How to Learn About Local History

Old maps and archival material can offer glimpses into the past. BIba Kayewich

History surrounds us. The people, events, and trends that have shaped our communities—and us—often lie in plain sight if we have the eyes to see and the willingness to dig a little deeper. Knowledge of our community’s past provides clues to its present and keys to its future.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, Jennifer Weaver, museum educator for the Winona County Historical Society in Minnesota, explained local history’s value: “Local history is what makes up larger historical narratives. The stories we learn about in an exhibit in a museum or hear at a community talk can teach us new ideas ... or show us how some community or societal issues have changed.” Historical knowledge of local trends also helps us deal with issues that persist today.

The collective memories of a place are the soil in which culture grows. If we neglect those memories, the soil of culture erodes, leaving only rocky, barren ground.

But how do we preserve—and in some cases, recover—these memories? The good news is that there’s a plethora of resources available to the amateur local historian. Here are a few tips to get started.

Start With What’s in Front of You

Depending on where you live and work, you may be surrounded by history. When I asked Lindsay Stussy, curator of collections for the Winona Historical Society, where to start learning about local history, she replied: “I'd say the best place to start is where you are. Look at your home, the building you work in, the people you see each day. History is everywhere!”

If you own an old house, you could begin by digging into property records and deeds, or asking neighbors. You could follow clues left in an old photograph of the house if you’re fortunate enough to have one. If the house has been in the family for a long time, your journey might begin simply by asking questions of family members. When was the house built? Who lived there? What kind of life did they live?

If you work in a historical building, you could begin there. The building’s owner likely possesses some historical information: its age, architect, photographs, and what the building has been used for in the past.

Tap Into Local Historical Societies

Research into your neighborhood probably already exists. County historical societies are vast vaults of easily accessible information. As Stussy and Weaver explained, county historical societies offer a wide range of resources and programming, including museums, tours, exhibits, books, videos, and genealogical and archival research material. Many resources could even be found online at the historical society’s website.

A visit to the historical society website in my county revealed a well-organized and extensive catalog of rich and varied materials. The website contains alphabetized obituaries, an 1877 map of the county, hundreds of photographs, newspaper clippings, World War I soldier rosters, and stories of local crimes and mysteries, to name just a few.

Check In at the Library

As genealogist Kimberly Powell notes, libraries often contain extensive collections on local history, including book-length works, directories, and local records that you can’t find elsewhere. Begin on the library’s website by scanning for a “local history” or “genealogy” tab on the menu, or ask a librarian in person.

In my case, a few minutes of rummaging a nearby library’s website unearthed a “local history” page with voluminous and valuable materials: a cemetery search function, digitized county histories, yearbooks, newspapers, maps, photographs, and even a list of topics that have appeared repeatedly in area reports. This last feature helps a researcher identify the most significant events and trends in the community over the past couple of centuries, incidents that may have profoundly shaped the local community.

Access Local Court Records

Reading through reams of court papers may not be the most rousing suggestion on this list, but it can still yield helpful information about your town or county. Nuggets buried within minutes of court proceedings may include the layout of roads and land disputes, not to mention will and deed entries, civil complaints, and estate inventories.

Inventories proffer a glimpse into the items that a typical family owned in a certain time and place. Most states provide online access to court records. You can usually request court records via your county clerk or circuit court office.

Talk to Elderly Relatives and Neighbors

All history began as oral history. Talking to people may be the most authentic and human way to investigate the past, not only because you’re gaining access to firsthand witnesses, but also because you’re building relationships as you do so. Someone who has lived their whole life in your area has more information about it than even a well-stocked historical society, especially on the individual and human level. This is the level of family feuds and love stories, tall tales and mysteries, recipes and local hangouts, animal sightings and legends, schools and businesses. In short, it’s the history of how life was actually lived from day to day.

Kimberly Powell writes, “Talking to people who actually live in your town of interest can often turn up interesting nuggets of information you'll find nowhere else.”

Weaver agrees, saying: “Call or visit a grandparent, or another elder you know, and ask them about what their life was like at your age. You can also head to a bingo night or other event to mingle with various generations of your community.” There’s simply no replacement for hearing local lore straight from the source.

These are some simple ways to start understanding your local culture in a deeper way. They’ll help you build roots. Personal and communal knowledge of our past is part of what gives us those roots. Shared stories, memories, and experiences link us to other members of our family and community. Without these links, without these roots, we drift. As novelist Louisa May Alcott wrote, “Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell.”