Amy & JJ take a trip to Bonanzaville to visit with Brenda Warren, the Executive Director. This interview was taped inside the Houston Mansion.
Scroll down to see just a sneak peek into the home:
Washington, D.C. –
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
announced today that they will be donating $6,280 for the repair and
re-shingling of the roof on the Houston Mansion, which is located at
Bonanzaville. Funding for this project is made possible through the
sponsorship of the Dacotah Chapter of DAR. Sandy Sidler, Dacotah
Chapter Regent, stated they are honored to sponsor and support Cass
County Historical Society (CCHS)-Bonanzaville to protect and preserve
the historic Houston Mansion.The Houston Mansion
is a beautiful bonanza farm home built by David Houston in 1881 near
Hunter,ND. It was moved to
Bonanzaville on September 27, 1971. This mansion is an example of how
luxurious life could be in the late 1800s. David Houston was a
photographic inventor. In 1867, he patented his first camera. In
1881, he patented the basic principles of the roll film camera,
making it possible for the ordinary citizen to carry a camera and
make their own photographs.Brenda Warren,
Executive Director of CCHS-Bonanzaville said, “We realize that DAR
awards grants to deserving applicants that strive to preserve history
and we are thrilled to be receiving such a generous donation from
DAR. We feel fortunate that they have chosen to assist us in this
restoration project.”The National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote
patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education
for our nation’s children. DAR receives hundreds of grant
applications each year, making competition high for funding projects.
With 178,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR
is one of the world’s largest and most active service
organizations. To learn more about the work of today’s DAR, visit
www.DAR.org
.The DAR Award is
matched by the generous donation of the Burgum Kilbourne Foundation.
Those funds, which total
nearly $50,000, are earmarked for the Houston Mansion and Arthur Town
Hall, both located at
Bonanzaville. Work is currently progressing on both buildings.
The Houston House, a beautiful bonanza farm home, was built by David H. Houston in 1881 near Hunter, ND. Houston was a Scottish immigrant, farmer, poet, and inventor. Because his first house was destroyed by a powerful wind storm, this house included a storm cellar, 2” by 6” supporting timbers and the largest nails that he could find.
The house was an elegant home with maple floors, cherry and oak wainscoting, a walnut staircase leading to the second floor, high ornamental ceilings and large bay windows. The original cost to build this house was estimated to be $7,000. Houston installed a new type of heating system in the basement, a hot air furnace. The house was heated by means of metal conduits and air registers. It even has a bathroom which was uncommon in any house at this time.
David Houston is best known for his photographic inventions. He sold the rights to manufacture and sell his patented roll film camera to William H. Walker for $700. Walker sold his rights to Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company of Rochester (Eastman Kodak). George Eastman noted that Houston “had the most uncanny genius for camera invention that I have ever known.” Conflicts arose when Houston designed improvements to his camera and sold them to Eastman competitors. It is rumored that Houston becam so disillusioned over his treatment by Eastman that he ordered all his photograic inventions and cameras destroyed.
Houston married Anni Laurie Pencille on April 26, 1888. She was an exceptional musician and was known as “The North Dakota Songstress.” They had one son, David Jr., born 1889.
The original house was twice the size it is now. The main part that you see was the Houston’s home. The other half housed the kitchen and was where the staff lived. Eventually the house was divided and the staff’s quarters were removed across the road. Be sure to check out the model of how this bonanza farm looked inside the house.
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(Amy Iler & JJ Gordon are talk-show hosts at 790 AM KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. “It Takes 2 with Amy & JJ” can be heard weekdays 11am-2pm. Follow Amy on Twitter @AmyKFGO. Follow JJ on Twitter @JJGodon701.)
