UNFORGETTABLE - For an exhibit opening April 7, Waseca County Historical Society staff members Elizabeth Anselmo, Pauline Fenelon, Anna Simmons and Amy Danielson (not pictured) selected items which, having once seen, they could not forget.
WCHS announces new exhibit: "This Old Thing"
Thu, 03/19/2026 - 12:30am
Four Objects. Four Staff Picks. Countless Stories.
The Waseca County Historical Society (WCHS) is inviting the public to experience history in a new way this season — not through timelines or textbooks, but through something far more personal. The new exhibit, “This Old Thing,” features just four objects. Out of more than 270,000 items in the Society’s collection, only four were chosen.
They were not selected because they are the oldest.
Not because they are the most valuable.
Not because they are the most famous.
They were chosen because someone couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Each object in This Old Thing is a staff favorite — personally selected by executive director Amy Danielson, data manager/library manager Elizabeth Anselmo, head curator
Pauline Fenelon and assistant curator Anna Simmons. Each one carries a story that surprised, unsettled, delighted, or lingered long after it was first cataloged.
At first glance, there might not seem to be anything special about them. They deserve another look.
Why would a museum professional choose this object over thousands of others? What does it reveal about Waseca County’s past, and about the people who care for its history today? Visitors won’t know what the objects are until they step inside the museum doors.
“We wanted to create something intimate,” said Danielson. “When you work with history every day, certain objects stay with you. This exhibit is about those moments — the ones that feel personal, unexpected, and sometimes even mysterious.” Each object is paired with a reflection from the staff member who chose it—and a glimpse into the story the object itself might tell, if it could speak about its travels through time.
This Old Thing is small by design. Focused. Intentional. And filled with quiet - and personal - surprises.
The exhibit opens April 7 at the WCHS at 315 Second Avenue Northeast in Waseca. It will be on view for a limited time. Come see the four objects we couldn’t forget. And decide for yourself: What makes something unforgettable?
For more information, visit www.wasecacountyhistorycenter.org or call 507-835-7700.