The Freeborn County Historical Museum is a wealth of information.

Whether you’re finding out that information by walking through the exhibits there, dropping into the library on the main level, checking out the historical village or taking part in some of the programming offered, the museum is a treasure with an abundance of valuable pieces of the area’s history.

This week the museum has hosted fifth graders who are learning from 11th graders at Albert Lea High School about what life would have been like in the mid-1800s to early 1900s as part of the annual Discover History Days.

The high school students research various aspects of history in preparation for the event, such as occupations, immigration, transportation, hometown entertainment, church and other parts of life during that time period. They present their knowledge to the fifth graders who travel to different stations throughout the day.

The effort has been happening for over 20 years.

We applaud this ongoing initiative that is a benefit to both grades of students and helps give students a hands-on look at history.

If you’ve never been inside the museum or haven’t been there in a while, we encourage you to check it out. It is a trusted source of information and houses many valuable pieces of history for this community, including our own newspaper’s archives.