accessible in the modern age. “We are looking to update the outdoor kiosks spread throughout the West Hills complex, making them more user friendly and flexible in what they can do,” Hinrichsen said.
Peterson was more than happy to delve into some of the history before speaking of the merger’s mutual benefits. “There’s a lot of groundwork that has been done and I’m ready to take it to the next level,” she said.
The state school was its own unique community, said Peterson, adding that it had all its own services, including a hospital and power plant.
“It had electric lights before the city did,” said Peterson. “As a state school, it also had the first kindergarten  - even before the public school did.”
An example of the rich history of Steele County, the orphanage was founded in 1885 and was the home to over 10,000 kids during its 60 years of operation. “Our mission is to tell the stories of those children who grew up at the State School during that 60-year period,” said Peterson. The museum has since served as a mecca for past state schoolers and their families.
The museum was able to provide these former state schoolers with a place to come and tell their story and share their stories with their children and other people within the community, Peterson said. “It’s such a special place.”
“Placing our mission of remembering the State School children under the Steele County Historical Society’s broader umbrella of preserving and sharing Steele County history offers the orphanage museum additional opportunities and resources. It’s great to be part of this forward-thinking union,” she said.
Peterson and Hinrichsen both said they have already started working together to ensure a smooth transition.
“We are bringing on board members from the orphanage museum board onto the SCHS board of directors, and the rest of their leadership team is being brought on in an advisory capacity to ensure that the vision and voice of the organization is heard here at the SCHS,” said Hinrichsen.
Hinrichsen and Peterson also said all those on the board are excited for this new step in continuing to preserve the history of Steele County. “We think that teaming up now with the historical society is going to keep it going,” Peterson said.
A private, nonprofit, educational organization established in 1949, the Steele County Historical Society is the official historical society of the county and one of the oldest in the state. Located at 1700 Austin Road in Owatonna, the SCHS is home to the Village of Yesteryear offering 19 historic structures and the History Center which houses an exhibit hall, gift shop and the Zamboni Genealogy, Archives and Research Lab that are open to the public and funded by private contributions. The SCHS collection includes diaries, photographs, books, artifacts, and other historical materials accessible at our campus and on loan at other organizations.