Big plans ahead for Ward County Historical Society

A project by the Ward County Historical Society to restore an antique, 24-horse carousel got a boost from Verendrye Electric Cooperative members with a $1,500 grant recently.

The grant came from Verendrye’s Operation Round Up program, which is funded by Verendrye members who voluntarily round their bills to the nearest dollar each month. 

Dan Caswell, president of the WCHS, said he and all the volunteers appreciate the grant.

“Volunteers spend hundreds of hours working at the Pioneer Village and donations like this help us preserve the history of Ward County and create a place for community events and gatherings,” Caswell said.

The WCHS operates the Pioneer Village Museum, located in Burlington. Volunteers are currently restoring the carousel that used to be located at a Minot park. Work includes painting the horses and restoring the wood. Plans are to restore the carousel to a usable condition and house it inside a building. 

“There’s some really neat things to see at the Pioneer Village and Verendrye is proud to support all of the dedicated volunteers that have a passion for Ward County and its history,” said Verendrye Member Services Manager Tom Rafferty.

The museum currently has several projects underway that are in need of funding, and they also need funding for general operating funds. If you would like to make a donation the organization is a 501c3 and donations are tax deductible. 

They have recently been donated a generous collection of antique firearms, and they want to build a gun museum. They are also in need of a building to house museum owned vehicles as well as loaned vehicles. The erection of this building will enable them to empty out their maintenance building so they can get their machine, upholstery, wood working, etc. shops set up and do restoration and maintenance work on their artifacts. 

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from early spring until late fall and is available at other times with a phone call. They are also available for family reunions, weddings in their church and other events. 

This summer they have three large events scheduled: 
•    June 20 and 21: Pioneer Days Weekend
•    July 11 and 12th: Anniversary Celebration for our Nation's 250th, the Museum’s 75th and Northern Bottling Pepsi’s 75th.
•    Aug. 1 and 2: Car, truck, tractor, motorcycle, snowmobile & etc. show.

These events all start with a freewill pancake and sausage breakfast each day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. There will be live and DJ music all day, food trucks, flea markets, rummage sales and hayrides. For the July 11 and 12th event, there will also be a petting zoo from Rocky Top Farms! The museum does not charge admission; it is entirely supported by volunteers and donations. 

For more information on the Museum see their web page at https://www.wardcountyhistoricalsociety.com  or their Facebook page. You can also call 701-839-0785.