The mission of the Enderlin Historical Society and Museum, Inc. shall be the collection, preservation and dissemination of knowledge about the history of the Enderlin area.
Enderlin Historical Society & Museum
Welcome
Our Mission
The Enderlin Historical Society and Museum collects artifacts, oral histories and genealogy that pertain to the city of Enderlin and the surrounding community. Among our collections are many historic local photos, athletic trophies, school yearbooks dating back to 1906, early family histories, and Enderlin area memorabilia.
We are working hard to insure the high quality of preservation that our local history deserves. This includes raising funds for museum quality storage materials, instilling professional standards of operations, developing quality exhibits and educational programs.
Getting
Started
On February 22, 1967 after Enderlin’s 75th
anniversary, ten local residents met to incorporate as the Enderlin
Historical
Society and Museum. The Jubilee Steering Committee donated all monies
and
property such as unsold plates, books, etc. to the Society and in
November the
first officers were elected. By-laws were adopted in 1968.
Permanent Location
Since that time, several transactions have taken place in an attempt to establish a permanent Museum location. This includes acquisition of the Fingal, ND depot in 1971 from the Soo Line Railroad at no cost except for the moving fee of $460.00. The depot was placed in Patrick Pierce Park with the intent that it would serve as a museum. However, due to continued vandalism, the depot/museum was sold to the Enderlin Golf Club in 1976 for $400.00. In 1972, the Society acquired Lot 29, Block 2, original Enderlin from the city and rented out the garage and lot space for various activities. In 1990, the Society purchased the Masonic Temple building from the Enderlin Public School District, converted it to a Museum and made improvements costing $13,481.00. This cost, as well as many, many hours of volunteer time and labor have made the Museum what it is today. Many artifacts were donated and exhibits have been set up.
Becoming Museum Owners
In 1996, tax exempt status under IRS Code Section 501 (c) 3 was acquired. Also in 1996, Lot 29, Block 2 was sold in exchange for a new roof on the Museum. At the time of the purchase of the Masonic Temple building, the Soo Line Railroad owned the property upon which the building rested and the Society leased the property. Later, the City of Enderlin purchased the property from the Soo Line and the Society entered into a 10-year lease-to-own agreement with the city to purchase the Museum property. In 2008, after experiencing financial difficulties, a generous donation allowed the Society to pay off the balance of the lease, thereby becoming owners of the land as well as the building.News
SCHOOL DAYS DISPLAY OPENS
Did you attend one of the many country schools in the Enderlin area? Or did you attend Enderlin Public School for your elementary and high school education? Wherever you attended, you will probably find something of interest in the new School Days display which opened just in time for the 2011 All-School Reunion! Gwen Peterson McCausland designed the display which includes pictures from the past as well as artifacts and information from interviews! Many of those attending found themselves, some relative, or someone they knew represented in one of the panels!
A "Challenge of the Decades" was held during the reunion. The decade which raised the most funds would be the next group represented with their own panel in the School Days display. The winning decade for the first round was the 1960's!
We invite you to stop by the Museum to view the new display and take a trip down your school's memory lane!
Donate today!
Events
Board Meetings
Board Meetings are scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month - April through October
(e-mail info@enderlinmuseum.org for exact time and location)
Old Fashioned Saturday Night in Enderlin
Remember the days when Saturday night in Enderlin was a special occasion? Remember the cars cruising the main streets with radios blaring, the popcorn stand, the great foods and the fun times with friends?
The Enderlin Historical Society is planning a special "Old Fashioned Saturday Night" to be held on May 19, 2012. The event will be a fundraiser for the Museum Window Project. All donations received for the windows fundraiser will count toward the $3,000 match approved by the City of Enderlin from the Community Development Committee sales tax funds.
Watch for further details about the event in the Enderlin Independent and on this website. In the meantime, tune up those classic cars, contact your friends and that special someone, and plan to relive the good old days in Enderlin on Saturday night, Mry 19th!
Goals
Planning for the Future
The Historical Society Board of Trustees has developed a set of basic plans to provide direction as they move into the future. Please follow the attached link to view the basic outline of these plans.
Historical Society Short and Long Range Planning
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