Genealogy Center open Oct. 11

Even though the open season for the LCHS Genealogy Center has concluded, the Board of Directors will open the building to the public on Oct. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. There will also be a number of artifacts on display that same day.

The Center is located at 301 NE 2nd St. in Elysian.

Maple trunk available

Visitors to the LCHS campus in Elysian may recall the three majestic maple trees on the south edge of the property. The trees were showing their age and for safety reasons the board decided to have them removed. LCHS has saved the trunks of the trees and one of the trunks is up for sale to interested parties. The trunk is over two feet in diameter and about seven feet long. It has several interesting knobs and lobes which give the wood unique character.

Interested parties are asked to contact the Society at info@lesueurcountyhistory.org for more information.

LCHS seeks candidates for governing board positions

An election of five seats on the LCHS boar of directors will take place at the Society’s annual meeting April 28. To be on the board you must be over the age of 18 and a LCHS member in good standing.

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Our Society thrives on active member participation and a seat on the board is a great place to start. Please consider throwing your hat into the ring.

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A meeting of the Society’s Nominating Committee will take place in late March. All LCHS members are welcome to attend. At this meeting, the Nominating Committee shall submit the names of potential candidates for the available vacant seats on the board. Nominations of potential candidates will also be accepted from the floor.

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The Nominating Committee will then set the ballot for election of board members. No names will be added to the ballot during the annual meeting.

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Anyone interested in being on the LCHS board can email info@lesueurcountyhistory.org; contact any board member or attend the Nominating Committee meeting.

Time and location of the Nominating Committee meeting will be posted on the Society’s website, http://lesueurcountyhistory.org/ and posted on Facebook (LCHSHISTORY).

LCHS President Stenzel to present Lincoln program on Presidents Day

2026 marks the centennial of the death of President Lincoln’s eldest, and only son who lived to adulthood, Robert Todd Lincoln. To commemorate that event, LCHS President Bryce Stenzel will present “After Lincoln: A Family's Journey Beyond the Presidency, 1865-1926”.

 

The event will take place on Presidents’ Day 2026 (Feb. 16) and will begin at 7 p.m. at the Elysian Tourism Center. It is free and open to the public.

Calling all those interested in Kilkenny history…

LCHS has been contacted about interest in starting a Kilkenny Historians Group. The LCHS Board will be holding its Oct. 21 meeting at the Kilkenny library (288 Laurel Ave. S) at 6 p.m. LCHS members and anyone interested in Kilkenny history is encouraged to attend and learn more.  Interested parties may also contact Janice Sellner in care of the Kilkenny library.

Ottawa Stone Church Tours

on Sundays from 1-4pm.

May-Labor Day Weekend.

LCHS annual meeting set

for April 28

A date has been set for the annual meeting of the Le Sueur County Historical Society. The gathering will take place at 6 p.m. on April 28 in the 4-H building on the Le Sueur County fairgrounds in Le Center.

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An update of the renovation of the red brick school in Elysian, Minn. is expected to be on the annual meeting agenda along with a finance report and other Society business. Look for more details in the Society’s Spring newsletter.

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Five seats on the Society’s Board of Directors need to be filled and elections will take place at the annual meeting. Any member interested in a board position should contact the Board as soon as possible to get their name on the ballot.

“Le Sueur Lyre” program slated for March 10 at Ney Center

Author and historian Jef Sauve will present a program on Le Sueur attorney Ora J. Parker at the Ney Center outside of Henderson Minn. on March 10 at 7 p.m.

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Parker, who lived from 1856 to 1934, gained notoriety as a newspaper humorist who wrote under the nom de plume of “The Le Sueur Lyre.” Witty and entertaining, Parker’s work drew the attention outside of Le Sueur County and his writings were published in the New York Telegram and a publication in Chicago.

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“(Parker’s) vivid imagination and skillful writing set him apart,” Sauve said, “yet, unfortunately he remains largely forgotten in the annals of Minnesota’s humorists.”

Sauve has located number “Le Sueur Lyre” tales from 1903 to 1922 and will share some of them at the Ney Center event. Bring a friend or two and enjoy a relatively unknown slice of our local history.