Visit Our Museums
Winona County
History Center
Visit Today!
The History Center is located within the historic 1915 National Guard Armory, complimented by the award-winning contemporary Laird Norton Edition.
Know Before You Go
All-terrain wheelchairs available
Automatic/power-assist doors
Companion restrooms
Wheelchair accessible elevator
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking
Wheelchair accessible restrooms
Wheelchair accessible seating
Wheelchair-friendly inside walkways
Phone: 507-454-2723 ext. 3
While we are updating our main exhibit hall, guided field trips at the History Center will be limited.
- Classes may book an independent visit with an orientation from staff and an activity to do any time.
- Fully-guided field trip tours are only offered during field trip weeks (see below).
Guided Field Trip Weeks 2024 – 2025
- November 11- 15
- May 19 – 23
Field Trips of any kind must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Booking and Visit Details: Please contact Jennifer Weaver, Museum Educator
Email: educator@winonahistory.org
Phone: 507-454-2723 ext. 3
History Center
ON EXHIBIT
History
We are updating the Main Exhibit Hall at the History Center. There will always be plenty to see, and we thank you for your patience during this multi-year project.
Check out our Current Exhibits
- Winona’s Lumber Industry
- General Store
- Stories & Structures: How Buildings Tell Us About Ourselves
- Voices of the Armory
- Security State Bank
- Flatliners Speed Society
- Walking Through Time (Children’s Exhibit)
- Traveling & Temporary Exhibits
- Winona Timeline
- The Cube
Art
Browse the Slaggie Family Lobby Art Gallery to see the work of local artists. Co-curated by Art of the Rural, River Arts Alliance, and Winona County History Center staff, the gallery offers an intimate venue for regional creators to share their work with the people of Winona County and its visitors.
Check Out Our Current Show
The Art of Fine Furniture by Various Artists
Through August 17
Once a more common trade, today the time-honored skills of woodworking have become an art form. Founded in 2013, The Art of Fine Furniture is an annual exhibit featuring new creations of professional and hobbyist studio furniture makers. Each year, a new exhibit invites and excites one’s curiosity to explore the inner mysteries and workings of the pieces and the traditional skills of the craftsmanship that goes into each. Some of the furniture exhibited is for sale and is free to explore. This exhibit is proudly sponsored by WNB Financial.
Satellite
MUSEUMS
Bunnell House
Visit Today!
Free for WCHS Members and Children 7 and younger.
At the Bunnell House visitors take a step back to the 1850s. Willard Bunnell was up to no good and traveled west to escape a run-in with the law over some silver coins. Come tour their unique steamboat gothic house and learn what life was like as canoes gave way to steamboats. At the Bunnell House visitors take a step back to the 1850s. Willard Bunnell was up to no good and traveled west to escape a run-in with the law over some silver coins. He was a trapper, fur trader, and strong willed man. His wife Matilda, who spoke French, Dakota and Ojibwa, soon followed. Their children moved on when they both died of tuberculosis about ten years later, and Willard’s brother Lafayette moved in, who was quite the character himself. Come tour their unique steamboat gothic house and learn what life was like as canoes gave way to steamboats.
The Bunnell House is not fully accessible. There are steps and uneven ground.
Know Before You Go
Open on select Fridays and Saturdays
- July 19 & 20
- August 2 & 3
- September 20 & 21
36106 Old Homer Road, Winona, MN 55987
$5 Adults – $3 Students
Free for WCHS Members and Children 7 and younger
Know Before You Go
Open on during:
- Winona County Fair, July 11 – 14, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Gladiolus Days, August 24 – 25, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Winona County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, MN
Free will donation
Rural Heritage Museum
Visit Today!
Free for WCHS Members and Children 7 and younger.
Opened in 2017, WCHS’ newest museum is at the Winona County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Minnesota. Visitors can explore the museum exhibit building, the Gainey-McCarthy Schoolhouse, the Hill sisters’ log house, and an early log barn, all offering insights into Winona County’s agricultural heritage. Opened in 2017, WCHS’ newest museum is at the Winona County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Minnesota. Visitors can explore the museum exhibit building, the Gainey-McCarthy Schoolhouse, the Hill sisters’ log house, and an early log barn, all offering insights into Winona County’s agricultural heritage.
The Heritage Museum is on uneven ground. The museum building is accessible. The historic buildings all have steps to enter.
Participate
IN HISTORY
Enjoy The Many Benefits Of Membership!
- Free Admission to WCHS Museums
- Discounted tickets and activity fees
- Free subscription to The Argus, a bi-monthly journal of articles and Society news
- Facility rental discounts
- 10% discount on purchases in the History Center Shop all year and 25% off in December
- Plus More!