Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
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Image: a title banner for our newest local exhibition,

War, Flu, & Fear
World War I and Clay County

Heritage Hall, through December 31, 2020


In April 1917, Americans were thrust into the middle of a brutal global war, only months after re-electing a president who campaigned on isolationism. Though few in Clay County, Minnesota, supported the war, they served when they were called, overseas and on the home front. The following year, 1918, brought some of the bloodiest months in our history — then armistice, peace, and a deadly flu pandemic striking on an unforeseen scale. Residents in the Red River Valley responded in many ways: with courage and sacrifice, fear and paranoia, peaceful activism and egregious repression.

Focusing on the Irish-Catholic Masterson family of Barnesville and the Norwegian-NPLer Thortvedt family of Glyndon, War, Flu, and Fear frames WWI from a local perspective, exploring life in Clay County and the Red River Valley during perhaps their darkest days.

War, Flu, & Fear: World War I and Clay County is sponsored by BNSF Railway Foundation.

Click here for a 5-minute video introduction to War, Flu, & Fear: World War I and Clay County.


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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission
    • Hours and Location
    • Staff & Contacts
    • Board of Directors
    • Accessibility & Accommodations >
      • Site Map
    • Employment
    • HCSCC Supporters
  • Visit Us
    • Accessibility & Accommodations >
      • Social Story
    • Events >
      • History On Tap!
      • Pangea 2025
    • Exhibitions >
      • Land to Table: Food Stories from Clay County
      • Njal's Saga Tapestry
      • The Unchosen Ones
      • Treasures from Norway
    • Online Exhibits >
      • At Last: Marriage Equality
      • Stories of Local Black History
    • The Hjemkomst >
      • Be More Colorful VR Tour
    • The Hopperstad Stave Church >
      • Be More Colorful VR Tour
    • Comstock House
    • Felix Battles Monument
    • Bergquist Cabin
    • Field Trips/Tours
  • Shop
  • Join & Support
    • Join Today
    • Enewsletter
    • Donate to HCSCC
    • Volunteer/Intern Opportunities
  • Research
    • COVID19 in Clay County
    • HCSCC Blog
    • Clay County Archives & Research >
      • Holdings
      • Finding Aids
      • Maps >
        • Fire Insurance Maps
        • Plat Books
      • Digital Books
    • General Photo Catalog
    • Falten-Wange Collection
    • Newsletters
    • HCSCC on MNopedia