Officials at the Gammelgården Museum in Scandia are undertaking a major restoration project starting this year.
Many of the logs that make up the Prästgård, or Pastor’s House, which was built in 1868, have deteriorated and are in need of immediate repair, said Ann Rinkenberger, the director of the open-air museum.
The two-story, four-bedroom log house was built using traditional Swedish style, horizontal-log construction with notched-and-pegged corners, she said. It is the oldest existing Lutheran parsonage in Minnesota.
In addition to new logs, the house is getting a new roof and windows, sheathing will be removed, and the floors will be reinforced, she said.
The pipe from the museum’s windmill to the home, which filled the cistern, is still generating water. This water is affecting the moisture level in the house, so the pipe needs to be excavated and removed, according to Rinkenberger.
“All of the artifacts in the building need to be assessed, cleaned, and restored as well since moisture has negatively affected them,” she said. “Everything, including clothing, household textiles, furniture, photographs, and artwork, will require restoration.”
An addition built onto the house in the 1970s will be removed, and the windows that had previously been there will be replaced. An accessible ramp and sidewalk are also planned.
The $750,000 project will be done this year and in 2026; the museum is working to raise money to cover the costs, she said.
Gammelgården, which is in its 53rd season, opens for the season on Saturday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors will get to explore three new exhibits, see new artifacts on display and take part in family-friendly activities designed to “celebrate immigrants to Minnesota during the 1800s,” Rinkenberger said.
The new exhibits are: “Explore the World of Immigrants,” “Scandinavian Fish and Fishing,” and “Birch: Art and Function.”
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Other activities planned: Little Blue’s Traveling Zoo; an arts and crafts vendor fair; a toddler dance party; 19th-century games with costumed interpreters from the Living History Society of Minnesota, and a historic fashion show at 1 p.m.
The fair will showcase local artisans and crafters with demonstrations of rosemaling, embroidery, lace-making and weaving throughout the day.
There also will be opportunities to engage with organizations that provide information about immigrants and pioneers who settled in Minnesota in the 1800s, including the French-American Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, and the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota.
For more information, go to gammelgardenmuseum.org.
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