The town of Northfield, MN, is the place of a failed bank robbery by the infamous Jesse James and Younger gang in 1876. There is an annual re-enactment in the town every September.
The historical society maintains the former First National Bank building and there is a admission charge to tour the museum. The museum is small, but you get to step into history where the bank robbery took place. The actual safe, bank ledger used that day, gun used to kill one of the robbers, and other significant items are displayed. There is an informative video to watch that explains the timeline and why the gang decided this bank would be a big score. Spoiler alert: they were wrong! The photos from that era are very interesting to see. Everything is explained clearly.
After walking through the bank, one comes to section filled with memorabilia and displays of the town's industry of making a cereal called Malt-o- Meal. I had totally forgotten about this cereal from my childhood.
The town of Northfield is lovely with a lot of the buildings maintained with a nod to the 19th century. There are shops and boutiques to browse.
The only downside was the gentleman at the museum wasn't that friendly and he was abrupt answering questions. He was more interested in pricing the souvenir T-shirts for sale. It was only after I read some other reviews that I learned there was a guided tour available, but this man failed to tell us about it. read more