Keeping history alive in Hanover for 20 years

Tim Zimmerman had a lofty vision that came to fruition in 2002: The formation of the Hanover Historical Society, which was incorporated in 2003 and is located at 1010 River Rd. NE, Hanover.  When first interviewed in 2003, Zimmerman, who grew up in Hanover, explained, “We are trying to get people interested in the history of Hanover, in finding out how the town got its start.”

Mary Coons, a new Hanover resident at the time, read a notice in the newspaper around interest in forming a historical society and called Zimmerman. Linda Vollbrecht also responded, and the three began the process of creating a non-profit historical society for the community and surrounding area. Charter board members were Zimmerman, president; Vollbrecht, vice president; Coons, secretary; and Bud Dixon, treasurer.

With the assistance of the Minnesota Historical Society’s suggested guidelines, the group determined its overall mission was to identify, preserve, and disseminate knowledge about the history of the City of Hanover.

The Society’s objective was three-fold: 1) discover and collect material to help establish and/or illustrate the town’s history; 2) provide for the preservation of such material and eventually make it accessible to the public; and 3) share historical information in the hopess of arousing a sense of community.

Historical Landmarks

Locating landmarks, such as the original dam ruins from 1856 to power a sawmill, were tricky as they were only visible when the Crow River was at historic lows. Zimmerman found them in 2003 and we now have photo documentation.

Unfortunately, few historical structures remain. Those still here are the River Inn, formerly Strunk’s Saloon, constructed in 1894, and the now vacant Hilltop Bar, the former Greenwood House/Lockedell General Store, constructed in the late 1880s but operating at least by 1890. The historic country school built in 1892 and razed in 1958 when the new Hanover Elementary School was built. The “current” flour mill built in 1906 and now an apartment building sits next to the historic pedestrian bridge built in 1885, which rounds out the historic businesses. The original Zion United Methodist Church was constructed in 1885 while St. Paul’s Lutheran began in 1902.

“It is the mindset of America,” Coons stated in 2003, “to tear down old buildings for new construction and parking lots. Historic buildings of value need to be saved and their history preserved. So many of Hanover’s historic buildings and homes are long gone. In addition, oral histories need to be captured.”

To that end, later that year, Coons began interviewing older residents for their stories and a social history of Hanover began taking shape. In 2004, “Safe From the Outside World: A Social History of Hanover, Minnesota” made its debut. Eighteen years later – October 2022 – the revised edition came out – twice as much history and stories with twice as many historic photos.

Active in the community ever since its incorporation, in 2004 members repaired the pedestrian bridge stringer rail and removed the chain link fence from the bridge that was constructed in 1885 followed by a public bridge restoration event later that fall commemorating the completion of Phase I of bridge repairs along with unveiling the National Register of Historic Places bridge plaque.

Additional repairs were made in 2010 with another city-wide celebration at the bridge following Phase II repairs and marking the city’s 125th anniversary.

Natasha Bursch created the official HHS logo in 2011.

In 2012, Mayor Martin Waters along with Society president Mike Kuehn and member Dave Hesse unveiled the bridge marker signage with the help of Hanover Elementary’s sixth graders cutting the ribbon.

Waters proposed a professional video of the bridge’s history, and in 2016 that project was commissioned. The story depicts the founding of Hanover and the importance of the Crow River. It is available to view on the Society’s website at hanoverhistoricalsociety.org.

Recognizing the importance of the Crow River and the bridge to Hanover, Coons began researching both and Planks of History: Stories of the Crow River and Bridge 92366 was published in 2016. The book remains in print and is available at the River Inn, BankWest Hanover, Antique Shop of Rogers and through the historical society.

One of the Society’s long-term goals was to eventually have a “home” where artifacts were displayed and research materials available. Spearheaded by then president Joe Kaul, that goal became reality in 2017/18, when membership acquired the former Zion United Methodist Church building. The building was renamed the Hanover Area History Center.

Community Outreach

According to Coons, “as a mission-based organization, we not only strive to collect the past as it was created, but also to be future-oriented for the benefit of our community.

“History happens every day,” she continued, “and we are here to help our neighbors in what we advocate for and preserve. We do this through community outreach, as well as continuing with and tweaking events and educational programs.”

Caroling at the Bridge, commencing in 2005, was the organization’s inaugural event, and has remained its most popular one to date. This December will mark the 18th annual event.

Other events, including past events, were the Pumpkin Decorating Event for children, the Antique Appraisal Fair, Community Corn Feed, Antique & Classic Car Show, Ice Cream Social, several Doug Oman photographic presentations and a traveling suffragist exhibit. We are also available to speak with area groups about our history.

With the acquisition of the church property in 2017, we are available for public use, such as weddings, reunions, meetings, educational programs, holiday gatherings, graduation parties, etc. For more information, please email booking@hanoverprairiechurch.org.

Bursting at the seams, we are currently in the process of purchasing and moving a large garage to the property to be converted into a storage facility. This will allow us to move our storage items from the lower level to the new storage facility and open up the lower-level space for additional displays. This project could not be realized without the generous financial support of area donors and organizations.

The Hanover Historical Society meets the first Thursday of every month, other than in December, at the Hanover Area History Center, at 7 p.m. New members are always welcome, as well as those who simply have an interest in the area’s history and are curious as to what we are all about.

Current board members include: Colleen Williams, president; Tim Zimmerman, vice president; Mary Coons, secretary; and Bob Miller, treasurer. We can be reached at info@hanoverhistoricalsociety.org.

The latest version of “Safe From the Outside World” is available at BankWest Hanover, the River Inn, and the Antique Shop of Rogers. It can also be ordered through our website or from the author. The 300-page book sells for $30 and is itself a lasting legacy.