Celebrating a Century: F. Scott Fitzgerald Collection at the Minnesota History Center

ST. PAUL, Minn (March 19, 2025) – One-hundred years after the Roaring Twenties graced the pages of The Great Gatsby, a glimpse into the early life and influences of its author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, will go on view at the Minnesota History Center. 

The display, titled That’s My Middle West: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s St. Paul, will run from March 20 through May 31 at the Gale Family Library, on the second floor of the History Center, which is free and open to the public. More than 50 items from the Minnesota Historical Society’s Collections, including books, letters, photographs, newspapers, and government documents, will provide insight into Fitzgerald’s time in St. Paul. 

Items on display include:

• An inscribed copy of The Farewell Address of George Washington, a textbook used by a teenage F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• A copy of Fitzgerald’s debut novel, This Side of Paradise signed by the author and inscribed to the Minnesota Historical Society.
• The St. Paul Daily Dirge, a parody newspaper created by F. Scott Fitzgerald to hand out at a party held in St. Paul in 1922.

Visitors are welcome to visit Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 am–4 pm, starting March 20th, as part of the Friends of the St. Paul Library’s “Gatsby at 100,” a series of events in 2025 revisiting the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby. 

The History Center will also host a live reading of The Great Gatsby on April 10, 100 years to the day after the novel was published.

Photos provided are courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. Permission to use the images is granted in connection to this display; any other uses require additional permissions from MNHS.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs, and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories, and connects people with history.

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