Godahl Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nelson and Albin Cooperative Mercantile Association Store
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The Godahl Store from the southeast
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 26027 Godahl Street, Godahl, Minnesota |
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| Area | .5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1894–96 |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003599 |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 1987 |
The Godahl Store is a really old and important general store located in a small place called Godahl, Minnesota. It opened way back in 1894! This store was special because it was a "co-op," meaning it was owned by the people who used it, like a big community effort. Because of its importance to local business, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The store served the community for a very long time, until 2016.
Contents
What Does the Godahl Store Look Like?
The main part of the Godahl Store has two floors. It has a special front that makes it look taller than it is, called a "false front." The roof is shaped like a triangle (a gable roof). A smaller, one-story part of the building wraps around the back and side. Both parts of the store are made of wood, with wooden boards on the outside. There is also a separate, one-story wooden building behind the store, which was used as a warehouse.
The Store's History: How It Started
The Godahl Store began in a farming area where Scandinavian families had settled in the 1870s. This area was far from towns, so it was hard for farmers to sell their crops or buy things they needed. It took a whole day to travel by wagon to the nearest town!
To help each other, the local people decided to work together. In 1891, they started a cooperative creamery in Godahl. A creamery is a place where milk is processed into butter or cheese. This creamery was very successful.
A Community Store Is Born
Because the creamery worked so well, the community decided to try another cooperative idea. In 1894, they held a meeting to plan a cooperative store. They named it the Nelson and Albin Cooperative Mercantile Association. This name came from the two townships, Nelson and Albin, that Godahl was located between.
The association officially started on April 20, 1894. Its rules were written in the Norwegian language, and people could buy shares in the store for $20 each. Ten men were hired to build the store right across from the creamery.
Growing and Serving the Community
The Godahl Store was finished in August 1894. It sold many different things, like groceries, clothes (called "dry goods"), and tools. The store also bought farm products from local farmers and then resold them. It bought other goods from larger towns like St. James and La Salle.
In 1895, a warehouse was added to the store. This new building was used to keep hardware items, such as nails and fencing. The next year, the main store building was made even bigger with an addition that wrapped around the north side and the back.
A Hub for Godahl
The Godahl Store became the heart of the community. It was more than just a place to shop. It served as the local post office, making it easy for people to send and receive mail. It also became a central meeting place for social events and community gatherings.
In 1905, the store was one of the first places in the area to get a telephone. Later, it even had a small branch of the Watonwan County Library, so people could borrow books.
Changes Over Time
In 1916, the outside of the store was changed. The "false-front" design and a small addition on the south side were likely added around this time.
The creamery, which had been so successful, closed in 1956. This happened because dairy farming became less common in the area. The Godahl Store then bought the old creamery building. They used it as a warehouse to store things like animal feed, seeds for planting, and fertilizer.
