Guide to
Historic EGF Heritage Center
Nisbet Farmstead
The log cabin, barn, and granary,
located on the Heritage grounds was built by David Nisbet, with the help of
other neighbors, on his land 1-1/2 miles East of Mallory, MN, in 1871.
They all resided with David and shared in using the buildings while they
laid claim to and farmed distinct different portions of neighboring land. The
Nisbet family lived on the premises until 1877, when David passed away.
James Lee came with his family of 10 in 1879, purchasing the land in
1885. It stayed in the Lee family
until 1943, when Mrs. George Lee sold it to John and Grace Peterson.
In 1978, Mrs. Grace Peterson donated these buildings from the Mallory Estate to
the EGF Heritage Center. The volunteer members from the Heritage Village
numbered each log, dismantled the buildings and returned them to their original
condition at their present location.
A picture in the cabin shows James and Christian (Nisbet) Lee in front of the
cabin with some of their 10 children and the dressmaker.
(In years later she turned out to
be the grandmother of actress Jane Russel).
Heritage Village is proud to say that the descendents of the Nisbet and Lee
family spend a lot of time keeping the cabin in top repair: Elaine Lee Olson,
Betty McVeety Nisbet, Helen Nisbet and Jean Nisbet Roberts.
Shingles
The shingles for the Farmstead and the Town Hall were made here at the Heritage
Village by one of our members, Melvin Johnson with his own invention we fondly
call the shingle machine.
Tool Shed
The tool shed is another “gift” from the
Amundson family. It was moved on to
the grounds July 2008. It will be
the home to our wonderful tools purchased from the Dakota Science Center and
will give the Busy Beaver wood carvers a place to call home.
It will also give us a place to offer classes in many things such as
building, woodworking or carving.
Beier and Hagen Buildings
The Beier bldg. houses our kitchen and
eating area along with some very nice exhibits in the back. It was built by the
Northland Tech. Carpentry classes.
The Hagen bldg. is home to many antique tractors.
Memorial Garden
In 2008 the memorial garden was built in memory of our founding fathers. Large
granite benches surround the garden and a large brick planter is nested in the
center of the garden. Benches were sold along with the bricks for the planter –
all funds from these items will help maintain the life of the memorial garden.
This is a special place for many and we hope that people take time to reflect
and time to remember those that are no longer with us
Granville Church
The Granville Church built in Granville, a tiny community two miles South of
Oslo, MN, in 1895, was moved here July 14, 1984. The church and tall
steeple is one of the oldest churches in the area.
It can be seen for miles and has become a landmark for our community.
The church was recently resided and the windows and front steps were
replaced. (The church can be rented
for weddings and gatherings for a small donation.)
Sherlock House
The Sherlock house is one of the oldest houses in EGF. It was built after the
flood of 1897, on the only dry spot at the top of hill.
It was one of the first houses to have electricity. Jack Sherlock and
family made this their family home. He was a prominent lawyer and judge in EGF.
Mr. Sherlock was instrumental in bringing American Crystal Sugar to EGF.
Its former location was the corner of 4th St. and 3rd
Ave. NW – It was directly across from Sherlock Park (named
in his honor) and the Red River Recreational Park.
The Sherlock house was moved to the Heritage grounds after the flood of 1997.
(Take note of the two dates?
100 yr. flood?) The house is an ongoing restoring project.
The Sherlock House holds a special place in our hearts as a monument to our
heritage and the floods of 1897 and 1997.
Amundson Barn
This beautiful barn was built in 1918, on the Amundson farm by a Swedish
Immigrant, Mr. Kelly, located 5 miles northeast of town. (One of our founding
fathers watched it being built.) It
was donated to the Willing Workers 4 H group in 2005. The 4H’ers
started raising money in 2001 for this project and worked with the
community for it to come alive. After literally hundreds of volunteer hours by
the 4H’ers, and friends of the 4H’ers, the barn was finally moved on Nov. 9,
2005. The massive size of the
barn (36x 80 and 40 ft. high) made it quite a spectacle as it was moved across
country to its present location. The summer of 2006 was spent squaring up the
walls, building stalls, and painting the entire barn with red paint and white
trim. It is used during Heritage days to host the 4H petting zoo and many other
activities including a “barn dance”.
Town Hall
Our town hall was a one-room schoolhouse in the Sullivan school district, just
northeast of EGF. When students started going to school in the surrounding towns
it became the Sullivan town hall.
It is now used as our very own “Ice Cream Parlor” during Heritage days and
houses some of our historic pictures and videos.
Fram Exhibit
The Fram exhibit displays the old steam boiler from a Fram ship that sailed up
and down the Red River of the North from Fargo to Winnipeg, during the late
1800s and early 1900s.
School House
The old log schoolhouse was located on Mr. Harry Tack’s property just south of
Oslo, MN. It was built in the
1800’s as a settler’s cabin and used for a couple years as a schoolhouse.
There are many interesting books, maps, and school equipment in this
building. Make sure to check out
the rules for the teachers in 1915.
Blacksmith Shop
The Blacksmith Shop was built by the Coon and Crocket Club of EGF.
Make sure you take time to read the “Village Blacksmith “ poem on the
door. It explains how the shop was
the center of activity for a village.
It is still in use during our Heritage Days.
General Store
The general store is the original Hanson-Maves
building, which was part of the EGF business district.
The building was built in 1902.
Rick Bergley and Curtis Berg donated it to the Heritage Foundation in
1985. Our General stores sells
everything from penny candy to Sarsaparilla.
Saw Mill
The sawmill was made by R. R. Howell & Co. and is a Model #5.The sawmill had
been owned by Ole Bang, a bonanza farmer 2 1/2 miles South of Oslo, MN, the
biggest farmer in the area, about 4400 acres. He used the saw mill to cut
timber on his farm. The lumber was used to build his farm buildings.
The saw mill uses a 48" diameter carbide tipped blade which spins around 550
rpm. The carriage which holds the timber utilizes 3 separate locks to hold
the log in place and can cut 20' long timber. This particular saw requires
a 4 person crew minimum. The sawyer who controls the speed of the log as
it is fed into the saw blade, a carriage operator/rider who ensures the log is
safely clamped into place for going through the blade, another person to remove
the cut timber from the sawmill after each pass through the saw blade, and a
"tractor" operator who watches the whole operation and can stop the saw blade
and carriage from moving if there is danger seen or instructed to do so by the
sawyer. Currently the saw mill is used on the East Grand Forks Heritage
Village grounds and saws timber for new and restoration building projects.