Harkin's General Store is all that remains of West Newton, in Nicollet County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. Alexander Harkin opened the store as combination general store and post office in 1867 in the growing town of West Newton. The town fell into decline after four years of locust swarms devastated southern Minnesota, and the railroad extended away from West Newton. The store closed in 1901. Most of the stock was left when the store was closed and abandoned, and remains today as a museum currently managed by the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

References

External links

Minnesota Historical Society: Harkin Store
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Living museums in Minnesota Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota state historic sites Museums in Nicollet County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Nicollet County, Minnesota General stores in the United States {{Minnesota-NRHP-stub