West Concord school building now on National Historic Register

West Concord’s old school, which now houses the city’s historical society, has officially been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The West Concord Historical Society received the official notification from the National Park Service at the end of January, said the society’s Joyce DuBois.
The society started the lengthy process of seeking inclusion on the Historic Register in 2018.
First step in the process, she said, was having Blue Planet Museum Consulting do an assessment of the building that included pictures and a written report of the building’s physical condition and suitability for historic designation. That report was submitted to the Minnesota Historical Society which reviewed the report and informed the local historical society that they could go ahead and apply for the national designation.
Blue Planet then prepared the application which was submitted to the U.S. Park Service, she said.
The Park Service reviewed all the application data and made the final decision.
Grants were applied for, and received, to complete the original application process, DuBois said, and now the group can apply for additional grants to hire an architect to assess future plans.
The building housed the West Concord school until 1994 when the Triton school board made the decision to close the elementary school and move all students to a new facility in Dodge Center.
When it was recommended to the school board by an outside consultant that the building should be demolished, West Concord residents took action and formed the West Concord Historical Society with the goal of purchasing the old school and turning it into a museum and community center.
The group negotiated with the schoolboard to purchase the school building and the documents were signed on Sept. 29, 1994. With the building purchased, the group set about creating a museum.
In the years since the school became a museum, the society has been busy collecting items recounting the history of West Concord and the people who lived there and put them on display throughout the building.
Former classrooms have been turned into theme rooms showing the history of agriculture and business, education, local residents who served in the military and clothing through the years and more.
There is also a research room with newspapers, books and other written materials preserving the history of West Concord.
As the years have passed, more and more of the former classrooms have been turned into display areas. The old gymnasium/auditorium is also used for events at Survival Days and Christmas in West Concord and also is available for rental throughout the year.