Holiday Guide: Hank Sampson Heritage Series CD Release is Dec. 15

The Washington County Historical Society is releasing the “Voice of the St. Croix Valley” Hank Sampson’s Heritage Series on CD Dec. 15 at the Warden’s House Museum.

Sampson produced segments on the Stillwater radio station WAVN known as the “Heritage Series.” The first episode hit the airwaves in 1966 and the last was in 1982.

“The series is one reason I was so interested in local history,” Brent Peterson, the executive director of the WCHS said. “Hank brought history back to life with his stories of days gone by – the whole family would listen to it on Sunday afternoons. Hank is surely missed but his legacy lives on in the Heritage Series that he made famous.”

Sampson was a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Sampson’s widow, Eloise, will be on hand to tell how Hank researched, wrote and performed these incredible radio programs.

Wondering what to buy the history buff on your Christmas list?

The Washington County Historical Society will also have a massive sale on locally published books. Authors at the event include Bob and Nancy Goodman, Brent Peterson and David Fabrio.

Books Available for Purchase Include: 

• The Last Rafter: David Bronson and the St. Croix Lumber Industry
• A History of Washington County: Gateway to Minnesota History
• Reflections of Forest Lake by Elsie Vogel
• Scandia: Then and Now by Anna Engquist
• Stillwater: The Next Generation
• Pioneers of the Big Lake Community by Dick Johnson & Paul Wahlquist
• Woodbury: A Past to Remember
• Afton Remembered by Ed Robb
• Convict Life at the Minnesota State Prison
• Joseph R. Brown: Adventurer on the Minnesota Frontier
• Paddlewheels on the St. Croix
• The Story of Cole Younger by Himself
• Hard Time: Voices from a State Prison
• Wind, Waves & Waggles – Story of 100 years of Golf a the White Bear Lake Yacht Club by Dr. Mark Mammel
• Ghost Stories of Minnesota!

When: Saturday, Dec. 15 from 1-5 p.m.

Sights: The Warden’s House Museum will be decorated for the holiday

Sounds: Listen to the sounds of the season as Mary Taylor Allen and her string instrument students will be on hand to provide musical entertainment. A Stillwater High School quintet will also be playing.

Eats: Festive treats will be on hand.

For individuals who cannot attend the Holiday Book Signing, the books are available year-round at the Warden's House Museum in Stillwater or by mail. Mary Taylor Allen and her string instrument students will be on hand to provide musical entertainment. A Stillwater Area High School quintet will also be playing at the event.

Visit www.wchsmn.org/store for more information.