Historic renovation under way at former Burr Oak Mercantile

By Roz Weis,

A monumental task is ahead for volunteers at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum in Burr Oak.

The former Burr Oak Mercantile building in the center of town was recently gifted to the museum. The museum’s board and volunteers expect plenty of time-consuming, costly renovation work lies ahead, as they prepare the building to house the museum’s offices and gift shop.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum in Burr Oak was founded in the 1970s, after a group of historically-minded Burr Oak and Decorah citizens learned the author of the popular “Little House on the Prairie” and other titles had lived in Burr Oak with her family from 1876 to 1877. A museum board was formed soon after the discovery, and initial steps were taken to acquire the building where the Ingalls family lived. Fundraising started and the museum opened a few years later. The museum operates today as a nonprofit.

Several additions have been made to the museum over the years, including a pioneer park and a restored country schoolhouse on the museum grounds.

Former Museum Director Ferneva Brimacomb made the most recent donation to the museum, gifting the town’s former mercantile building to the nonprofit in an effort to maintain Burr Oak’s historic property.

The top-to-bottom restoration is expected to take plenty of time and effort. For now, volunteers are hard at work tearing out old railings, windows, sheet rock, electrical outlets and more.

Museum history

The Ingalls family’s former home was at one time Burr Oak’s first hotel.

The original structure was built in 1851 by Samuel Belding. The original hotel, dubbed the Burr Oak House, was made of logs and measured approximately 16 feet by 20 feet, with a loft accessible by a ladder. After selling the hotel to John Waggoner, it was renamed as the Waggoner House. An addition was built on to the hotel in 1857, and the hotel was renamed the Burr Oak House again. It became the Masters Hotel in 1873, when William Masters purchased the hotel. Masters sold it in 1876 to William Steadman — a friend of the Ingalls Family from Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Charles Ingalls and his family — having endured plagues of grasshoppers the previous two years — set out for Burr Oak from Walnut Grove in 1876, with the intention of helping manage the hotel. They moved into the hotel, still known as the Masters Hotel at that time, with the Steadman family that same year.

The hotel continued to change ownership and names over the years. It became a private residence in the early 1900s and was unoccupied in the 1950s. It was purchased by four individuals in 1973, with the hope of restoring the hotel and opening it as a Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum opened in June of 1976, after three years of volunteer work, grant applications and fundraisers. 

Today, the museum staff greet more than 6,000 visitors each year — drawing guests from all 50 states and many nations.

The museum has earned several awards over the years, and most recently earned the 2024 Best of the Best Local Attractions from a nearby Minnesota publication.

The former Masters Hotel on the museum grounds is registered on the National Register of Historical Places.

The Mercantile building will be restored and will house the museum’s office headquarters and gift shop in the center of town. Faced with restoration expenses, donations to the area non-profit organization are welcome. (Photos by Roz Weis)

How to give

Museum Board President Leslie Cook and Museum Director Barb Olson expressed gratitude to the visitors and donors who support the museum’s mission and educational programs.

Tax deductible donations for the restoration of the mercantile building are welcome.

Events held throughout the year, including the annual Laura Days celebration in June, a spaghetti fundraiser and other projects, will benefit the mercantile renovation project.

Donations can be made online at lauraingallswilder.us/support-the-museum or sent directly to the museum in Burr Oak.

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