The Stone House was built by the local Germans from Russia Heritage Society, the Deutsche Leute Chapter, to represent the architectural style brought to North Dakota by the German immigrants from Russia.  The reproduction building was built on site from 1980 to 1986, and was constructed of local limestone (from a farm south east of Dickinson).  According to one survey, of the approximately twenty house-barns known to have been built in the United States, five of them were located in Stark County.1

Housing of this type connected the living quarters of people to the living quarters of their animals under the same roof and would be built of locally available materials, often of stone and/or sod.  The traditional house-barn would have consisted of a bedroom, a common living area and kitchen, and a barn.  They would have kept cows, horses, chickens, and any other animals in the barn side of the house.  This was an efficient use of resources in a harsh landscape.  The barn additions to houses built in North America were often used as granaries, rather than barns.2

Many stone buildings were built in Southwest North Dakota, and many are still standing. Some buildings are obviously built of stone, while others have stone walls hid beneath layers of mud, cement, plaster, and siding. On many sites, the entire farm was built predominately of stone including houses, barns, chicken coops, garages, and other outbuildings. The stones were easy to find and served as an economical building tool throughout the region.

The Pioneer Stone House is maintained and supported by a local Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

1.  Johnson, Lon, Mark Hufstetler, and Alice Emerson eds.Ethnic Architecture in Stark County, North Dakota: A Historic Context.  Bismarck, N.D.: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 1992. P. 61.

2. Ibid.

*This building is accessible to visitors with disabilities.