List of the oldest buildings in North Dakota

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This article lists the oldest extant buildings in North Dakota, including extant buildings and structures constructed prior to and during the United States rule over North Dakota. Only buildings built prior to 1880 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.

In order to qualify for the list, a structure must:

  • be a recognizable building (defined as any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy);
  • incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in height and/or be a listed building.

This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.

List of oldest buildings[edit]

Building Image Location First built Use Notes
Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site Walhalla, North Dakota 1844 Trading post Likely oldest buildings in North Dakota[1]
Kittson Trading Post Walhalla, North Dakota 1852 Trading Post
Fort Abercrombie Guardhouse Abercrombie, North Dakota 1860 Fort
Dease-Martineau House Pembina County, North Dakota 1868 Residence/ Trading Post
Headquarters Building (South Dakota) at Camp Hancock State Historic Site Bismarck, North Dakota 1872 Residence
James Holes House Fargo, North Dakota 1879 Residence
Opheim Cabin Cooperstown, North Dakota 1879 Residence First permanent home in Griggs County (ND) built by Omond Nelson Opheim, Washburn Township, 1879 (cabin now on courthouse grounds, Cooperstown)[2]
Thomas D. Campbell House Grand Forks, North Dakota 1879 Residence
Bread of Life Church (South Dakota) at Camp Hancock State Historic Site Bismarck, North Dakota 1881 Church Oldest church building in North Dakota; no longer in active use by congregation; later St. George's Episcopal Church
Griggs County Courthouse
Photo of Griggs County Courthouse
Cooperstown, North Dakota 1884 Courthouse The Griggs County Courthouse was designed by F.B. Edwards and built in 1884 by Alexander Moffat. A vault was added to the building in 1918 and a law enforcement center was added in 1960. It is the oldest courthouse still in use in North Dakota but the county is currently transitioning to a new courthouse.[3]
Old Stone Church
Buffalo, North Dakota 1885 Church

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Antoine Blanc Gingras, Metis Fur Trader and member of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature, 1852–1853 Minnesota Historical Society, accessed December 6, 2010
  2. ^ "Opheim Cabin, Cooperstown, Griggs County, N.D." digitalhorizonsonline.org. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  3. ^ "North Dakota Historic County Courthouses - Historic Preservation - State Historical Society of North Dakota". www.history.nd.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-28.

External links[edit]