Jimmy Clark and Jeanne Hansel pose for a photograph with a carved pumpkin, which wears a cloth hat and a mischievous grin.  Captured by a St. Paul newspaper photographer in 1942.

For details, view the photograph in our online collections database.

Hmong paj (flower in English; pronounced “pa”) ornament made of plastic beads and embroidery floss. Ornaments of this type are typically hung in a doorway or from a ceiling. Made in St. Paul, Minnesota circa 1982 by May Yang.

For details, view the ornament in our online collections database.

Fire hydrant used in Saint Paul, Minnesota no earlier than 1884 and no later than 1972.  The hydrant has been repainted since its original use.  There are three openings on the hydrant stem, each with a bolted screw cap.  The fluted yellow top is stamped “MATHEWS PAT. / NOV 16 1868 / REIS’D FEB 28 ‘84 / R. D. Wood & CO. PHILA.”

To view more historical firefighting objects, and to learn about the dedication of the Minnesota Fallen Firefighter Memorial on September 30, 2012, watch our podcast Firefighting in Minnesota: A Salute to the Fallen.

Diary entry by Matthew Marvin, Private in the 1st Minnesota Regiment, written from a stragglers camp near Washington D.C., where he has been sent after recovering from a gunshot wound at a hospital on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. This week, Marvin sees convalescents arrive daily from area hospitals, writes letters home and gets a sore mouth. On Monday, October 27th, he writes:

“The boys have to work on a new fort[.] the Lt in charge had to call a guard to make the boys go. They would shirk out in spite of him or the guard by running among the tents[.] Weather AM Rain and PM cool wind[.]”

Citation: October 25-30, 1862 Diary entries by Matthew Marvin, Diary notes and memos. Matthew Marvin Papers. Minnesota Historical Society. [P2355 box 1]

Silver calling cards case engraved with the name “Nellie” (for Nellie Cardozo, the cards’ owner).  The case fits in a plush box made by the jeweler George Rochat of St. Paul, Minnesota circa 1865.