Wabasha County Historical Society

P.O. Box 255 • Lake City, Minnesota 55041
Telephone: 877-525-3248 • Email: info@wabashacountyhistory.org

Mission Statement

The mission of the Wabasha County Historical Society at Reads Landing Museum
is to collect, protect, preserve, and interpret materials relating to the natural
and cultural history of Wabasha County and its people.

Step back in time at the Wabasha County Historical Society Museum!

70537 206^th Avenue • Reads Landing, Minnesota 55968
Telephone: 507-753-2893
Open Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Mid-May to Mid-October

Housed in the oldest surviving brick schoolhouse in Minnesota,
the Wabasha County Historical Society Museum is loaded with artifacts and history.

The Schoolhouse

Built in 1870 for $8,200, no expense was spared in the Italianate details and the three-layer brick walls of the fifty by fifty foot two-story building.

Examine the initials carved in the hallways by the hundreds of students who attended the school. Step on the well-worn treads once climbed by students as they rushed to their classes.

The Agriculture

The museum includes a barn loaded with old machinery, telling the agricultural story of Wabasha County.

The Town

Founded by Charles Read in a location just below where the Chippewa River enters the mighty Mississippi, Reads Landing was the ideal landing spot for thousands of lumber rafts loaded with timber and a popular gathering place each spring as steamboats waited for the ice to leave Lake Pepin, signaling another busy season of water navigation.

Once one of the largest Minnesota communities on the Mississippi River, Reads Landing was home to 17 hotels, 21 saloons, and 15 mercantile stores.

Today, Reads Landing is loaded with history and is the home of the Wabasha County Historical Society Museum.

Make our museum a part of your Mississippi travel adventure!

Area Map & Directions

Reads Landing is conveniently located on scenic Highway 61 between Lake City and Wabasha.

After entering Reads Landing, go up the hill one block to experience Minnesota’s oldest brick schoolhouse and the Wabasha County Historical Society Museum.

Support the Museum — Become a Member!

To become a member of the Wabasha County Historical Society, download our
printable brochure and complete the included application. We appreciate your support!