Step Into History At The New Cabinet Of Curiosities

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A new exhibit has opened this week at the Stearns History Museum, marking a nod to the 250th anniversary of the United States.

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The "Cabinet of Curiosities" exhibit takes us back to the early days of the country.

The concept is that you are someone who is wealthy, you can afford to gather objects from around the world, and you would display them in these fancy cabinets and call them Cabinets of Curiosities, and invite people into your home to see these objects.

Museum Executive Director Amy Degerstrom says people like Ben Franklin wanted to make these objects more accessible to the general public, so he helped open the first public museum in the United States in Philadelphia in the 1780s, which focused on natural history.

This exhibit is our nod to that first public museum and how museums started collecting things, and why did they collect them, and how did that way of thinking impact the way that even the Stearns History Museum collected things over the years.

The Cabinet of Curiosities exhibit at the Stearns History Museum includes their miniature circus and the two-headed pig, among many other items.

It has replaced the 1980s exhibit and will be available to see into early next year.

The sign exhibit is still available, and an archive exhibit will open next week in the mezzanine.

Read More: New Exhibit At Stearns History Museum Highlights Nostalgic Signs |

The Stearns History Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is free to all Stearns County residents.