Carver County Historical Society

What Carver County Historical Society does

Carver County Historical Society (CCHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit historical society founded in 1940 in Mayer, Minnesota, and currently headquartered at 555 West First Street in Waconia, Minnesota. The society operates a museum with five thematic local history exhibits (Akta Dakota, Minnesota Made, Westermann Shop, Snapshots of Carver County History, Choosing Carver County), a Veterans Gallery covering U.S. conflicts from the Civil War through the Gulf Wars, and a local history and genealogy research library. It also maintains the Historic Andrew Peterson Farmstead at 8060 Minnesota Highway 5 — an internationally recognized 19th-century Swedish immigrant farmstead hosting camps, family programs, and seasonal events such as Vintage Baseball and Fall on the Farm.

CCHS maintains a substantial archival content library of over 10,000 indexed photographs, census records (1850-1930), naturalization records (1862-1943), plat maps dating to 1874, Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, county newspapers on microfilm, vital statistics indexes, family histories, and cemetery records. Research services are delivered by a small staff (7 employees) including a dedicated Researcher; members access an online Photo Research Database (live since 2015), a Newspaper/Resource Search index updated within 2-3 months, and a Plat Map Viewer. Educational programming spans K-12 school programs (One Room Schoolhouse, Life in a Lumber Camp, Dakota & Ojibwe Daily Life, Eco-History, Military History), summer History Day Camps (Pioneer Camp K-2, Handicrafts 3-6), adult education lectures, and family programs, with school programs free to non-profit educational groups.

The society is funded through five membership tiers (Individual $25, Senior $20, Family $40, Sustaining $65, Business $100 per year), tax-deductible donations and grants, $25/hour custom research fees with related copying charges, $50/day conference room rental, online store merchandise sales via Square, and an endowment fund managed by the Minnesota Community Foundation (seeded with a $7,000 bequest in 1989). Distribution spans in-person visits (Monday-Saturday), offsite school programs, a network of five mutual affiliate historical societies, traveling exhibits available for loan, and a multi-channel digital presence (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, email newsletter, website, press release media room). Museum and library admission is free to all visitors. The society also offers Pioneer, County, and Century Certificates for descendants of Carver County pioneers and hosts a monthly Genealogy Gathering.

Name

Carver County Historical Society

Legal name

Carver County Historical Society

Website

https://carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carver County Historical Society (CCHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1940 operating a free museum, genealogy research library, and historic Andrew Peterson Farmstead in Waconia, Minnesota, serving Carver County residents, K-12 schools, and genealogy researchers through exhibitions, educational programs, and memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Cultural Heritage Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Libraries and Archives (51921), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Local history preservation
• Genealogy research services
• Historical museum exhibits
• Heritage education programs
• Community museum services

Headquarters

HQ city

Waconia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions with tiered pricing: Individual ($25), Family ($40), Sustaining ($65), Senior Citizen ($20), Business ($100). Members receive voting rights, discounts on materials, invitations to exclusive events, and the quarterly Transcending Time newsletter.
2. Research Services: Custom research conducted by CCHS staff at $25/hour. Additional fees for article/record copying and processing. Members receive free annual research benefits.
3. Facility Rental: Conference room rental at $50/day with $100 refundable damage deposit. Free for non-profit organizations. Seats 14 people comfortably.
4. Online Store Sales: Online merchandise and publication sales through square site marketplace.
5. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations as a 501(c)(3) organization. Endowment fund managed by Minnesota Community Foundation started with $7,000 bequest in 1989.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Carver County Historical Society operates a museum and research library dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Carver County, Minnesota. It offers local history exhibits, a Veterans Gallery, genealogy and local-history research services, school and adult education programs, history day camps, family events, and a historic farmstead site. Revenue is generated through tiered memberships, donations, paid research and facility rental, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

The Carver County Historical Society operates a museum and research institution offering local history exhibits, genealogical research services, and educational programming. The core offerings include five thematic local history galleries (Akta Dakota, Minnesota Made, Westermann Shop, Snapshots of Carver County History, and Choosing Carver County), a Veterans Gallery, and the traveling exhibit program. The society provides research services through its library with census records, naturalization records, plat maps, newspapers, and photographs, accessible via online databases for members. Educational programming includes school programs, history day camps, adult education, and family programs. The Historic Andrew Peterson Farmstead serves as a living history site. The society operates membership programs with tiered pricing and offers conference room rental. The organization does not appear to offer a technology product with APIs or integrations; it operates primarily as a traditional historical society with physical and digital research services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum and Library
• School Programs
• History Day Camps
• Adult Education Programs
• Family Programs
• Genealogy Research Services
• Traveling Exhibits
• Membership Program
• Conference Room Rental
• Certificate Programs
• Historic Andrew Peterson Farmstead

Quantifiable outcome

• Free museum and library access for all visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chaska Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate organization located at 112 West Chaska, Minnesota 55318. Members of this society automatically become CCHS members. Collaborates on preserving Chaska's local history and shares programming.
• Chanhassen Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate organization serving Chanhassen community. Members receive automatic CCHS membership. Joint efforts on historical preservation and education programs.
• Watertown Area Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate serving Watertown area at 309 Lewis Ave S. Automatic dual membership with CCHS. Collaborates on local history initiatives.
• Waconia Heritage AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate organization at (952) 442-2184. Members receive automatic CCHS membership. Joint preservation and programming efforts.
• Willkommen Heritage and Preservation Society of Norwood Young AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate organization located in the old library building by Willkommen Park. President LaVonne Kroells at 952-467-3214. Members receive dual CCHS membership.
• Minnesota Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide historical society partner providing resources, MNopedia articles about Carver County, and collaborative programming. Primary statewide history organization.
• Minnesota Alliance of Local History MuseumsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional alliance of local history museums for resource sharing and professional development
• Carver County Extension ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty-level extension service providing agricultural and community resources

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hennepin History Museum: County-level historical society serving Hennepin County with exhibits, archives, and educational programming. Operates in a larger urban market but with the same core nonprofit-heritage model as CCHS.
• Dakota County Historical Society: Adjacent Minnesota county historical society operating a museum, research library, and educational programs. Closest functional peer to CCHS in size, mission, and operating model.
• Stearns County Historical Society: Minnesota county historical society operating a heritage museum, research library, and historic site. Comparable in operating model, member-based funding, and educational programming.
• Washington County Historical Society (Minnesota): Minnesota county-level historical society offering museum exhibits, research services, and educational programs. Direct comparable in mission, governance, and revenue mix.
• Carver County affiliates (Chaska / Chanhassen / Watertown Historical Societies): Five local historical societies within Carver County that are formal CCHS affiliates with automatic dual membership. Closest operational peers; their programming complements rather than competes with CCHS.
• Scott County Historical Society: Neighboring Minnesota county historical society serving Scott County with museum exhibits, genealogy research, and school programs. Directly comparable in scale and program mix to CCHS.

Others

• Ancestry.com: Commercial genealogy platform that digitizes and provides access to census, naturalization, and newspaper records at scale. Competes directly with CCHS's paid research and copy services, eroding a core earned-revenue stream.
• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH): Professional association serving the state and local history field, providing training, accreditation, and resources. Not a direct operator but a key peer ecosystem and capacity-building partner for organizations like CCHS.

Broad incumbents

• Minnesota Historical Society: Statewide historical society and primary partner of CCHS; operates the Minnesota History Center, statewide archives, and MNopedia. Comparable as a heritage nonprofit but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic mandate.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on historic preservation, advocacy, and grants. Comparable in mission area (preservation, National Register listings) but operates at national scale with a different revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cc_historical
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFP67WOMrOrPmVxW5Np3hVw
• Facebookfacebook.com/75216247176
• Instagraminstagram.com/carvercountyhistorical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carver-county-historical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carver County Historical Society