“Were it not for the prairie church, the vast North Dakota landscape would stretch unbroken to the horizon. Often founded by first-generation settlers from Germany, Poland, Iceland, Russia and Scandinavia, the simple prairie church was usually the first building to go up when a town was settled – and the last to close its doors if the community died out. But now many of these buildings are threatened. Of North Dakota’s 2,000 church structures, more than 400 are vacant and threatened by inadequate maintenance and demolition.”

Those words are taken from the website of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. They were written in 2001, when the Trust added North Dakota’s prairie churches to their list of “America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places.”

On this day in 1999, the Buffalo Historical Society received a National Preservation Honor Award from the Trust for saving and renovating the “Old Stone Church” in Buffalo, which is about 20 miles east of Valley City. The award presentation was in Washington, D.C. during a conference marking the Trust’s 50th anniversary. It was the first time a North Dakota organization won the award, and Buffalo is the smallest community ever to receive it.

The building originally housed the Calvary Episcopal Chapel, built by its early membership of 12 families and 26 individuals. Bishop Walker asked them to build it with fieldstone to resist tornadoes and prairie fires. A British architect, George Hancock, was uniquely able to adapt an Anglican Gothic style plan that also suited the needs and materials of the Dakota prairie.

The first service was held almost exactly 118 years ago: October 15, 1886. During the depression of the 1890s, many churches closed – some temporarily, some permanently. A Casselton vicar occasionally served the Buffalo congregation, but members struggled to maintain their spirit and momentum. Weather and road conditions were also attendance factors for both clergy and congregation members. As a result, the church closed and reopened its doors a number of times over the years. The Great Depression was in full swing when the number of communicants finally dropped to two; in 1934, Calvary Episcopal closed its doors for the last and final time.

The Buffalo Masonic Lodge #77 bought the building two years later. As a Masonic Temple, the building was also used for meetings of the Order of the Eastern Star. When membership dwindled, the Masonic lodge consolidated with other area lodges, but in the 1970s, the building was abandoned. In 1985, the Masons donated it to the Buffalo Historical Society.

Ten years later, the building was barely visible as volunteers hacked through vines and trees to begin a restoration effort. What they found was a building near collapse, so they hired a stone mason to rebuild crumbling walls and fallen buttresses. After 60 years of darkness, the windows were uncovered; two had their stained glass intact, providing patterns for replacing those that were broken. The church was painted inside and out, and residents found many original furnishings, including the organ, altar, candlesticks and some furniture. Farmers helped remove several feet of Dust Bowl dirt from around the foundation and planted trees.

The end results are startling. Richard Moe, president of the National Trust, said, “The work of the Buffalo Historical Society shows how preservation can turn around a town’s self-image. A single project can become the community’s crusade. This story is a marvelous example for towns across the nation.”

 

This text and audio may not be copied without securing prior permission from North Dakota Public Radio.