Our Collection
The Old Town Hall Museum collection holds many items, books, clippings and memorabilia
linked to the Bloomington area. Some of our collection is on permanent display in
he museum, and some is displayed in rotating exhibits on the seasonal display kiosk
in the museum and at the Bloomington Historical Society cycling display at
Bloomington Civic Plaza.
Our Online Collection Catalog
Are you ever curious about what artifacts, whether on display or in storoage,
are in our inventory? The
MN Collections online catalog
is available to the public for purposes of searching for artifacts in any
member museum, including the Old Town Hall Muesum.
If you find an artifact that interests you, contact Bloomington Historical
Society per the contact information page
to ask for more informaiton or to arrange to see the item.
Featured in Our Collection
The Irwin Norling photo collection consists of about 10,000 images, made by Norling from 1953 to the 1980's. The collection is considered to be a very significant and chronicles the life of the Bloomington community. The best aspect of this collection, aside from its images, is the tremendous index and caption information provided by Mr. Norling, who was a meticulous record keeper. Every negative was assigned a number and described in his index. Negatives are the most original items.
During dry years of the 1960s, dugout canoes and canoe remnants were regularly
discovered In the Minnesota River Valley and along the rivers and lakes in Southern
Minnesota. This Bloomington canoe, circa 1820, was discovered on the George Hopkins
river bluff property in 1967. After being authenticated by the Minnesota
Historical Society, it was preserved and exhibited by the Bloomington Historical
Society at the Bloomington Old Town Hall.
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