Northfield Historical Society

It's not the biggest museum ever, but for the low cost of admission, it was worth walking around to learn about the biggest thing in history to have happened in the area.I would say Northfield is known for the defeat of the Jesse James gang and the museum gives great history to learn more about the event. Since it wasn't terribly busy the day we went, we were able to really look at and read everything. It was kind of neat that you could walk through the actual bank that was attempted to be robbed.There is also a rotating display, which happened to be about a local man who got to go around the world in an Airstream for a year.If you have 5 bucks and an hour to spend, it was well worth the time and money.

The Northfield historical society is a small museum in a beautiful small town. My family went there and loved it! The tour guide was so excited to see that we wanted a tour instead of the more popular self guides tours. My boys loved it! Obviously the story is a bit graphic but the tour guide (Riley) was great with adjusting to that. She even gave them little sheriff stickers. She gave good recommendations to eat and shop since she lives in Northfield. Overall I'm very pleased with my visit.

The town of Northfield, MN, is the place of a failed bank robbery by the infamous Jesse James and Younger gang in 1876. There is an annual re-enactment in the town every September. The historical society maintains the former First National Bank building and there is a admission charge to tour the museum. The museum is small, but you get to step into history where the bank robbery took place. The actual safe, bank ledger used that day, gun used to kill one of the robbers, and other significant items are displayed. There is an informative video to watch that explains the timeline and why the gang decided this bank would be a big score. Spoiler alert: they were wrong! The photos from that era are very interesting to see. Everything is explained clearly. After walking through the bank, one comes to section filled with memorabilia and displays of the town's industry of making a cereal called Malt-o- Meal. I had totally forgotten about this cereal from my childhood. The town of Northfield is lovely with a lot of the buildings maintained with a nod to the 19th century. There are shops and boutiques to browse. The only downside was the gentleman at the museum wasn't that friendly and he was abrupt answering questions. He was more interested in pricing the souvenir T-shirts for sale. It was only after I read some other reviews that I learned there was a guided tour available, but this man failed to tell us about it.

I enjoy visiting the historical societies of any city or counties within a reasonable driving distance. You always come away with something interesting that you never knew about. Because of Northfield's history, I had high expectations for the NHS and it did not disappoint. Like most similar places they have resources for the public to do genealogical and historical research, There is an exhibit celebrating 100 years of the Malt-O-Meal company. I have to admit it was more interesting than I would have thought, but obviously the real juice here is the bank robbery attempted by the James-Younger Gang.The museum is located in the building where the famous raid took place. It's been restored to represent the bank as closely as possible to the way it looked that day. Some items, including the vault door, are the real thing. This is a fun and educational destination for any history buff, and a must for any fan of the Jesse James legend.

This unique and very interesting spot includes the restored bank that was robbed by the James gang. At least they attempted to rob it, since it didn't go the way they planned. We were staying at a state park (Big Woods) nearby and happened upon Northfield, which I'd never visited before. There's a college or two there, but what struck us the most were the Jesse James references that we didn't understand at first.The restored bank is super cool because it's set up as it were when the bank was robbed and contains all kinds of historical artifacts. There is a ton of information in the museum, along with great pictures and other things to study. I ended up learning a lot about Northfield through this museum and it also sparked my interest in Jesse James. We bought a book on him called 'Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War' by T.J. Stiles, which is a great read and includes info on the Northfield raid.I would certainly suggest checking this out, and it's only about one hour from the Cities.

I wandered into this wonderful historic site after just walking past it several times because from the outside of the main entrance it looks like a gift shop. Once inside it was apparent that this was a restored building with authentic features. The docent was very friendly and the entrance fee a modest 4$. Inside are very informative large size graphics detailing the Great Northfield Raid conducted by the James Younger gang in 1876. I was aware of the outlaw days held in the summer but did not realize that the actual Bank building had been restored to original condition with original furnishings and vault still there. Even the wood plank flooring is original. They have collected several of the original firearms used by the robbers and by the citizenry defending against the robbery. There is even the saddle from one of the robbers whose horse was shot out from under him. I love living history and being able to walk the same floor as the Jesse James did was quite amazing. This little jewel of a historic site has got to be a must see in the bucket list of all history buffs.

We stopped in on vacation and got the tour. It was great! The guide really was knowledgeable and catered to my young kids very well. Not too long or huge, but that's ok, especially with kids. :)

I am quite interested in history, especially the old American west. So of course I couldn't pass up the chance to see the spot where the infamous Jesse James and his gang were thwarted by the local citizens. The museum was very informative, the guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the town was very warm and inviting. Would I go back? Yes, yes I would!

The Good: The tour. The guy who gave the tour was so obviously excited by the material that it was pretty interesting.The Bad: Not a heck of a lot.The Rest: If you're in Northfield, looking for a way to kill some time, this is a great way to do it.

I had some time to kill so I decided to check this out. I was pleasantly surprised. $5 admission for adults was fair. There was a guide and since it was just me in there he gave me a nice one on one tour of the bank and the museum and the artifacts. Turns out much of my knowledge of the James Gang came from the movies and some of that is a bit sketchy. Tour guide set me straight. Nice way to spend about an hour.