History Harvest
Saturday, August 24, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Hjemkomst Center
Bring an item and tell us your story!
Join us for History Harvest, a community oral history project we're hosting in an effort to better uncover, preserve, and ultimately share the Red River Valley's rich histories of immigrants, refugees, Native Americans, and communities of color. Many folks in Fargo-Moorhead know the Hjemkomst Center as a local history museum, but our county's prominent Scandinavian and German heritage often conceals the truly global roots of our Red River Valley communities. As a result, many folks take a look at a Viking ship and a Stave Church and don't feel like their stories are being preserved or shared here. This community-based project seeks to remedy this problem by highlighting HCSCC's research process and inviting Clay County residents to share their stories through material artifacts and oral histories. All are welcome (we love preserving Scandinavian- and German-American stories from throughout the Red River Valley!), but greater effort will be spent promoting this event to Clay County communities underrepresented in our archives and collections: Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic/Latinx Americans, refugees, and immigrants or New Americans.
If you would like to take part, bring an item that helps to tell your story or your family's story. These items may include diaries, photographs, letters, maps, artworks, war memorabilia, clothing, family or cultural heirlooms, etc. Local historians will be on hand to talk to you about your items and history. With permission, we will photograph these items and document your stories. These materials will then be available to teachers, scholars, historians, and other researchers interested in understanding the people of the Red River Valley. They'll be used in our exhibitions, documentaries, books, and articles. They'll become the history we share. The success of this project depends on community participation, so bring your artifacts and please help us spread the word!
This project is offered with support from the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Admission/participation is FREE.