Ramsey County Historical Society

What Ramsey County Historical Society does

Ramsey County Historical Society (RCHS) is a Saint Paul, Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1949 that preserves, interprets, and shares the history of Ramsey County and Saint Paul. It serves general public visitors, K-12 schools and educators, academic researchers, and community organizations. The society operates two physical sites — its headquarters and exhibit gallery at the Landmark Center (75 W. 5th Street), which also houses the Mary Livingston Griggs & Mary Griggs Burke Research Center, and the Gibbs Farm living-history site at 2097 West Larpenteur Avenue featuring Dakota and Pioneer-era buildings, farm animals, and prairie landscape.

RCHS's core offerings include archival collections totaling 4.5 million documents, photographs, and artifacts (virtually all donated); educational programming such as Dakota, Pioneer, Combo, and Kindergarten field trips, summer camps, and virtual field trips; rotating exhibits including the Selma 70 exhibit (2025-2026) and Persistence: Continuing the Struggle for Suffrage and Equality; guided tours of the Saint Paul City Hall and Ramsey County Courthouse; and a publishing program anchored by the quarterly Ramsey County History magazine, books, and the Between 2 Urns podcast launched in May 2026. The organization uses no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on standard nonprofit infrastructure including a third-party Beacon/Schneider Corp online collections search and a Square-powered online shop.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of small, recurring, and transactional streams: membership subscriptions (with free Gibbs Farm admission as a benefit), admission fees ($10 adult / $7 senior / $5 child ages 4-16), donations and artifact contributions, publishing sales, facility rentals at Gibbs Farm, and fees for camps and field trips. The go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on public hours at Gibbs Farm, school partnerships, volunteer days, community exhibits, social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and a monthly email newsletter. Corporate sponsorships (Mairs and Power, Taft, Timberland Landscapes) and deep community partnerships (Rondo Center of Diverse Expression, Landmark Center, Saint Paul Saints, Wet Paint, PBS Almanac) supplement earned revenue. Leadership transitioned in late 2025 with Chad Roberts' departure after nearly 13 years, followed by the June 2026 appointment of Brandie Macdonald as Executive Director.

Name

Ramsey County Historical Society

Legal name

Ramsey County Historical Society

Website

https://rchs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ramsey County Historical Society is a 1949-founded Saint Paul, Minnesota nonprofit that preserves and shares Ramsey County and Saint Paul history through 4.5 million archival items, the Gibbs Farm living history site, exhibits, publications, and educational programs for the public, schools, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage and Historical Society Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

Keywords

• Historical society services
• Archival research services
• Museum education programs
• Local history preservation
• Cultural heritage programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

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 Program: RCHS offers membership programs providing benefits such as free admission to Gibbs Farm for members.
2. Admission Fees: Gibbs Farm charges admission fees: $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for children ages 4-16, free for children 3 and under.
3. Donations and Artifact Donations: The organization accepts donations of historical artifacts, documents, and photographs, with virtually all of their 4.5 million collection items donated.
4. Publishing: Revenue generated from publishing Ramsey County History magazine, books, and special projects. They also sell books through their online shop.
5. Facility Rentals: Gibbs Farm and other venues are available for rental through the organization's rental programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ramsey County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that preserves and shares the history of Ramsey County, Minnesota through professional archival collections, exhibits, publications, and educational programs. It operates two main sites — the Landmark Center research/library facility in Saint Paul and the Gibbs Farm living-history site in Falcon Heights — and serves individual visitors, families, students, and researchers through admissions, memberships, programs, and donations.

Product overview

Ramsey County Historical Society operates as a historical society and museum offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services centered on preserving and sharing local history. The core offerings include Gibbs Farm, a historic site with hands-on educational programs; Publishing (including the quarterly Ramsey County History magazine and the Between 2 Urns podcast); Collections and the Mary Livingston Griggs & Mary Griggs Burke Research Center for archival research; Exhibits such as Selma 70 and Persistence; and Educational Programs including field trips and summer camps. The society also offers courthouse tours and publishes books and special projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gibbs Farm: Historic farm site featuring Dakota and Pioneer-era buildings with hands-on educational programs, camps, field trips, and volunteer opportunities located at 2097 W Larpenteur Ave, Falcon Heights, MN
• Between 2 Urns Podcast
• Ramsey County History Magazine

Products and services

• Gibbs Farm Historic Site

Quantifiable outcome

• 70 Minnesota Pilgrims participated in the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday Selma pilgrimage in 2015
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Voices for Racial JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization working toward positive change, featured in the Selma 70 exhibit as an organization making impact in the community.
• Memorialize the MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization working toward positive change, featured in the Selma 70 exhibit.
• Ujamaa PlaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization serving St. Paul, highlighted as making impact. RCHS has partnered with Ujamaa Place for various programs.
• Native American Boarding School Healing CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working on healing from Native American boarding school history, featured in community partnerships.
• Outfront Minnesota Community ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization working toward positive change, featured in the Selma 70 exhibit.
• Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum focused on African American history, featured as community organization making impact.
• Rondo Center of Diverse ExpressioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for Rondo community programming. RCHS participated in Juneteenth Celebration organized by RCODE and celebrates RCHS authors from the Rondo community.
• Wet PaintminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt supply store that organized sketching events with RCHS at Irvine Park.
• Landmark CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing partner providing space for RCHS headquarters, exhibit gallery, and research center at 75 W. 5th Street.
• Saint Paul SaintsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional baseball team that partnered with RCHS for Billy Williams tribute event at CHS Field.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums (MALHM): Industry association that has awarded RCHS authors; not a peer but a direct industry network that benchmarks RCHS against similar small museums statewide and represents a key channel for partnership and recognition.
• Ramsey County (Government): Local government entity providing grants, public history context, and operating environment for RCHS. Not a direct competitor but a key funder, partner, and policy stakeholder.

Direct peers

• Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery: Community-focused historical museum in the Twin Cities. RCHS is a partner and has featured the organization as a community collaborator (Selma 70 exhibit). Comparable in size, mission, and community-centered approach.
• Hennepin History Museum: County-level historical society serving neighboring Hennepin County (Minneapolis). Operates a museum, archives, and educational programs with a similar regional scope, audience, and operating model.
• Historic Fort Snelling: Living history site operated by Minnesota Historical Society focused on Dakota and Pioneer-era interpretation. Comparable to Gibbs Farm as a Dakota/Pioneer history site with educational programming and field trips.
• Landmarks Association of St. Paul: Twin Cities heritage preservation nonprofit. Comparable as a regional preservation organization focused on Saint Paul history and architecture, with overlapping audiences and partner networks.
• Rondo Center of Diverse Expression: Twin Cities community organization preserving Rondo neighborhood history. Core RCHS partner for Juneteenth and cultural programming; comparable in mission to center underrepresented local history.

Regional players

• Dakota County Historical Society: Adjacent-county historical society with similar product mix (archives, exhibits, educational programs). Comparable operating model but serves a different geographic territory.
• Washington County Historical Society (Minnesota): Another Minnesota county-level historical society with similar programming (museums, archives, events). Provides useful peer benchmarking on staffing and revenue for organizations of RCHS's size.

Broad incumbents

• Minnesota Historical Society: The statewide equivalent of RCHS, operating the Minnesota History Center, historic Fort Snelling, and a large archival collection. Comparable in mission (preserve and share local history) but vastly larger in budget, reach, and programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xinstagram.com/ramseycountyhistory
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RamseyCounty_HistoricalSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/RamseyCountyHistoricalSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ramsey-county-historical-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/ramseycountyhistory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Ramsey County Historical Society