Mill City Museum in Minneapolis again nominated as one of nation's best museums
MINNEAPOLIS — A historic museum in downtown Minneapolis is in the running for a national honor for the second year in a row.
On Tuesday, the Mill City Museum announced that it is among 20 nominees for USA Today's 10Best Rearders' Choice travel award for the category of best history museum.
Last year, Mill City Museum won fourth place in the same contest.
"We are doubly honored to receive this nomination as we celebrate 20 years of welcoming visitors to Mill City Museum," Mill City Museum Site Manager David Stevens said in a release. "We are so grateful for all the support received from Minnesotans last year. This recognition of the great work our staff does to tell the rich history of Minneapolis is tremendous."
The museum is asking for the public's support in voting in the online contest. You can vote once per day. The contest ends on Feb. 12.
The museum itself is a piece of history, located in the ruins of the Washburn A Mill on the banks of the Mississippi next to St. Anthony Falls.
From 1880 to 1930, Minneapolis was the flour milling capital of the world. But that story — and the building that currently houses it — was almost lost.
"The mill shut down in 1965 and it sat mostly empty for the years after that. In the winter of 1991, the mill was destroyed — or nearly destroyed — by a massive fire," Stevens told WCCO after last year's nomination. "Could have been the end of the building, but civic leaders and the head of the historical society decided to save what was left of the mill, preserve it as a ruin, then create a new museum within the shell of the old."
Today, visitors of all ages can learn about the history of flour, food production and Minneapolis.
NOTE: The featured video is from last year's nomination.