In 1939, Fred Lawshe formed the Dakota County Historical Society to preserve, interpret and promote the history of Dakota County. To accomplish this mission, Fred teamed with other individuals and groups to begin the process of collecting, interpreting and publishing the history of the County. Fred and the other members accumulated over 3,000 primary source materials between 1939 and 1971.

The first meeting of the 'historically minded' Dakota County Historical and Archaeological Society was held in the South St. Paul Public Library in April 1939. The original purpose of the Society was to "establish a link with the past by preserving the relics, written records, and other material of those historic days of long ago for future generations."