Prairie Places Blog

Historic Hillsboro Landmark Achieves Preservation Goal

Preservation North Dakota — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:01:30 +0000

Union Block, 2010 Photo Courtesy John TosoA commercial building at the heart of downtown Hillsboro, ND has a new lease on life after completion of a multi-year rehabilitation. The two story brick building, constructed in 1891 as part of Union Block, had fallen into disrepair in recent years. In 2006, the Hillsboro community spoke out strongly for preservation of this downtown landmark. To this end, a group of volunteers formed Hillsboro Community Partnership (HCP), a nonprofit affiliate of Preservation North Dakota. With tremendous community support, HCP directed a series of repair and stabilization phases.

Steps required in the process included rebuilding the back wall, new roofing, interior joist replacement for the floor, ceiling and roof as well as exterior brick tuck pointing of the elegant storefront architecture. In 2011, energy efficient, historically replicated second story windows were installed to complete the final phase of the Union Block Project for this building.

Known locally as “the former Johnson Store”, for the department store located there from the 1940s through the 1980s, this L-shaped commerce center now has new owners. Amanda and Joe Johnson of Hillsboro will operate Our Town Bakery from this location when their renovations are completed.

Hillsboro Community Partnership will be hosting a walk-through open house at the 3 North Main St. property on Saturday afternoon, February 11, from 2-4 pm. Everyone interested in seeing what’s been accomplished by this community effort is welcome. Free refreshments will include Our Town Bakery goods and will be served at 5 North Main St. where HCP’s rehab work continues.

Announcement: PND releases new book about Prairie Churches

Preservation North Dakota — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:58:07 +0000

Preservation North Dakota announces the publication of Prairie Churches, a new book documenting ten years of church preservation in North Dakota. The old churches on the plains and prairies create a cultural landscape like no other; their steeples rise above the horizon as testaments to faith and community. In 2001 the prairie churches of North Dakota captured the heart of the nation, marking the shift from Most Endangered to the salvation of Save America's Treasures. Preservation North Dakota and its partners invested in the people and places and prairie churches that make North Dakota unique. Prairie Churches is the celebration of all that has been accomplished in the first decade of the new millennium. Written by Lauren Hardmeyer Donovan, the book consists of twenty-six essays recording successful volunteer efforts to save prairie churches with funding from the Grassroots Grant Program at Preservation North Dakota. The book also features a foreword and epilogue by Thomas D. Isern and photographs by John Toso.

Preservation North Dakota is taking advance orders on its website or by phone at (701) 356-3001; advance orders will be fulfilled in early January 2012. Prairie Churches will also be available on Amazon.com and at local independent booksellers in North Dakota.

Praise for Prairie Churches:

“Prairie Churches… renews our admiration for the faith of our ancestors and reinforces the connection between faith and farming.” — Al Gustin, broadcast journalist and rancher

“Dramatic strokes upon the prairie landscape, the churches of the first settlers continue paying tribute to their founders’ heritage, their faith, their God. Although many of these country edifices have disappeared, the survivors still honor the convictions of the pioneers.

This volume singles out and salutes those houses of worship—powerful monuments to the individual homesteaders and immigrants who determined that a spiritual life was an elementary part of their precarious existence. The enduring survival of these structures is a reminder of the central role that religious belief has played in both the private and the community life of the American countryside.” —Kevin Carvell, noted critic, collector, and connoisseur of North Dakota books

2011 Grassroots Grant Recipients

Preservation North Dakota — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:13:00 +0000

The Grassroots Grant Program has been providing funding for historic preservation projects in North Dakota since 2001. Grants generally range from $500 to $5,000, with a total of $18,000 dedicated to the 2011 grant round.

This was another highly competitive grant round. We had over $31,000 in requests, and, after much deliberation, the committee selected eight projects that best demonstrated need and a good overall plan to preserve their prairie places.

Grant applications are made in two categories: Prairie Churches – dedicated to helping historic church buildings, whether or not they currently serve religious purposes, to preserve their unique character; and Prairie Places – open to helping any other kind of structure or place in need of preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation.

We awarded three Prairie Churches grants:

Emmaus Congregational United Church of Christ – Carson, Grant County

Emmaus Congregational UCC received $1,000 to assist with exterior painting. Built in 1912, the church was moved into Carson in 1916. Featuring pointed arch windows and a steeple more reminiscent of a castle than a church, Emmaus is a unique community landmark.

St. Andrew’s Preservation Committee – Zeeland Vicinity, McIntosh County

St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church was built in 1906 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Andrew’s received a $1,725 grant to assist with roof repairs.

A beautiful Colonial Revival church, St. Andrew’s is locally known as “The Beacon on the Prairie.” The church has an active community, including the St. Andrew’s Preservation Committee, which organized for the explicit purpose of providing direction for ongoing preservation, and it has been featured on several tours celebrating the area’s German-Russian culture. You can follow St. Andrew's Preservation Committee on Facebook!

Vang Lutheran Church – Manfred, Wells County

Vang Lutheran Church was built in 1906 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Members received a $3,600 to assist with major roof repairs.

In addition to hosting regular services, Vang Lutheran Church is a contributing property to the Manfred Heritage Museum, hosting exhibit space and community gatherings. For more information about the community of Manfred, visit www.manfrednd.org.

We also awarded five Prairie Places grants:

Hillsboro Community Partnership – Hillsboro, Traill County

Hillsboro Community Partnership is currently in the middle of a multi-phase rehabilitation of the southern half of Union Block, a turn-of-the-century brick commercial building in downtown Hillsboro. Union Block is a significant community landmark, with beautiful storefronts on Main Street and Caledonia Avenue.

After completing major roof repairs, rebuilding the back wall, and turning a caved-in basement into a functional crawl space, HCP has moved on to restoring the fifteen second story windows, of which only two or three are intact. A $4,700 grant from PND is assisting with window restoration.

Johnson-Ostrem Preservation Fund – Manfred, Wells County

Members of Johnson-Ostrem Preservation Fund are restoring the Johnson-Jacobson-Ostrem House in Manfred, ND. Built in 1905, it was home to several prominent local leaders. Upon completion of restoration, the house will be accessioned into the Manfred Heritage Museum and will be used to interpret aspects of local history. Learn more about Manfred by visiting www.manfrednd.org.

A $1,450 grant from PND is assisting with interior repairs and restoration of plaster and lath.

Mayville Campus Preservation Society – Mayville, Traill County

MCPS is currently undertaking a multi-phase rehabilitation of Northwest Hall on the campus of Mayville State University. A former dormitory – among other uses – Northwest Hall will be home to MSU’s Alumni Center.

A $1,050 grant from PND is assisting with the restoration of the copper roof on the west portico.

OPERA, Inc. – Ellendale, Dickey County

OPERA – Organization of People in Ellendale for Restoration of the Arts – is a local non-profit that owns the Ellendale Opera House. Built in 1908, the Ellendale Opera House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts several arts and cultural events each year. Visit www.ellendalend.com and select “Historical Attractions” to learn more.

OPERA was awarded a $2,750 grant from PND to assist with exterior stucco repair.

Wimbledon Community Museum – Wimbledon, Barnes County

The Wimbledon Community Museum is restoring the historic Midland Continental Depot in Wimbledon, ND.

The depot was built in 1903 as a stop for the Midland Continental Railroad, which was intended to be a north-south transcontinental railroad linking grain markets in Winnepeg, Manitoba with sea ports in Galveston, Texas. However, the sixty-seven mile shortline railroad connecting Edgeley, Jamestown, and Wimbledon was as far as it was ever built.

The depot in Wimbledon is the last reminder of this grand, but ultimately unsuccessful plan. It also has connections to Norma Egstrom, a woman more famously known as Peggy Lee, who lived in the depot with her father from 1934 to 1937 while he served as the depot agent.

Wimbledon Community Museum was awarded a $1,725 grant from PND to assist with reconstruction of the boardwalk and exterior painting to return the depot to its original paint colors (cream and green).

If you are interested in applying to the Grassroots Grant Program, check out our website for more information: www.prairieplaces.org. Applications have a postmark date of May 15th each year.

The Grassroots Grant Program is funded by individual donations and corporate gifts; to make a donation to the Grassroots Grant Fund at Preservation North Dakota, contact us at (701) 356-3001 or info@prairieplaces.org, or donate online at www.prairieplaces.org.

Volunteer at Green School

Preservation North Dakota — Tue, 24 May 2011 20:54:00 +0000

Members of Green School Community Center are looking for volunteers to help document playground equipment and to complete an inventory of school records and ephemera. The work day will be held Saturday, June 4, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. GSCC will provide work gloves and masks; volunteers are asked to dress appropriately for the weather, as the school is not air conditioned. A wash station and port-a-potty will be available. GSCC members will serve lunch and provide water throughout the day.

Green School Work Day
Saturday, June 4, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Green Consolidated School
11108 39th St SE - Valley City
From Valley City: Take I-29 west to ND Highway 1 (south) exit; travel south on ND Highway 1 4 miles; take gravel road west 2 miles to school
For more information: Jennifer Pickard, GSCC President - greenschool@live.com

About Green School Community Center
GSCC is a 501(c)3 organization and member of PND's Local Affiliate Program. GSCC's mission is to preserve the historic Green School and what it meant to the rural community, and to continue to use it as a community gathering place.

Green Consolidated School was built in 1916, mainly educating children in grades 1-8 until it closed in 1974.

1916 Green Consolidated School - rural Barnes County

Classroom - Green Consolidated School

Merry-Go-Round at Green School

Swing Set & Teeter-Totter at Green School

"Many Hands Make Light Work" - Work Day at Manfred a Huge Success

Preservation North Dakota — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:20:00 +0000

On Saturday, May 7th, volunteers from across the state met in the tiny village of Manfred, ND (approximately 80 miles SE of Minot on ND Highway 52) for the first widely-publicized volunteer work day to clean out the 1910 Manfred School and 1899 Solheim House.

With the help of twenty-five volunteers, members of Rural Vestige Alliance (a PND Affiliate) accomplished this enormous task in just under seven hours. Both the school and neighboring house had been used as storage and eventually were abandoned with mounds of "stuff" inside, but this did not discourage RVA members who knew that with a little help, these places could be cleaned out and restored to be one day used again.

1899 Solheim House & 1910 Manfred School

Second floor classroom - before

Second floor classroom - after

Burnable garbage - out the window, into a sturdy farm truck, and headed to the burn pile

The other second floor classroom - before

The other second floor classroom - cleaning up nicely! The football helmets were saved...

In other Manfred news...

The east grain elevator has finally given up the ghost, so to speak. It was demolished shortly before the work day. What a huge change to the landscape...

East grain elevator - Fall 2010

Remains of east grain elevator - Spring 2011

2011 Most Endangered Places List

Preservation North Dakota — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:38:00 +0000

Country Schools – Traill County

Country schools of Traill County, in various forms, were in use from Dakota Territory days through the 1960s. Countless children attended these rural community schools in days gone by but changing times now put many school buildings in danger of being lost from the landscape. Sadly, the numbers of schools, in Traill County alone, have dwindled from about seventy structures noted in the 1927 atlas to only five schoolhouses in their original locations today. Each of the five schools has unique building features and conditions range from poor to good.

These schools were surveyed as part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota project to document potentially historic school buildings in the state. They are nominated as “Most Endangered” as examples for a statewide listing of rural schoolhouses, to call attention to the likelihood that many may vanish in the near future. It is hoped that recognition of their plight might spur interest in saving these irreplaceable prairie places.

Roseville #1

McLean County Courthouse

In 1908, McLean County constructed a portion of the Romanesque courthouse designed for them by the Hancock Brothers. This original portion was two floors above a full basement, made of brick and sandstone on a cut-stone base. T.F. Powers built this portion of the courthouse. Nine years later, Andrew Person got the job of building the first addition to the building. The 1917 addition on the east end was built from the original plans by the Hancock Brothers and blends nicely with original portion by using the same materials. The modern addition in 1966 departed from the idea of trying to blend with the existing style.

When the courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, it was one of 46 historic courthouses in North Dakota. A few of these courthouses have been demolished or their government use discontinued.

The idea of a new courthouse in McLean County is not a new one. Ten years ago the county commissioners were moving forward with a plan to build a new courthouse and demolish the old one. Numerous citizens were upset and asked the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND) to invoke North Dakota Century Code 55-02-07, which required the SHSND’s approval for any political subdivision of the state to gain permission from the SHSND Director prior to altering or demolishing an historic building. The issue of building a new courthouse eventually went to the county for a vote in 2001 and the citizens voted against the plan. Later, the county also voted against a major renovation of the existing courthouse.

However, the courthouse has again become threatened after a November 2010 vote in which a county measure was passed to demolish the courthouse and build a new facility in response to health concerns. A local committee has formed once again to save the courthouse.

McLean County Courthouse - Washburn, ND

Minnewaukan, ND

Due to the rising levels of Devils Lake, city, county, state and federal partners are working on plans to remove portions of Minnewaukan to a new site a couple of miles to the northwest. Currently, portions of the town may be able to stay, but other portions of it will have to move including the water tower, utilities and school. Historic areas of Minnewaukan may or may not be affected; however neighborhoods and the community as a whole will certainly be feeling the effects of the move.

Grace Episcopal Stone Church

Historic Home on Main Street

Benson County Courthouse

2011 Honor Awards - PND Board Member of the Year

Preservation North Dakota — Fri, 06 May 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Board Member of the Year

Susan Quinnell – Bismarck, ND

Susan Quinnell is the Review & Compliance Coordinator for the ND State Historic Preservation Office. She has served on the PND board of directors and is currently the Secretary/Assistant Treasurer.

Susan has been instrumental in the restoration of the Hutmacher Farm, where she often volunteers her time, expertise, and equipment. In 2009, she served as chair of the PND Conference Committee, and has been dedicated to promoting historic preservation in North Dakota.

Susan Quinnell

2011 Honor Awards - Legacy Award

Preservation North Dakota — Fri, 06 May 2011 22:00:00 +0000

Legacy Award

The Legacy Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in preserving the historical, architectural and cultural environment of North Dakota.

A long-time resident of Jamestown, Barb Lang is a retired banker and cable TV operator. For over twenty years, Barb has dedicated herself to volunteering for several historic preservation groups, including: State Historical Society of ND Foundation, 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse Committee in Jamestown, Preservation North Dakota (past president and board member), National Trust for Historic Preservation (past North Dakota advisor, member of the Board of Advisors, and Chair).

Barb was instrumental to PND’s success with the Prairie Churches of North Dakota project and in the restoration of the historic Franklin School in Jamestown.

Barbara S. Lang

2011 Honor Awards - Volunteer of the Year

Preservation North Dakota — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Volunteer of the Year

The Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an individual for extraordinary dedication to volunteer service in the field of historic preservation in North Dakota.

Marilu Person - Hillsboro, ND
Marilu Person became an advocate for historic preservation when Union Block – a commercial building in downtown Hillsboro – was threatened. She and her husband, Bruce, purchased the building for back taxes and donated it to the newly formed Hillsboro Community Partnership for restoration.

In addition to co-founding HCP and taking on a significant restoration project, Marilu also joined the PND board of directors. Her particular expertise on the PND board focused on the Local Affiliate Program. As the Local Affiliate Coordinator, Marilu helped set up new affiliates, kept the affiliate paperwork updated, and successfully streamlined the program to increase its efficiency and ensure compliance with all IRS regulations.

Marilu continues to serve on the Local Affiliate Committee, the Traill County Historical Society Board of Directors, and, of course, the Hillsboro Community Partnership board of directors. We are pleased to present this award in honor of her dedication to preservation in North Dakota.

Marilu Person

2011 Honor Awards - Preservation Excellence Award

Preservation North Dakota — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:00:00 +0000

Preservation Excellence Award

The Preservation Excellence Award recognizes excellence in the preservation of an historically significant building, structure, resource, or site that has contributed in a tangible and exemplary manner to furthering preservation in North Dakota.

Manfred is a small community in Wells County right along ND Highway 52. In 2000, descendants of the original settlers founded Manfred History & Preservation, Incorporated to preserve the community’s history and restore some of the existing buildings. Preservation and restoration efforts in this small community have been so successful that several off-shoots of the original nonprofit have formed through PND’s Local Affiliate Program to take on specific projects. There are now four nonprofit organizations operating in Manfred. As a preservation project concludes, the building is accessioned into the Manfred Heritage Museum Complex.

In addition to the museum complex and the preservation projects, Vang Lutheran Church in Manfred has an active congregation. The members of the various nonprofits continue to help the congregation preserve their beautiful church.

The cooperation among various groups in this small rural community has been instrumental in the success of this ambitious project to preserve and celebrate the heritage of rural America.

1910 Manfred School

1899 Solheim House