Visit Our Museums
Winona County
History Center
Visit Today! (Temporary Hours Change)
The History Center is located within the historic 1915 National Guard Armory, complimented by the award-winning contemporary Laird Norton Edition.
Lobby Art Gallery & The Museum Shop:
- Open 10am- 4pm, DAILY
- Open by booking
- Closed December 27 – June 2026
Laird Norton Library & Archives
- Open Mon – Wed, BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
$5 Adults – $3 Students
Free for WCHS Members and Children 7 and younger
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
We’re pausing field trips to the Winona County History Center the 2026-27 school year as we work to create new exhibits. With this project comes even more engaging field trip experiences, so stay tuned!
Phone: 507-454-2723 ext. 3
History Center
ON EXHIBIT
History
The exhibits hall will be closed from December 27 – May 2026. We thank you for your patience during this multi-year project.
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 American Revolution Experience | Daughters of the American Revolution & American Battlefield Trust
Through May 14
This innovative pop-up exhibition connects modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation.
Satellite
MUSEUMS
Bunnell House
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 Homer Heritage Day
June 27, 10AM – 3PM (free will donation)
36106 Old Homer Road, Winona, MN 55987
$5 Adults – $3 Students
Free for WCHS Members and Children 7 and younger
Rural Heritage Museum
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.
Know Before You Go
Open during:
- Winona County Fair
- Gladiolus Days
Winona County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, MN
Free will donation
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!