MHAC celebrates the holiday's and a new location with an Open House

Founded in 2010, the McIntosh Heritage Center and volunteers have spent many hours collecting, preserving and researching historical information and artifacts of the original Thirteen Towns of east Polk County.

The group was located in a small office in the Bjella Building in McIntosh, where cramped quarters made displaying their collection quite difficult, until recently. When Polk County Human Services moved into most of the upper level of the building, MHAC was relocated into the old Variety Village building, which had been revamped and updated to include not only the Heritage Center, but also the Head Start offices. The building is now called the Ohnstad Building, in honor of Dr. Ohnstad a pioneer in this area.

With the move, the McIntosh Heritage and Arts Center is able to display their growing collection and offer plenty of space for those interested in researching family or area history.

It is a great place to stop, just for a look at all the interesting history of our area.

The group has also been a big part of our community with the restoration of the Peterson log cabin, located in Erickson Park, the Thrift Store on Main Street, hosting several events, such as the popular Heritage Homestead Picnic each summer at a family farm in the area where those who attend can learn some history of the family and the area. 

MHAC is open in their new location Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. They can also be reached by email at: mcintoshheritageandartscenter@gvtel.com or by phone at (218) 563-2040. 

The group also had a Facebook page where they can be located and times and locations of events are posted.

The Heritage Center is always looking for volunteers and donations for their continued work at preserving the history of the Thirteen Towns.