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For a list of current and upcoming programs including Tapping History and History Cruises, please click here.

Past Events

Monday October 14, 5:30pm
​
​Oak Hill Cemetery Tour
​with Scott D. McGinnis

Join us for our last Tapping History of the season as we view an episode from the Route 66 series that was filmed in Excelsior! See scenes of Lake Minnetonka, the Excelsior Amusement Park and more.  This episode is shown with permission from Shout! Factory LLC. 

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​Monday, September 9, 7:00 pm 
​​
​Tapping History: End of the Road ​
​with Steve Kobs

While researching his own family history, Steve Kobs uncovered fascinating stories of the people who lived and died at the end of Excelsior's Third Street around 1900. Colorful family feuds, an insane asylum, and bird sanctuary come into play as fortunes are made and lost. Steve will also share tips about the ELMHS archive and other useful resources he used to learn more about the Milnors, Bells and Savages.

Monday April 8, 2019 7:00 pm

Route 66: And Make Thunder His Tribute

​Join historian Scott D. McGinnis at the top of Oak Hill as he leads a tour of historic Oak Hill Cemetery. For more information, including parking and registration here. 

Image courtesy Shout! Factory LLC.

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Monday, March 11, 2019 7:00 pm

Peter Gideon: The Apple Wizard
with Sharon Dana

Peter Gideon was an Excelsior pioneer and a world famous horticulturalist whose crowning achievement was the creation of the Minnesota hardy apple, the Wealthy. He was also quite an eccentric and controversial character for his time. Join us as Sharon Dana presents her research on the life of this multifaceted and determined man. 

Portrait of Peter Gideon, late 19th century.

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Monday, February 11, 2019 7:00 pm

Maps Tell a Story​ 
​with Darel and LaVerna Leipold

In this Tapping History the Leipolds will draw from their collection of Lake Minnetonka and regional maps to show how each map has a special and unique story to tell. The Leipolds’ store in Excelsior has been in business for 47 years and has built a general and special collection of Lake Minnetonka memorabilia.

Map of Lake Minnetonka, 1909

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Monday, January 14, 2019 7:00pm
 
The Diaries of Lydia Ferguson,
Excelsior Pioneer
with ELMHS volunteer Lisa Stevens

​Much of what we know about early Lake Minnetonka history comes from the pages of this frail woman’s diaries. She recorded it all, from 1854-1886, in a clear eyed chronicle which includes her own family’s tale of suffering, insanity, death, love, endurance and guts. Experience a sepia tone-free view of the past in Lydia Ferguson’s own words.

Portrait of Lydia Ferguson, ca. 1855.

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