2010 Grassroots Grant Site Visits

Grant site visits are one of the high points of our work in preservation. It's great to visit with local preservationists and hear about their successes (and yes, their struggles, too) and to discuss the future of our prairie places.

On a trip through western North Dakota a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to stop in at Trinity Heupel Lutheran Church near New Leipzig, ND. Luella Baesler has deep family connections to this church and has been active in its preservation for several years. She was instrumental in successfully placing the church on the National Register of Historic Places and has written several successful grant applications to assist with restoration, including an $1100 grant from PND in 2010 to assist with interior repairs and painting.

Here's a few photos from my trip to New Leipzig. Congrats on a job well done!

Luella & Kelsey in front of the church.

Interior of Trinity Heupel Lutheran Church.

Luella showing repairs completed in the narthex.

Back to School with the Country Schools of North Dakota Survey (Part 2)

By Jen Wilkie - Director, PND

I've been blogging and promoting the latest survey project being conducted under the direction of the State Historical Society of North Dakota because we really need people to come out in support of this work for it to be successful. If you haven't already, check out the SHSND website for more information about how to volunteer for this exciting project!

This is Part 2 in the series about surveying schools in Traill County, so if you're just joining me, you may also want to read Part 1.

Our second trip took us across the central and northern townships in Traill County, as well as revisiting a southern township to document a school we had missed. Here's a photo tour of our site visits:



Kelso #1 has been moved a short distance from it's original site and converted into a home. The owner, a former school teacher herself, has photos and other school ephemera in the entryway to commemorate its life as a school.



Bloomfield #3 has been moved onto private property and re-purposed as (what appears to be) a storage shed of some kind.

We believe this former school is Buxton #2, and as you can see, it has been moved onto private property and is currently used as a garage.

Hillsboro #4 is on its original site and appears to be in fair condition. The back of the school is charred from fire and some modifications were made as the school had been converted to a home before being vacated.

Wold #3 is still in its original location and is in good condition as well. With its gable roof and lack of significant architectural detail, we believe this may be one of the older schools in the county. It would have been nice to go inside, but a rather large nest of crabby wasps above the door didn't care to let us in!



Kelso #3 is still in its original location. This school was used for migrant laborers after it closed, and, unfortunately, the interior has been infested with various wild animals. Check back for more info as we finish the survey forms and add more info about Traill County country schools...



2009-2010 Grassroots Grant Site Visits

A few weeks ago I headed out one extremely rainy September morning to conduct site visits for several of our 2009-2010 Grassroots Grant projects. My route took me close to a few past projects and some new areas, so I stopped in on them as well. It was wonderful to see the current projects and talk with the local champions who did the heavy lifting - it's always inspiring! But, after 14 hours and 593 miles (round-trip!), I was happy to be home again.

Manfred, ND
If you've never been to the small town of Manfred, ND, you should really make it a point to go. It's located along ND Highway 52 between Fessenden and Harvey. When you first pull in, head to what's known locally as the Melby-Rogness House, which is the headquarters of Manfred's museum complex. Several nonprofits have incorporated under PND's Local Affiliate Program to save various architectural gems and dedicate them into the museum complex. It truly is an authentic settler's village.

Rural Vestige Alliance, one of Manfred's four nonprofits, received a $2500 2009 Prairie Places Grassroots Grant from PND to assist with roof repair and new shingles for the Manfred School and Solheim House.

Manfred School

Solheim House

Melby Heritage Alliance, another member of PND's Local Affiliate Program, is currently working on the preservation of Hotel Johnson in Manfred. The hotel was built in 1906 and originally had a two-level board walk running the length of the building. Over time, the building has settled, so installing a more modest one-level boardwalk was the only feasible way to reconstruct this important element of the hotel. Accessibility was also taken into consideration, so a ramp was included on the south end of the boardwalk. Eventually, the hotel's windows will be restored and the first floor windows will feature shadow boxes with interpretive displays.

Hotel Johnson's boardwalk - Manfred

Hotel Johnson - Manfred

While in Manfred, I learned that both grain elevators in town are currently threatened. The eastern most elevator is slated for demolition this fall. The western elevator is for sale, and while everyone is hoping for the best, it too will likely be lost in the near future. Manfred's landscape will be forever changed.

East Elevator - Manfred

West Elevator - Manfred

Egeland, ND

Egeland is a small town in Towner County. Egeland Presbyterian Church closed in 2006 and is now home to the Towner County Historical Society. The church is often used for weddings, special services, and community events, as well as housing TCHS's collections. The steeple received repair and new shingles assisted by a $2,000 Prairie Churches Grassroots Grant from Preservation North Dakota.

For Fun...

Here's some photos I took along the way.

Gazebo - Wells County Fair Grounds The Wells County Fair Grounds was built as a WPA project and is listed on the National Register. The fair board is planning to preserve the gazebo.

Viking Lutheran Church - rural Maddock, ND Viking Lutheran Church received a $3000 Prairie Churches Grassroots Grant from PND in 2004 to assist with repair & repainting, including the steeple. Viking Lutheran is one of the most elaborate wood frame churches in the state.



North Trinity Lutheran Church - near Nash, ND North Trinity was built in 1893 and is listed on the National Register. In 2006, they received a $7,000 Prairie Churches Grant from Preservation North Dakota to assist with steeple repair, repainting, and new shingles. The church is best known for a long-standing Christmas Eve tradition of rining the bells; parishoners call family members who have moved away on their cell phones so they can hear the bells tolling.



West Side Drive In - Grafton Once popular, drive ins are quickly disappearing from our cities and towns. More research is needed, but I thought this Grafton drive in was charming!

Twin Strand Theatre - Grafton This was my first trip through Grafton, and I was truly impressed with the town. Movie theatres have been the topic of much discussion lately, and so I've added this one to our photo collection.

Back to School with the Country Schools of North Dakota Survey (Part 1)

By Jen Wilkie, Director, PND
In 2009, the State Historical Society of North Dakota announced a new cultural resources survey documenting country school buildings across the state. The key to conducting a successful survey, of course, lies in the willingness of volunteers to pick up their cameras and tape measures and record these structures. Thanks to the hard work of several volunteers, nearly 100 schools have been surveyed to date and are listed on SHSND's website: http://www.history.nd.gov/hp/recordedschools.html.

This summer, PND member Marilu P. and I have been recording schools in Traill County. Of the approximately 80 country schools built in the county, we have documented only 10 standing structures, 5 of which are in their original location. One schoolhouse has been moved to Hillsboro and restored to interpret the history of education in Traill County. The other 4 structures have not only been moved, but also repurposed as farm buildings, garages, and homes.

Our first trip out into the county was on a beautiful Saturday in June. Armed with a few county atlases and Marilu's research notes, we headed out to the southern townships in search of the elusive country school. We only documented two schools that day, although we did find one that we were sure had been moved only a short distance and converted into a garage. The property, however, was clearly marked "No Trespassing," so we didn't get a very good look.

Here's a quick photo tour of our first day on the job:

While scouting out a possible school site, Marilu spotted these buildings through the trees. We were ready for adventure, so we trekked into the tree strip to make sure our school hadn't been moved; it wasn't there, but we found this abandoned farmstead.

We surveyed this country school, still in its original location in Roseville township. The landowner's daughter saw us on her way to work and stopped to apologize for not having the grounds mowed.

The remains of a double grain elevator sit in a field across from the school in Roseville township.

This darling school with a hipped roof and brass ridgepole is in Norway township. There are a few broken windows, but the grounds are kept up and the building seems to be in good condition. We were able to go inside the school in Norway township! Notice the original light fixtures and washstand in the corner; there was a small mirror and cabinet hanging above the sink and a hand pump to the left. It is likely that students sat on the benches for class. Once the school closed, it served as the township hall. On the left standing against the chalkboard are the township's voting booths and the doorway on the right leads into a small room with a large metal case containing what we believe are township records. This is the school in Norway township as view from the south; across the road is Norway Lutheran Church, and to the north of the school is the church cemetery. Check back here for part 2 of our adventures in Traill County...

Welcome to Prairie Places

Welcome to Prairie Places, the official blog of Preservation North Dakota.

PND is the statewide nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating the architecture, historic places, and communities of North Dakota. We have a variety of programs designed to help local groups preserve prairie places - most notably the Grassroots Grant Program which provides historic preservation funds to qualifying projects, and the Local Affiliate Program which helps local groups organize and become legal entities to fund raise, own property, and begin a preservation project.

Another element central to our mission is our current demonstration project - the Hutmacher Farm in Dunn County. The Hutmacher Farm site includes the farmhouse and several outbuildings built by a second-generation German-Russian family in the 1920s using traditional ethnic building methods and materials (mainly stone, clay, and timber). At the Hutmacher Farm, we engage in hands-on preservation and education. It's gloriously dirty and fun!

In this blog, we will explore preservation issues from across North Dakota, share ideas and best practices, and find solutions to help us all preserve prairie places.