Edina Historical Society opens new permanent exhibit on city's growth
The Edina City Council discussed the Edina Historical Society's new permanent exhibit that opened November 14th, which chronicles the city's transformation from agricultural land to a modern metropolitan area. The exhibit features original artifacts and interactive displays designed to help residents understand their community's relatively recent development.
The exhibit, titled "Edina from farm to city," showcases Edina's historical journey from Native American presence through European settlement to present-day urban development. Located at the Edina Historical Society in Arnison Acres Park, the exhibit combines original artifacts with interactive digital displays and replica installations to create what curators call an immersive learning experience.
Curators emphasized the educational value of hands-on history. "People learn history better when there is that tactile element of you can see the artifacts. You can see the history and you can be near it," one exhibit curator explained. The collection includes original objects such as gears from the historic Adina Mill, furniture from Wooddale School, vintage drive-in theater materials, and a replica 1960s fire department office. These items were selected to illustrate how real people lived and worked in Edina's past.
The curators acknowledged making strategic choices about what to include. "It came out better than I hoped. We had to make a lot of compromises. There were things we had to leave out," one designer said, noting that they narrowed the scope to focus on specific aspects of the city's story rather than attempting comprehensive coverage.
The Historical Society is prioritizing public access through free admission and extended operating hours. The exhibit offers both casual browsing and deeper digital exploration options, allowing visitors to engage with historical content at their own pace. One community member noted the value of understanding Edina's history: "I think anybody who lives in Edina, it's kind of nice to know about the history. It's really a relative recent history that Edina has developed the way that it has."
Curators framed the exhibit as a way to connect residents to their community's human story. "These are real people who were part of history, people who lived, people who breathed, people who ate. And when you see those objects that really solidifies for you that this is something that they built, that they used, that was part of their lives," one presenter said.
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People learn history better when there is that tactile element of you can see the artifacts. You can see the history and you can be near it.
As you're searching through the collection and you find, oh my gosh, we have a gear from the Adina Mill. What was this gear used for? Where in the mill was it located? And then we go down a rabbit trail of learning about how on earth do mills work.
It came out better than I hoped. We had to make a lot of compromises. There were things we had to leave out. Um there was initial plans to do uh certain sections that we just decided were too broad. uh we wanted to be very specific on on certain aspects of the story.
Yeah, I think anybody who lives in Edina, it's kind of nice to know about the history. Um cuz it's really a relative recent history that that Edina has developed the way that it has.
When really it is a human experience that these are real people who were part of history, people who lived, people who breathed, people who ate. And when you see those objects that really solidifies for you that this is something that they built, that they used, that was part of their lives.
Source document
[music] Good news for drivers. The Vernon Avenue and Highway 100 interchange project is nearing the finish line for this construction season. The city of Edina, Henipin County, and Mindot say most of the work is still on schedule to wrap up by mid- November. That means the new bridge over Highway 100 and its ramps are expected to reopen soon, restoring access between Highway 100, Vernon Avenue and West 50th Street. Crews have also been improving nearby intersections in the Grand View District, and those upgrades are still on track to finish this fall. But one piece of the project will take a little longer. Work on the second Vernon Avenue bridge, the one over the CPKC Railroad, is behind schedule and will continue into next year. Back in May, crews hit a buried power line that wasn't where construction plans or utility maps showed it to be. Because it ran through railroad property, additional permits and coordination were needed before it could be safely moved. The city, county, and mindot worked with Excel Energy and CPKC to get those approvals, and the line was relocated in early October. Now, construction on the bridge has resumed and will continue until mid November or as long as the weather allows. Crews will pause for the winter, then pick up in the spring with the bridge expected to open by summer 2026.
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Other Topics from This Document
Historical Artifact Curation and Exhibit Design
Public Access and Community Engagement
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