Historic Research Resources 

These resources provide links to organizations nationally, statewide, and locally working to preserve history and are useful for conducting research on historical properties.

National resources

National Park Service (NPS)

The NPS partners with State, Territorial, Tribal, and Federal Historic Preservation Officers to identify, nominate, and list properties in the National Register of Historic Places, the list of places of local, state, tribal, and national significance that Americans believe are worthy of preservation.

Their website offers many resources including:

• The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties
• National Register of Historic Places
• Historic Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places
• Tax Incentives for Preserving Historic Properties
• Preservation Briefs

National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization that works to save America's historic sites, tell the full American story, build stronger communities, and invest in preservation's future.

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation promotes the preservation, enhancement, and sustainable use of our nation’s diverse historic resources, and advises the President and the Congress on national historic preservation policy.

State resources

Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society preserves and protects the objects, documents, places, and buildings that make Minnesota home. Their website offers many resources including grant information, a directory of preservation specialists, educational opportunities and more.

Guide to House and Building Research

Each building has a story. The Minnesota Historical Society Library's website provides tips and resources that can help you discover the stories behind the people, architecture, and events that make up the history of a historical property.

Minnesota History Center

The Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul is an award winning history museum about all things Minnesota.

Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)

The Minnesota SHPO leads statewide historical preservation efforts and supports local initiatives. Their website provides many resources that can help guide communities in their preservation efforts.

Rethos

Rethos (formerly the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works for the use of old buildings and sites. Their website offers resources such as education classes and Historic Rehab loans.

Local resources

Rice County Historical Society

The mission of the Rice County Historical Society is for the discovery, preservation and dissemination of the knowledge of the history of Rice County and the State of Minnesota. They offer education, outreach, historical displays, and more.

Northfield Historical Society

The mission of the Northfield Historical Society (NHS) is to connect individuals to the history of the Northfield area by collecting, preserving, and sharing its unique stories. The NHS staff can assist with research.

Northfield-Rice County Digital History Collection

The Northfield–Rice County Digital History Collection (DHC) preserves and makes accessible digital versions of records of the history of Northfield and the wider Rice County area. Their website has many historic images of Northfield's buildings.

Carleton College Library

Northfield Library

St. Olaf College Library

Northfield: The History and Architecture of a Community, 1999 Available at the Northfield Historic Society, Carleton College bookstore, and St. Olaf College bookstore