Olmsted County Historical Society

THE HISTORY CENTER OF OLMSTED COUNTY WILL ENGAGE WITH ITS COMMUNITY TO CREATE A NEW VISITOR INTERPRETIVE EXPERIENCE PLAN FOR THE GEORGE STOPPEL FARMSTEAD. WORKING WITH A PLANNING CONSULTANT AND A SKILLED FACILITATOR, THE MUSEUM WILL MEET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, INCLUDING LONG-TIME COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF 19TH AND EARLY-20TH CENTURY EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS AND MORE RECENT IMMIGRANTS TO ENSURE THE PLAN HAS BOTH HISTORICAL ACCURACY AND RELEVANCE FOR MULTIPLE AUDIENCES. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL DEVELOP A VISITOR EXPERIENCE SITE PLAN THAT INCLUDES AN OVERALL NARRATIVE; DEVELOP WORKSHEETS FOR EACH INTERPRETIVE ZONE; IDENTIFY SUGGESTIONS FOR PROGRAMS, EVENTS, AND TOURS; AND CREATE TWO HAND-DRAWN RENDERINGS TO ILLUSTRATE KEY VISITOR EXPERIENCE FEATURES. THE RESULTING PLAN IS INTENDED TO RECOMMEND INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS THAT WILL PROVIDE A FORUM FOR DIALOGUE ABOUT IMMIGRATION, AGRICULTURE, AND THE LEGACY OF COLONIZATION.