May is Historic Preservation Month! The 2024 Preservation Month theme is “People Saving Places” to shine the spotlight on everyone doing the work of saving places—in ways big and small. To recognize Preservation Month, the Nicollet County Historical Society is hosting a presentation by Michael Koop from the State Historic Preservation Office on Thursday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m., entitled “Strengthening Community Through Historic Preservation.” Historic preservation involves:

• Recognizing places from our past that are important to the American people.
• Caring for them.
• Using them to enrich our lives.

These special places reveal every aspect of our country’s origins and development. Historic places help us understand who we are and the meaning of our accomplishments and shortcomings. Preservation, above all, protects and maintains our past for future generations. Efforts to conserve historic resources are founded on the involvement of many individuals and organizations, including our local community. The real action in historic preservation is at the local level since the results of survey, planning, and evaluation work must be integrated into other broad planning efforts. Hear about the variety of work done by Minnesota’s Heritage Preservation Commissions to create a range of tools to educate and reach people and to help conserve important historic properties across the state.