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North St. Paul Historical Society reports building repairs, archives digitization and a 2026 time capsule opening
Summary
The North St. Paul Historical Society told the City Council on April 1 it has inventoried and digitized archives, completed building and security upgrades, and is coordinating with the city and local groups to open a large time capsule in 2026.
The North St. Paul Historical Society told the North St. Paul City Council on April 1 that volunteers and a recent estate gift have allowed the group to clear storage, digitize historical materials and make building repairs.
The update, delivered by Elaine Eckstead, vice president of the North St. Paul Historical Society, detailed outreach to the city, new digital storage and equipment upgrades that the society says make archives accessible and improve building safety. "We developed a memorandum with the city," Eckstead said, describing a formalized working relationship. The society also moved its paper archives into a Google Drive for nonprofits and backed them up on an external hard drive.
The memo and digitization work followed a large estate gift from the Lucy Lowe estate, Eckstead said. That gift, combined with volunteer work, allowed the society to buy shelving, replace office furniture and install tech upgrades including televisions and a printer-copier. Eckstead said the society owns its building and that organization filings were updated because of donation and property thresholds: one year the group filed as a charitable organization after receiving more than $25,000 in donations, and this year it filed as a charitable trust after the group’s property was valued at about $500,000.
Volunteers also cleared and cleaned storage areas in the society’s building and restored exterior features such as new flags, benches and a repaired little library. Eckstead said the society had no Internet access until recently when a local provider extended service, and that a previously unconnected fire alarm and monitoring system was brought online.
Among items the society highlighted was a large time capsule buried in 1978 that is scheduled to be opened in 2026; the society said it is coordinating with the city and with the scouting museum because the capsule is planted in front of the scouting museum. The society also recovered and republished its centennial history book (a spiral-bound updated edition from 2012) and said it is offering copies for a $25 donation.
Mayor Mange and council members thanked the presenters and asked logistical questions about sales and visitation. Eckstead said the society is open Fridays, 1–4 p.m., and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
The presentation did not produce a council vote; it was informational. The society indicated it will continue coordinating with city staff about the time capsule and public events next year.
