Borrowing one of New Ulm’s nicknames, the exhibit is called “170 Years of the City of Charm and Tradition.”

The story of New Ulm is told through a series of information panels and artifacts spread through the museum’s second floor.

Museum collection curator Ryan Harren said it was daunting to attempt to cover all of New Ulm’s 170-year history in one exhibit. Several moments from New Ulm’s history could fill entire displays at the museum. The third floor of the museum currently holds a permanent display on the U.S. Dakota War of 1862.

Harren said the museum receives many visitors who don’t know the history of New Ulm. Many out-of-town guests have no idea how the community was founded.

Brown County Historical Society (BCHS) museum curator Ryan Harren points to a display case featuring artifacts from the founding of New Ulm. The display case is located at the start of the “170 Years of the City of Charm and Tradition.”

The exhibit begins with a history of the Dakota village that existed in New Ulm. By the 1800s, a band of Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota lived around New Ulm. A Dakota village was located at the mouth of the Cottonwood River. However, as a result of the treaties of 1851, the Dakota were moved to the Sioux Reservations.

By 1853, a group of German immigrants organized the Chicago Land Company to create a German town. On Oct. 8, 1884, the expedition chose to establish New Ulm at the confluence of the Minnesota and Cottonwood Rivers. The group wintered at the Little Rock trade post. On May 16, 1855, around 20 settlers arrived and formally founded New Ulm. The town is named after Ulm, Germany.

The founding of New Ulm covers the arrival of the Chicago Land Company and the Turner Society’s involvement.

The next year in May 1856, men from a branch of the Cincinnati Turners arrived. The group was looking to escape anti-German sentiment and wanted to establish a town built on Turner values. The Turners approved New Ulm and agreed to merge with the Chicago Land Company. The Turners brought much-needed cash to the settlement. A New Ulm chapter of the Turners was founded in 1856 and Turner Hall was built in 1857.

“Without the Turners New Ulm would have probably failed,” Harren said. The exhibit includes several artifacts from the Turner’s early history.

The second display case in the “170 Years of the City of Charm and Tradition" exhibit features artifacts from Turner Hall. New Ulm was founded with the help of The Turner Society. Museum curator Ryan Harren said without the help of the Turners, New Ulm might have failed as a settlement.

In the first few decades, New Ulm faced several major setbacks including blackbird and locust storms in the late 1850s. The U.S. Dakota War of 1862 saw two battles take place in New Ulm resulting in the deaths of 40 people and the destruction of 180 to 240 buildings.

Two decades after the U.S. Dakota War, the town was hit by a deadly tornado on July 15, 1881. It is believed New Ulm was hit by an F4 tornado. Five New Ulm residents. A sixth resident was killed by lightning. The storm killed 20 across south central Minnesota with as many as 100 injured. Around 40 buildings in New Ulm were destroyed and hundreds were damaged.

Harren said the tornado was the first to damage a large Minnesota community. It is estimated the tornado caused $5000,000 in damage. The community received $40,000 in relief funds from across the Midwest.

Harren said one of the surprising aspects of the tornado was how quickly the community rebuilt. Construction started immediately after the storm cleared. Many of the homes and businesses were repaired or repairs were underway by the end of July 1881.

A side effect of the tornado was the push for a New Ulm hospital. Harren said in the aftermath of the cyclone, The Sisters of Christian Charity cared for the wounded at St. Michael’s Academy. Rev. Alexander Berghold decided the town needed a proper hospital. The St. Alexander Hospital was founded in 1883 at 5th North. Today, the New Ulm Medical Center operates on the same site.

New Ulm saw numerous changes around the turn of the 20th century with new buildings. One of the most famous constructions was the Hermann Monument, which was completed in 1897.

Harren said the exhibit includes information on entertainment in the city; including information on the various polka bands from New Ulm leading to its nickname as Polka Capital of the World. New Ulm is home to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.

The exhibit closes with a panel about current revitalization efforts in New Ulm as well as looking to the future. The exhibit includes information on the rise and fall of the Marktplaz Mall and efforts to accommodate changes in population through housing developments.

Harren said in terms of research, recent history was harder to find information. There is a wealth of information available on New Ulm’s early history, but fewer resources on modern events are available.

Harren said that originally there was a plan to include information on the COVID pandemic, but it would require significant new research. This was also true of artifacts. The museum has artifacts dating back to New Ulm’s founding, but few items from the last 40 years.

Harren said one of the most recent artifacts in the 170-year display is a Heritage of New Ulm board game created in 1982.

“Many people don’t understand that technically, yesterday is a part of history,” Harren said.

One of the benefits of New Ulm’s 170-year display is it can help fill in gaps in the record. By viewing the display visitors can see which parts of the city’s history still need to be told.

The “170 Years of the City of Charm and Tradition” will be on display through the summer of 2025 on the second floor of the museum. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. Tuesday-Friday and 10 am to 3 p.m. Saturday.