Have you ever visited the Winona County History Center? Part of the current building was originally an armory with fortress-like architecture, and it still protects our history today. The story of its metamorphosis from military reserve to present-day museum icon started like lightning – literally.
In the early hours of May 25 , 1964, a guest at the Williams Hotel alerted the Winona Fire Department to a fire breaking out in the 1915 National Guard Armory next door. It took over two hours, but the fire department managed to contain the blaze. Fire Chief John Steadman told news organizations that “Five minutes more and the entire Armory would have been gone” along with the Williams Hotel. After further investigation, the fire inspector determined that lightning had struck the water pipes of the Armory, traveled into the metal ceiling, and sparked the inferno. Though no one was hurt, the Armory and its equipment suffered between $25,000 to $60,000 in damages.
The Winona City Council had debated the prospect of a new armory even before this fire in 1964. The Armory was half a century old by this time, and its age had started to show for the National Guard Reserves. However, while it didn’t serve ideally as an armory anymore, the building functioned exceptionally well as a community center for events like auto shows, weddings, theater productions, and even visits from the Harlem Globetrotters.
Despite its use by the community, the aftermath of the blaze seemed to influence the City Council’s decision to abandon the Armory for a new building and location. The repaired Historic Armory continued to host the community and National Guard Reserves in the meantime, but by the early 70s, the new armory on Homer Road east of Winona supplanted it as the official National Guard base. With the new site complete, a bid for the Historic Armory opened and attracted the attention of the Winona County Historical Society.
The Society previously operated out of the second floor of Lumbermen’s Building at 125 W 5th Street, a space provided by the Laird Norton Co. in 1955. However, as the lumber company expanded and moved to the West Coast, a subsidiary company took over most of the building. The Society grew as well and moved into the Armory, continuing its role as a community gathering space – now as a museum.
The Armory has been a literal “hot-spot” for over 100 years now. Though no longer a military active site, it still guards a special treasure: the history of Winona County as entrusted to it by the county’s people. The building, however, is just part of what makes local history accessible today. It’s the relationships built and stories shared in the Armory that make history present within it.
We hope the Armory’s transformation story fans the love of local history that burns in YOU. If you are interested in taking the Armory to a new level of greatness, consider a contribution to the History Is Present 2024 Capital Campaign. Give online at winonahistory.org/capital-campaign, mail a check to WCHS at 160 Johnson Street, Winona, or call 507-454-2723 ext. 0 to donate over the phone.
