January 2, 1885
Today it is very cold—more than 40 below—so cold that the quicksilver (mercury) froze. I wrote a letter to Drothzen in Aberdeen. The boys did the chores and in the afternoon, Carl went to Waconia to get the mail. I had a letter from Liljehook that he has sent the scions.
Andrew Peterson
It has been several months since I have written a blog. It doesn’t seem that long, but the saying, “time flies” could easily be applied to this scenario. No news doesn’t mean there isn’t anything is going on at the farm. Miller Dunwiddie has been working on completing construction drawings of the 1914 barn. Hansen HomeTech has been working to install a new furnace in the house. I have been busy planning for the capital fundraising campaign which will begin in June, and Heidi Gould has been planning for the Springtime on the Farm event.
Miller Dunwiddie has completed the building investigation and 90% of the construction drawings for the 1914 barn. The drawings are now in SHPO’s hands and we await their recommendations before the documents are completed. After the construction document is completed, attention will turn to work on the foundation and stabilization. Future use for the barn will be as the interpretive/education/welcoming center for the farm. Building a new interpretive center would not only be very costly, it would change the look of the farm, an aspect we are attempting to save.
The planning for the Capital fundraising has been going well. During the January board meeting, the CCHS board voted to set $500,000 as our goal. If we raise the full amount, the Jeffris Family Foundation will contribute $250,000, giving us a total of $750,000. The dollar amount was derived from amounts in the Historic Structures report, the feasibility study conducted last fall, and a preliminary cost estimate from Hansen HomeTech.
Carver County Historical Society board member, JJ Norman, has been chairing the fundraising committee. We are gratefully receiving help from some professionals and have hired Thomas Spargo to help with the on-line footprint and event planning. The kick off will happen, in late June. Until then, we are looking for verbal commitments from people and organizations. Any funds received before the start date will not be matched, so it is important that funds be received no earlier than late June or early July.
We received a $20,000 donation designated for the farm in December, 2018. After being notified that their gift could not be matched, the donor generously allowed us to keep the money for use on the house. Part of the funds will be used to install a new furnace. The current one is no longer repairable due to rust from the water that had been in the basement over the years. Knowing this was a problem, we installed a sump pump shortly after closing on the property.
Finally, save May 18th for Springtime on the Farm. This all day event will be a repeat of the event we hosted last year, except we have put in an order for no rain. You will hear more about the event as we get closer, but a couple of things are guarantees, baby animals, music, food and lots to do.
A final note: The translation of the Peterson diaries are expected to be complete in February. The translation will be available for free on our website, but if you would rather not print 700 pages, a published version will be available for purchase.
Stay warm
Wendy Petersen Biorn
