HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY

Preserving History for our Community

The Buffalo Historical Society was organized February 9, 1983. The research and writing of “Buffalo, Our Town on the Prairie”, the 1980 centennial book, awakened an interest in North Dakota and local history. The recognition of how important the preservation, study, interpretation and understanding of history is to our future, and the desire to share this history with the community by making information accessible and sponsoring historical and educational activities, was the inspiration for starting the Historical Society.

The early activities of the Society, involved it’s role in the 105th anniversary of the founding of Buffalo in 1985. When a display of early crafts and a style show of historical fashions were sponsored. The largest project undertaken by the Society began that year, with the donation of the Old Stone Church, formerly the Episcopal Church and later the Masonic Temple. The Buffalo Masonic Lodge #77 AF & AM, donated the building to the Society for the purpose of preserving it’s historical value. It was also to house and hold the growing collection of artifacts the Society had gathered for preservation, in the interest of the public. Finally, it was to be used to hold activities for the benefit of the community.

The Buffalo Historical Society is responsible for the upkeep of the Historic Sibley Trail marker, just west of town. The site is a monument to the Sibley Expedition of 1863.

In November of 1987, the Society began an update to the centennial book. It became the “1989 Update” book. The Buffalo Historical Society was involved in the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the State of North Dakota in 1989, by sponsoring centennial events locally. In April of 1991, work began on another project, a cemetery directory.

In June 1995, a restoration of the Old Stone Church was initiated. Thousands of volunteer hours have enabled the Society to upgrade the grounds and the property significantly. A search was undertaken to locate original furnishings of the church and resulted in the donation of many of the original furnishings. That fall, the Society received a donation of the Episcopal Rectory, which was built next to the Old Stone Church in 1895.

All of the recent activity lead to an increase in membership, and 1996 was another year of growth. The ‘Historical Buffalo Express’ a quarterly newsletter of the Society began publication. The Old Stone Church was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, and plans were made to use the Old Stone Church and Rectory as a Heritage Center for Buffalo and the surrounding communities in western Cass County. The Society incorporated, becoming Buffalo Historical Society, Inc.. Achieving IRS 501 (c) (3) nonprofit status, allows donations to the Society to be tax deductible, and the Heritage Center Foundation was established to recognize contributors.

The annual Arts & Crafts Festival sponsored by the Society in August is growing every year, and is our biggest fund-raiser. Presentations at local schools have brought history to life for area youth. And progress on the Heritage Center insures that the Society is moving full steam ahead into the 21st century.

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