Discover Your Personal Past
At the Bailey Lewer Research Library
Geneology - Records - Newspapers - Obituaries - Grave Search -
Geneology - Records - Newspapers - Obituaries - Grave Search -
We are delighted to assist you with your research needs!
Research help is by appointment only. To book a time for research with our staff, please contact us via email at research@historical.waseca.mn.us
If you’re coming from out of town, please call ahead as hours may change due to programs and offsite visits or events.
Research Center Hours: Tues and Fri: 9:00-12:00, 1:00-5:00
Fees:
Members of WCHS can research for free with an appointment.
Non-members are charged a $5.00 Daily Research Fee.
If you would like a WCHS staff person to conduct a General Search there is a research fee of $10 per hour ($30 minimum, prepaid).
Once the home of an accused horse thief, now it’s the home of geneological research.
The Bailey House is one of Waseca's oldest homes, built in 1868, as Waseca County was being settled. Originally built by Dayton Smith, an accused horse thief, it was acquired in 1872, by P.C. Bailey, a hardware merchant, county official and director of the first committee to build a school in Waseca. P.C. Bailey died in 1907, and the house was purchased by the E.W. Lewer family who owned it until 1991.
In that year the Waseca County Historical Society acquired the house along with a generous donation from the Lewer family. The house was placed on the National Historic Register in 1994. In 1997, a $30,000 grant was secured from the Minnesota Historical Society Grants program and matched by public funds and volunteer labor.