Preservation North Dakota is seeking nominations for its annual "3 Most Endangered Places" list.

The Most Endangered List is intended to draw attention to irreplaceable historic, architectural, cultural, and archaeological resources in North Dakota that are in imminent danger of being lost. The "3 Most Endangered Places" list draws public attention, sparks debate about cultural and architectural heritage preservation, and sometimes attracts a new owner or developer to a historic site in desperate need of a new and creative solution.

To qualify for listing on the "3 Most Endangered Places" list, a site must be a resource having historical, architectural, or cultural significance that is in danger of demolition, substantial alteration, or deterioration through neglect or vandalism. Properties selected normally have local grassroots supporters trying to preserve them.

Nominations may be submitted online.

2010 Most Endangered Places

• Pembina Icelandic Lutheran Church/Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. John - Pembina
• Metal Truss Bridges of North Dakota - Statewide
• Country Schools of North Dakota - Statewide

This historically rich farming community is home to North America's second oldest Icelandic church. The church lies in the south section of the city between the mighty Red and Pembina rivers. Built in 1885 by Icelandic settlers, the Icelandic Lutheran Church of Pembina's congregation diminished over the years. On June 4, 1937, the church and additional property were sold to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. John for $450.00. This was a historic occasion for the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox as it was only the third such church established in North Dakota. In 1957, the Byzantine dome was erected and the interior redecorated. In 1987, the Ukrainian Orthodox congrega- tion disbanded and the church was donated to the Fort Pembina Historical Society.

This historic church has flooded several times over the year, including 1895, 1948, 1950 and 1997. The church is located in the area where a city-constructed dike ruptured in 1997, flooding the church and sixteen homes in that area. Community members managed to get to the church before the floodwaters and saved almost all of the contents. They raised the church's original ornate altar onto concrete blocks and only the very bottom of the altar was touched by flood waters. After the flood, however, they discovered that the pews, which had been attached to the walls, were all lying askew and the floors and both interior and exterior walls of the church needed attention. Water had come up to the height of the bottom window sill of the main sanctu- ary.

Over a period of about ten years, Fort Pembina Historical Society managed to get the church cleaned up and restored again, but then came the flood of 2009. The church was not harmed during that flood. However, the dike became so weak and risky that the city council voted to stop patrolling the dike system in that part of town, greatly increasing the risk of future flooding. Furthermore, flood management authorities, based upon studies of the flood history of the entire basin over a number of years and the upstream flood control efforts, have concluded that the likelihood of future major flood events for Pembina will dramatically increase for the foreseeable future. Fort Pembina Historical Society and this historic church were fortunate with the 2010 flood event because the dike held and the height of the flood did not quite meet the predicted flood levels.

Members of the Fort Pembina Historical Society are studying flood protection options in order to protect the church in its original location.

All Photos Courtesy Vance Nelson

Metal Truss Bridges of North Dakota - Statewide

Metal truss bridges were one of the first industrial, engineered technologies (with calculations, rather than "factor of faith" guesswork) that facilitated new populations moving into North Dakota and establishment of new farm-based economies. Although there was limited water transportation earlier, and railroads crossed the state beginning in 1881, a web of road transportation had to be developed to move bulk commodities to markets. Metal truss bridges had the advantages of being mass-produced in Midwestern and Eastern cities, transported by railroad in compact form close to a site, and then quickly assembled on site by local unskilled labor, supervised by a bridge company foreman. Wooden or stone bridges would have required expensive skilled labor and much more time to erect.

Metal truss bridges are often too small to be able to handle current load weights, widths and sometimes heights of modern vehicles. Without a way to utilize these bridges, they are likely to suffer from disuse and demolition. However, North Dakota's Department of Transportation has surveyed most of the metal truss bridges in the state, and has been able to rehabilitate some for use.

All Photos Courtesy Susan Quinnell

Country Schools of North Dakota - Statewide

Symbols of our rural and educational past, country schools once dotted the North Dakota landscape. Nearly all of us know someone, a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle, who attended a country school. The country school speaks to North Dakota's territorial and early statehood history and pioneers' desire to see to provide an education for their children. "Unable to contribute immediately to the development of central schools," writes editors Warren A. Henke and Everett C. Albers in The Legacy of North Dakota's Country Schools, "the scattered homesteaders created a rural society dotted with one of the state's most ubiquitous and certainly one of its most important artifacts: the one-room country school. That institution lingered on and dominated elementary education in many communities well into the twentieth century."

Like most structures built during the territorial and early statehood periods of North Dakota, country schools were constructed using a variety of materials: sod, logs, stone, and bricks; but the most popular and enduring structures were wood frame buildings painted white.

For children living in rural communities, country schools were often the only educational facilities available within a reasonable distance. More than 4,700 country schools were built across the state to serve North Dakota's educational needs. Over time, however, the quality of transportation increased dramatically, making it possible for rural school children to travel greater distances; these advances, coupled with school consolidation and urban migration led to the decline of rural education as it had previously been known. Between 1926 and 1997, 4,725 one-room country schools closed their doors for good.

After closure, country schools were often repurposed as township halls, homes, and other uses, but many of them remained vacant. Without regular maintenance and occupancy, these buildings often suffer from neglect, vandalism, and are in danger of vanishing altogether.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota has spearheaded a project to document country schools. The survey is being carried out by volunteers in each of North Dakota's fifty-three counties. The results of the survey will indicate how many country schools have survived and will help determine what can be done to save them. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.history.nd.gov.

In addition to the survey, the State Historical Society of North Dakota has also dedicated itself to documenting and celebrating the history of education in North Dakota. In 2009, the Governor's History Conference's theme was education in North Dakota from 1870 to 1950; the 2010 conference will focus on educational history from 1950 to 2010.

Photos Courtesy John Toso