Exciting doesn’t begin to describe our feelings when the Historic Structure Report (HSR) work was lauched, last week. The HSR report is a mandatory document needed for the rehabilitation work needed at the farm. Without it, we are literally dead in the water, as far as being able to work on the buildings.  Why, you say?  Simple, the State Historic Preservation(SHPO)  office approves or disapproves what we can and cannot do at the farm.  Part of the reason for this is that we received MN Legacy funding to restore the north barn.  The SHPO is then responsible for making sure we take care of and manage the property, properly.  There is good and bad in the process, but as a taxpayer myself, knowing Legacy funds are spent well, is a good thing, abet, for the receiver a little bit more time consuming, than I would like.  The HSR will document most if not all the work we need to do, removing the need to ask SHPO continually.  It will also be the bases for long range planning and a business/marketing plan.

The lead for the project is Angela Wolf Scott, AIA, LEED AP.  She has lots of initials, most of them meaning she know a lot about architecture.  You can learn more about her and MacDonald & Mac at:  http://www.mmarchltd.com/about.html#people-1160    MacDonald & Mac will start work on the house and proceed to the outer buildings. They will explore every nook and cranny.  When they are done, we will have a document that will set the course for rehabilitation work on the buildings and idea of how much it will cost. We will know everything from the original color of the house, to mysteries surrounding the granary and how and when it was built.

Today, we received a $20,000 donation from a family foundation to be applied to the cost of he HSR. The size of the donation, floors me and there is no way we can say thank you enough to everyone, for all donations, large and small.

Sweden here I come

Last spring 2016, I received a scholarship from the American Swedish Institute to study 19th century farming methods and architecture in Sweden.  My flight leaves May 16, 2017. A Swedish journalist picked up on the story.  To read his article, (in Swedish) click on the link below.  I have, as a result, received so many heart warming invitations to visit people who want to show me their farms, and teach me the techniques.  I will be blogging about the trip while I am there, so keep this site tagged as a favorite.  As of today, I plan to visit three world heritage sites, and 20 open air farm museums.  I have been invited to  Delsbo (the site Moberg placed Karl, in Sweden) , Örnsköldsvik (home of a 93 year old man who wants to teach me the old methods), Smålands museum in Växjö near where Moberg lived and Långasjö Sockens Hembygdsförening, an open air farm museum in the south of Sweden.  The journalist’s wife lives in St. Petersburg, and they have invited me to visit them for a weekend, before I start my Swedish adventure.

swedish-article

So much to see and do.  A real once in a lifetime trip.  I would like to leave you with the below photo.  This is Ward Holasek driving two of his treasured horses, in front of the north barn, before the collapse. A great photo for the holidays.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.