We will unveil our new exhibit, “The History of Telephones in Northfield,” Thursday, Feb. 23, with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at NHS, 408 Division Street, Northfield. The exhibit, sponsored and provided by the St. Olaf College Telephone Company, will chronicle the history of telecommunications in Northfield and Dundas. The multi-media display will use photos, audio, movies and old equipment—including antique phones and switchboards—to tell this fascinating story. You will learn of the first phone hookup in 1880 between the Ames Mill in Northfield and the Dundas Mill. You will be able to use…

For most Northfielders, the name Ames is pretty common. Most people know it because of the Ames Mill, the current home to Malt-O-Meal and the only place in the world where its hot cereal is produced. In the early years, the Ames family played a major role in the development of Northfield. One family member in particular had an interesting role in the failed bank raid by the James-Younger Gang. Adelbert Ames was born in Rockland, ME, on Oct. 31, 1835. He graduated West Point Academy in 1861 and was commissioned to the 2nd U.S. Artillery and fought in the First Battle of Bull Run where he …

Since 1855, Northfield has always had a post office. The first building was somewhere called “Fountaine Grove.” The historical record does not indicate where exactly it was except that it was either a mile and a half or a mile and a quarter from downtown Northfield. The first postmaster was Charles Wheeler, who was also Rice County’s second sheriff. The post office was only at “Fountaine Grove” for a few months before it was moved to land owned by William Childs and the building was described as a “shanty.” By 1856, the post office had been upgraded from a shanty to a lean-to that was …

This is a great time for Northfield. There are many great new projects being undertaken, one of which is Northfield Patch. The Northfield Historical Society is very excited to be partnering with Northfield Patch and we hope you are excited about seeing the content we will be providing.  On a weekly basis NHS will be submitting photos to Northfield Patch. Some of them will be very well identified and described. Others, though, will need your help in identifying and describing them. In addition, once a month, I will provide a more in-depth article on some aspect of Northfield history. With all …