The Godahl Store is a historic

consumers' co-operative A consumers' co-operative is an enterprise owned by consumers and managed democratically and that aims at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of its members. Such co-operatives operate within the market system, independently of the state, as a fo ...

general store established in the unincorporated community of Godahl in 1894. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as the Nelson and Albin Cooperative Mercantile Association Store in 1987 for its local significance to commerce. The store was in business through 2016.

Description

The Godahl Store's original wing is two stories with a

false front False or falsehood may refer to: *False (logic), the negation of truth in classical logic * Lie or falsehood, a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement *false (Unix), a Unix command * ''False'' (album), a 1992 album by Gorefest *M ...

and

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

roof. A one-story addition wraps around the rear and north side of the store. Both portions are wood

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

with

clapboard Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...

siding. A one-story, wood-frame warehouse stands behind the store.

History

The Godahl Store originated in a rural farming district on the border of Watonwan and Brown County, an area settled by Scandinavian immigrants in the 1870s. Isolated from the nearest towns by a full day's wagon journey, the local residents had limited access to distribute their agricultural products or purchase manufactured goods. They first collaborated on a

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

enterprise in 1891, establishing a

creamery A creamery is a place where milk and cream are processed and where butter and cheese is produced. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream re ...

at the crossroads community of Godahl. This proved successful, so three years later a public meeting was held to propose a cooperative commercial venture as well. Taking its name from

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and Albin Townships that Godahl straddled, the Nelson and Albin Cooperative Mercantile Association was formally established on April 20, 1894. With bylaws written in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and shares available at $20, the association contracted with ten men to construct a store opposite the Godahl creamery. The Godahl Store was completed in August 1894 and stocked groceries,

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and forme ...

, and tools. It bought local produce and resold goods acquired in St. James and La Salle. In 1895 a warehouse was added to store hardware like nails and fencing, and the following year the main building was expanded with an addition wrapping around the north side and rear. The Godahl Store became the nucleus of the dispersed community. It served as the local

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and became a central gathering place for meetings and social events. In 1905 the store installed one of the first

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

s in the area, and later housed a branch of the Watonwan County Library. The exterior was modified in 1916. The building's false-front façade and small south addition were likely added at this time. The creamery failed in 1956 as

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or ...

subsided in the area, so the mercantile bought the building as a warehouse for feed, seed, and fertilizer.

References

External links

Friends of the Godahl Store
Facebook page {{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Watonwan County, Minnesota Commercial buildings completed in 1894 Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Consumers' cooperatives in the United States Norwegian-American culture in Minnesota Retail buildings in Minnesota Swedish-American culture in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Watonwan County, Minnesota

Description

History

See also

References

External links