287 - Cook Car, Township Hall, & Barr House

Harvey and Maritt Aamot Barr called this farmhouse home. Built in 1915, the Barr house was considered large for its day, with one bedroom on the main floor and four bedrooms upstairs, perfect for their family. The original hardwood floors, woodwork, and doors make it possible to envision yourself in the Barr house in the early twentieth century, standing, in all its beauty, proudly on the North Dakota prairie. Moving through the house gives you a taste of how the Barr family lived. The kitchen consisted of a working cookstove and cistern pump for water, and, even though the house lacked a modern bathroom, it was still quite impressive. In 1997, the home was moved from Melvin Township in Nelson County, and, as you can see, has been preserved in a way that looks lived in rather than merely a museum.

Township halls played an important role in communities, often serving as a common gathering place in many areas. Historically, township halls have hosted civil functions, festivities, and entertainment, amongst other things. The township hall here, in Stump Lake Historical Village, is no different. It contains the original voting booths and memorabilia from all towns in Nelson County, some no longer in existence. The township hall, moved in from a neighboring county, holds stories from bygone eras.

Reminiscent of chuck wagons from the days of settlers and cattle drives, the Cook Car served a very important purpose. Following threshing machines during harvest, the car, pulled by horses or a tractor, traveled from farm to farm providing three hot meals per day, plus morning and afternoon snacks. The meals were not your typical brown-bag meal! They often consisted of homemade bread, pies, and fried chicken–hearty food for the hard-working harvesters! Two ladies were responsible for cooking and would often sleep in the Cook Car at night. Of course, there was no running water or electricity, so the women cooked with a wood or coal-fired cookstove, making it very toasty warm inside! Aside from food, the Cook Car also provided the men a chance to cool off with a community wash basin and a pail of water with a dipper to quench their thirst. The Cook Car was moved here from the Tim Holte Farm by Northwood in 1997.

The big, white barn was built between 1913 and 1915 as a home for purebred horses owned by Willie Ryan. Each horse had their own special place in the barn. As you wander through the barn, you will still find the horses’ names written proudly above their stalls. After several owners, Guy Saunders bought the farm in 1948. The barn was the first building donated and moved to Stump Lake Historical Village in June of 1994. No longer home to horses, the barn houses a museum displaying washing machines, antique sewing machines, farm and horse equipment, and a milk room.