We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring into the present much of our past, and we want to take advantage of this opportunity. The results will stay in the community, available to all at a future heritage-legacy center, possibly the Ford site or at a re-purposed Pool House. Residents will have the satisfaction of seeing their contributions recognized and accessible, and knowing that valuable history has been preserved. Future residents will be able to explore and learn how neighborhoods, commercial areas, and institutions were formed and who were the contributors to the design and character of Highland.
History is being made now in Highland. There is no better way to grasp that history than to look back and look around. The history project will provide raw research that will lead to a written record. This project will be the formal start of an enduring contribution not only to Highland but to Minnesota and the nation as the site of a well-known car and truck factory and its grounds is transformed into a 21st century sustainable, innovation and welcoming urban village within a village.
One of the several intentions behind this research endeavor and book is to give residents the opportunity to appreciate the heritage of where they live and to understand better the character of Highland. This is especially important with the projected influx of several thousand new residents who will thus have an appropriate way to connect with Highland history as they become contributors to it. Themes such as interfaith cooperation in a community are relevant on all levels given the tense and often toxic current national environment.
For more information on the goals of the projects please visit this page of our website.