Blue Earth County Historical Society COVID-19 Update

    May 22nd, 2020

    Mankato, MN – Due to COVID-19, the Blue Earth County History Center remains closed until further notice. Museums like the History Center fall under Phase 4 of Governor Tim Walz’s reopening plan. During this time, the BECHS Staff is working through a cleaning and sanitizing plan as well as establishing signage and guidelines for social distancing.

    The Blue Earth County Historical Society Board of Trustees made the hard decision to not open the Hubbard House for the 2020 summer season. While some rooms in the historic house museum do allow for social distancing, many do not. Also, cleaning products needed to sanitize the house between visitors would be harmful to the historical collection pieces. Staff will continue to monitor the House to ensure the safety of the objects housed on site.

    “For the safety of our staff, visitors and the historical items on display at the Hubbard House, we feel it’s best to not open for the season. There are just too many factors to consider when maintaining a historic house such as how do you sanitizing a 130-year old staircase railing without causing damage to the wood,” noted BECHS Executive Director Jessica Potter.

    Although, you can’t visit the Hubbard House in person this year, you can visit virtually. The Hubbard House Facebook page will continue to have content posted regularly including virtual tours highlighting different rooms and items throughout the historic home.

    In addition, BECHS will continue to make local history accessible with weekly programs presented through Zoom. These virtual programs include a weekly series titled History @ Home with BECHS, monthly Virtual Pub Crawls and Talking Ancestors Genealogy Group. More information about these programs can be found on our website at https://www.BlueEarthCountyHistory.com/Events.

    For more information, please contact BECHS at info@blueearthcountyhistory.com or visit our website at www.BlueEarthCountyHistory.com.