History Museums, Archives, and Tools

Finding aids for primary and secondary sources. Historical societies and physical archives.

Guides and Finding Aids

Name/Link	Description
Library of Congress: Chronicling America	A database of newspaper issues digitized and hosted by the Library of Congress. Keyword searchable. Covers 1756-1963. Even has some small-town newspapers.
Library of Congress: Chronicling America US Newspaper Directory	A database of newspapers that may or may not be digitized. Goes back to 1690. For newspapers that have not been digitized, the website includes information about where the physical media (typically microfilm) is archived.
Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub	Searchable Minnesota-specific database of digitized newspaper issues. Covers newspapers from 1849-1977. Newer newspapers available as physical media at the Gale Family Library at the Minnesota Historical Society.
Minnesota Historical Society: Gale Family Library Research Guides	A collection of guides for finding resources on an array of Minnesota history topics.

Name	Description	Location	Type
Gale Family Library	A collection of Minnesota-specific historical materials.	St. Paul, MN	Library, Archive
Quatrefoil Library	Library of queer books and media.	Minneapolis, MN	Library
Computer History Museum	Museum of the history of computing. This place is massive; it would have taken me at least a whole day to go through it in as much depth as I wanted.	Mountain View, CA	Museum
Museum Ship Valley Camp	Great Lakes maritime museum located on a decommissioned ship. The exhibits were cool, and being on the ship really gives you a sense of what it must have been like to be a sailor during her days as a working vessel.	Sault St. Marie, MI	Museum
Coppertown Mining Museum	Museum covering the history of mining in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, mostly focused on the town of Calumet. Covers many topics related to mining in the area, including working conditions, union efforts, life in a company town, and the rise and fall of the mines in the area. Also has a moving exhibit about the Italian Hall disaster.	Calumet, MI	Museum
Pommerscher Verein Central Wisconsin	This historical society boasts a wealth of genealogical and historical resources pertaining to Pomeranian immigrants to Marathon County and their descendents, including records from churches that no longer exist. Also hosts Pomeranian cultural events.	Berlin Township, WI	Historical Society, Library, Archive