Education
The Rice County Historical Society offers a number of school tours and youth programs throughout the year.
School Tours and Experiences:
- School Tours
- One-Room School Experience
- Log Cabin Experience
Youth Programs:
- Summer History Camp
- Year-round Museum Apprentice Program
School Tours:
Tours are available for all age groups, at a cost of $1.00 per student for a basic tour and $2.00 per student for a basic tour plus village experience. Extended experiences in the school and log cabin are available at a cost of $5.00 per student. Teachers and chaperones are free. Please contact the museum at least 2 weeks in advance by phone at 507-332-2121 or by email at rchs@rchistory.org.
Please have the following information ready:
- Contact person – name and phone number
- Desired date and time – Museum hours are: Monday – Friday 9:00AM – 4:00 PM
- Age of students
- Size of group
- Length of time desired
- Type of tour
Basic Tour:
A basic tour of one hour will consist of time spent in the Museum. Included 
is a brief video on the history of Rice County, displays on fur-trading; Native Americans from the Palio (10,000 BCE) to the Historic periods; Bishop Whipple; Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, and Vietnam Wars; local industries including Fleckenstein Family and the Tilt-A-Whirl; and a Main Street diorama which includes a general store, barbershop and jail.
Village Experience:
(Includes the above as well as a tour of the log cabin, one-room school, country church, and Harvest and Heritage Hall)
♦ Log Cabin — What would it have been like living in a cabin like this one?
♦ Pleasant Valley School — Who would have attended a one-room school and what would it have been like to have been a student there?
♦ Holy Innocents Church — Why were there so many churches in the county and what did they look like inside?
♦ Harvest and Heritage Halls — Discover how the appliances and machinery have changed over the years.
Extended One-Room School Experience at the Pleasant Valley School:
In this program, students will experience what it was like to be a student in a one-room schoolhouse. Activities will include:
- School lessons as they were taught in schools of this period
- Outdoor games from long ago
- Discussion about how schools have changed
If desired students can eat lunch near the school and compare their lunches to what a former student might have eaten. This is a two-hour experience and can accommodate one class at a time. The fee is $4.00 per student / $10 cap per family, with no charge for adults.
Extended Log Cabin Experience:
Students will step back in time to imagine what life must have been like living in a cabin such as this. By asking questions such as; where would they sleep? What would they eat? What would they wear? Students will come to a broader understanding of what life was like in Early Rice County.
Activities will include:♦ Grinding Wheat
♦ Using a table loom
♦ Washing clothes by hand
♦ Using a “Yankee drill”
♦ Working on a rag rug
♦ Using a bit and brace
♦ Shelling corn
♦ Making butter
♦ Playing old-time games
This is a two-hour experience and can accommodate one class. The fee is $4.00 per student/$10 cap per family, with no charge for adults.
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Youth Programs:
Summer History Camp: 
History Camp is RCHS’ summer program for students who have finished grades 3-5. History camp runs run Monday – Friday from 8:30 to noon.
Each day of camp participants will do hands-on activities, play games, and have a light snack around themes in Rice County’s history: Monday & Tuesday – Fur Traders and Native Americans. Wednesday & Thursday – Pioneer Days. Friday – Family Day.
For more information and for this year’s camp dates, please contact the museum at 507-332-2121.
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Year-Round Museum Apprentice Program:
Join us for an exciting volunteer opportunity for students in 8th-12th grade! Apprentices will learn about what it takes to work at a museum. They will:
- Get a behind-the-scenes look at what happens at the Rice County Historical Society.
- Work with RCHS staff and other volunteers.
- Improve communication skills.
- Expand their knowledge of museums and history.
- Discuss museum and history topics as they develop projects.
- Help at RCHS during the Rice County Fair, and at programs throughout the year. Work on projects independently and in groups, such as exhibit design, collections management, or living history demonstrations.