About the Society
The Nobles County Historical Society (NCHS) was the outgrowth of an Old Settlers Picnic that took place Sept. 10, 1933, in the Chautauqua Pavilion in Worthington. Plans were soon underway to preserve and display articles and papers of historic interest and value. Space was granted in the courthouse to store and display a few small artifacts. Others were stored in various places throughout the county awaiting a permanent location.
The collection of artifacts was moved around from various locations until 1962 when a museum was established in the lower level of the Nobles County Library. The Library was remodeled in the 1996 and the museum space was reduced by 40 percent. The collection of artifacts continued to grow, however, and NCHS had no room left to exhibit any of the artifacts or offer programming to area residents.
Over the past two years, NCHS has been renovating the historic 100-year-old Worthington Armory building into a new Nobles County History Center, located at 225 Ninth St., Worthington. The Armory has been restored to its former glory with respectful updates for a modern time. There is still some work to be done, but NCHS was able to move its offices into the new space in late 2021.
How to find us:
The new Nobles County History Center in the Historic Worthington Armory is located in downtown Worthington, close to Worthington City Hall and Nobles County Administration Building. We welcome visitors and people doing family research and also people looking for historical information.
Our office and museum are generally open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, although due to limited staffing and ongoing renovations, we ask visitors to call first: 507-295-5397.
