Established in 1940, the Carver County Historical Society is a private, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Carver County. Located across from Bayview Elementary School in Waconia, the Historical Society's museum was expanded in 1998 to better serve the public. The museum houses five local history gallery, a veterans' collection gallery and a local history and genealogy library. There is no charge to visit the museum or library. The library contains records and materials dealing with Carver County including census materials, naturalization records, local newspapers, maps, photographs and local history books. The library is fully staffed to help answer questions.