Glasston, North Dakota facts for kids

Glasston is a small farming town in North Dakota, United States. It's located in Pembina County, within Saint Thomas Township. Today, Glasston has a post office, a general store, and a few houses.

The town started in 1886 as a stop along the Great Northern Railroad. It was first called Baltimore. Later, it was renamed Glasston after Archibald Glass, who was the first postmaster there. Not many people have lived in Glasston; its population has almost always been less than 100.

Glasston is found on the west side of North Dakota State Highway 81. It's about halfway between the towns of Hamilton and Saint Thomas. Even though it's not officially a city, it has its own post office with the ZIP code 58236.

How Glasston Began

In 1879, two friends, Ike Foster and another person, explored the area where Glasston is now. They were looking for land to build a home, just like many others at that time. They eventually settled near Bathgate, North Dakota. This area was very remote back then, with few settlers and no roads.

Many more settlers arrived in 1880 and 1881. A lot of them came from St. Vincent, Minnesota. Soon, all the available land for homesteading was taken.

In 1882, the Littlejohn family moved to Glasston. They had lived in Fort Pembina for a short time after coming from Canada. Some family members worked at Fort Pembina. The Haezlett family had arrived even earlier, in 1880.

Early Transportation and Mail

The first railroad tracks reached Glasston in 1882. At this time, there were no permanent buildings in the area. The workers who built the railroad tracks camped right on the Glasston site.

In 1883, Mr. Edward Sing opened the first U.S. Post Office. It was located between Hamilton and St. Thomas and was named Baltimore. Mr. Sing built a small building and planned to run the post office with a real estate business. However, he was not well and passed away later that year.

After Mr. Sing's death, his wife, Catherine A. Sing, became the postmistress. She held this job for several years. The small post office building was a short distance east of the railroad tracks.

Glasston was a "flag station" on the railroad. This meant that if no passengers were waiting, the train would only slow down. A mail sack would be exchanged while the train was still moving. Someone from the family had to carry the mail sack out. They would throw it into the moving mail car and grab the incoming mail.

This daily routine continued for some time. Later, the railroad built a platform further south. There was a disagreement about who should carry the mail to the new platform. So, the mail sack was still taken to the original spot. But the train would speed by, making it impossible to throw the sack in. Luckily, the mail clerk on the train was kind. He kept throwing off the mail sacks when he saw someone waiting. Eventually, the railroad company agreed to pay for the mail to be delivered to the platform.

Community Life and Education

During 1882 and 1883, church services were held in people's homes. First, they met at Thomas Armstrong's house, and later in the schoolhouse. Pastors came from nearby towns. Mr. Williams, a Presbyterian minister, came from Bathgate. Dr. Crawford, a Baptist, came from St. Thomas. A Methodist minister came from Hamilton.

In 1881, four brothers, James, John, George, and Milton McCabe, came to Glasston. They built their home north and east of town. James was the only married brother. Their sisters, Mary Ann and Margaret, also joined them.

In 1884, Archibald Glass moved his family from Ontario. He started a store business and later became the postmaster. A company called the A.A. White Townsite Company bought the land. They divided it into lots for building. They left out the old Baltimore Post Office, so the town's name was changed to Glasston. Mr. Leonard Dewar now owns the oldest home in Glasston.

In 1884, the Minneapolis and Northern Elevators were built. These were used to store grain. Lemuel Bennett was the first agent. In 1885, the North Western Elevator was built, with James McCabe as the agent. At one time, Glasston had five grain elevators!

The Great Northern Railway Station was built in 1887. Samuel F. Boyer was the first agent there. Thomas Armstrong was the first treasurer for the town. He held this important job for 43 years!

A new school was built in 1886. Harriette Sing was the first teacher. Other early teachers included Kate McLellan, Mattie Glass, and Miss Hattie Brown, who was the first music teacher. The Glasston school burned down in 1927. A new school was built that same summer. While the new school was being built, classes were held in the Presbyterian Church. The Glasston school closed in 1960.

Churches and Businesses

The Presbyterian Church was built in 1889, and the Methodist Church was built in 1901. Families like the Armstrongs and Littlejohns played a big part in these churches. Hattie Littlejohn helped serve the first church supper.

Both churches had many hard-working people. They put a lot of time and effort into Ladies Aids groups and church suppers. A popular Presbyterian minister later on was Reverend Frank Shellcross, who came from England. The Presbyterian Church closed in the fall of 1947. Only three weddings ever took place in the Glasston Presbyterian Church.

The McCabe brothers started a lumber yard. J. Armstrong built a hardware store and later bought the lumber yard. Hugh Munroe owned the first hotel. By 1899, two saloons were open. There was also another store owned by the Dickie brothers. They later sold it to J.W. Arthur, who ran it for many years.

Two of the early blacksmiths were Thomas Herron and Charles McGuire. Andy Robinson also owned a shop and later sold it to James McQuarters.

Neighbors and Growth

Many families lived around Glasston. North of the Monroes lived Mr. and Mrs. Richmond. To the east were the Littlejohns, Quigleys, John Haezletts, and Mr. Haugen, the shoemaker. He was the only known shoemaker in the area. North of the railroad, on the west side, was John Williamson, who settled there in 1879. To the south and west were the McMahons and the Isaac Jacksons. To the north and west were Thomas and Charlie Armstrong, the Stulls, and the Hudsons.

Thomas Armstrong lived on his land just west of the "Tree Claim." This was a famous area because it was one of the first groups of trees planted on the open prairie. Thomas Armstrong was a bachelor. His two brothers, Bob and Ed, lived with him until 1886. That year, Thomas brought his wife from Ontario to live with him. Further down the road lived Foster Johnson, and east of him was William McBride, who was once the County Auditor for Pembina County. To the southwest were the Websters, Henry and Alva.

On the east side of the railroad track, north of Glasston, lived Mr. Everett. He was a retired minister who settled on his land. Further east were Alex Steward and Archie Sillers. To the east was a large swampy area. Tom and John Fuller lived on a small hill that was often surrounded by water.

In 1906, a fire started in the lumber yard, and most of Glasston burned down. J.W. Arthur rebuilt his store. Three years later, the State Bank was built. The bank continued to operate until 1924. The first banker was L.W. Kannenberg.

As Glasston grew, the town's businesses were mostly on Main Street. Mr. Parson came from Minnesota and bought a store from Sam Littlejohn. It was known as a CO-OP Store from 1913 to 1921. Many people bought shares in this CO-OP, but it was not successful, and they lost money.

The Lindermans also had a store, and Mr. Linderman was a banker. Their store was sold to Andrew and Henry Norgart. Later, it was sold again to Andrew Norgart's daughter, Celia. Linderman also had the post office for a while, which was in the front part of Bill Ray's garage. Later postmistresses included Mrs. Lincoln Armstrong, Sara Carew, and Miss Mildred Hartje.

In 1973, Glasston still had its post office. It also had the Farmer's Union and the GTA Elevator, which had been taken over from the McCabes about 35 years earlier. James Evenson was the manager for about eight years. There were also two potato houses owned by Warren Hartje and the Briese brothers. In 1958, the Masonic Temple was moved from St. Thomas to Glasston. It became the Community Hall, a place for town events.