Old Town Hall Museum
Holiday Museum Closure
🎄 The Old Town Hall Museum will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday Dec 24-25
for the Christmas holiday.
🥂 The Old Town Hall Museum will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday Dec. 31
and Jan. 1 for the New Years Eve and New Years Day holidays.
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Museum Hours
| Museum Hours |
| Wed | 1 - 5 PM |
| Thu | 1 - 5 PM |
| Sat | 1 - 5 PM |
Address
Bloomington Old Town Hall
10200 Penn Avenue South
Bloomington, MN
[Google Map]
Phone: 952-881-4114
Upcoming Events at the Old Town Hall Museum
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Jan 21, 2026 (Wed)
7 PM |
Sherman's Woodticks: A Unique Civil War-Era Tour of Duty
During the last year of the Civil War, the Eighth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry
traveled more miles and served under more extreme conditions than any other unit,
North or South.
Presenter Paul Hodnefield, author of
Sherman's Woodticks: The Adventures, Ordeals and Travels of the Eighth Minnesota
Volunteer Infantry During the Civil War,
will tell the story of the Eighth Minnesota. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing by the author.
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| |
Feb 21, 2026 (Sat)
1-5 PM |
Collection Spotlight: Dugout Canoe
A preserved dugout canoe is a prized item in the collection on display at
the Old Town Hall Museum. Dugout canoes were made by indigenous people in this
area by hollowing out large cottonwood, basswood or soft maple logs. The process
of forming the canoe involved burning out part of the wood with fire and hewing
out the shape using stone, bone or iron axes and scrapers. On this Collection
Spotlight day a short presentation will be given at 2 PM and 3 PM by a
Bloomington Historical Society presenter. Bring your curiosity and questions for
interactive discussion!
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About the Museum
The Bloomington Old Town Hall Museum is housed in the historic
Old Town Hall,
which was built in 1892 and extensively renovated two times in the past century.
The building served as town headquarters and a meeting place for the Town Board.
The City of Bloomington's administrative offices were housed in the
Old Town Hall until 1964.
Since 1964, the building has been home to the Bloomington Historical Society
and a museum which features exhibits
of artifacts from all periods of history.
In its early years, the Old Town Hall was a community meeting place where
celebrations, dances and other social festivities were held.
The museum continues to draw visitors coming to enjoy the view of a unique historic
building, to view exhibits and to learn about the history of Bloomington.
Museum Collection
The Old Town Hall Museum displays many objects from its collection, while other
artifacts are held in storage until featured displays are installed or
artifacts are cycled into display. A growing number of our artifacts
can be browsed or searched at the following public website:
Museum holdings can be conveniently browsed online at the MN Collections site,
and you can find connections to other local history museums that also have
made their holdings available for public search. If you see an artifact you
want to view, contact the Bloomington Historical society to make
an appointment with a Museum Curation Volunteer.
Tour Options
For groups or special circumstances, advanced
tour arrangements can be made by contacting the
Bloomington Historical Society.
For a virtual museum tour, visit our
Virtual Tour link.
Funding
The Bloomington Historical Society and the Old Town Hall Museum are staffed by
volunteers who are passionate about sharing Bloomington history, preserving
artifacts and the growing museum collection, and researching topics of
historical interest. If our work is valuable to you, please consider supporting
our mission with a donation, large or small. We appreciate
your support!
