Typically, when a building has outlived its use, it’s abandoned, demolished, or converted for a new purpose. Maybe you’ve even seen buildings like that around your town and thought to yourself, “I wonder what that place was like in its Heyday.” Most of the time, you’ll never get to find out - the history fades away with each passing year. Here in Garrison, a dedicated group of folks have tried not to let that happen, setting aside this block of the town as a place where they could conserve their history - a Heritage Park!

Formed in 1971, the Heritage Park Foundation began their work of preserving historically significant items and buildings from Garrison and the surrounding area so that future generations always have that opportunity to observe and appreciate the past. Aimed at particularly showcasing the way of life during the homestead days and later, the Foundation’s first project was moving and preserving the Soo Line Railroad Depot building, a symbol of growth and development for Garrison. Today, the renovated depot also serves as Heritage Park’s museum, displaying artifacts related to the railroad as well as the broader history of the region. Other features of the park include a one-room schoolhouse, a country church, two fully-furnished homestead houses, a replica log cabin, and the town’s original telephone office. Did you know that phone calls used to actually be connected to the correct line by hand on a switchboard? If you think that’s interesting, there are tons of other fascinating things just waiting to be discovered here at Garrison’s Heritage Park. Take a walk around and get ready to travel back to yesteryear!