Thomas D. Campbell House
Encyclopedia
The Thomas D. Campbell House is a historic Gothic Revival style log
and wood frame
home located in Grand Forks
, North Dakota
. It is part of the Myra Museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built in 1879 for Thomas D. Campbell, the house consists of the original 1879 log cabin enclosed within a later Gothic Revival
wood frame addition, which is dated to ca. 1881-1900, with an overall L-shaped floor plan. The home has gable
d roofs and clapboard
siding. The main facade and south gables are distinguished by lace bargeboard
s, and the west gable contains a pointed window. A porch extends across the west facade and is supported by turned posts and bentwood arches. It is the only building remaining from the Campbell family's pioneer
farmstead.
The interior of the house serves as a museum, and is fitted out with turn-of-the-century furnishings befitting a family residence. The chinked log walls and hand-hewn loft joists of the original 1879 log cabin are exposed from within.
At the time of its construction the Campbell house was south of the tiny settlement of Grand Forks; it was one of a string of pioneer homes along the Red River
, with no other buildings in its immediate area. Associated with the First Dakota Boom and the pre-railroad (pre-1880) era, it is a significant example of the architecture of this period. Log structures were popular at this time due to the expense of hauling cut lumber up the river from the railhead in Fargo
. The practiced of constructing a fairly simple log home, to be supplanted or engulfed later on by a more substantial structure, appears to have been fairly common to the area at this time. The house is notable for being the only Gothic Revival
farmhouse in Grand Forks and one of only a few houses of this style in North Dakota's Red River Valley
region, and at the time of its enlargement was one of the finer homes in the area.
The log portion of the home was the birthplace of General Thomas D. Campbell (1882–1966), who was known as the "Wheat KIng" and owned large tracts of land in Montana and New Mexico. Gen. Campbell was at one time the nation's largest wheat producer, and served in both World War I
and World War II
. During the latter he developed a napalm
firebomb used widely in the Pacific Theater
.
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
and wood frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
home located in Grand Forks
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. It is part of the Myra Museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built in 1879 for Thomas D. Campbell, the house consists of the original 1879 log cabin enclosed within a later Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
wood frame addition, which is dated to ca. 1881-1900, with an overall L-shaped floor plan. The home has gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roofs and clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
siding. The main facade and south gables are distinguished by lace bargeboard
Bargeboard
Bargeboard is a board fastened to the projecting gables of a roof to give them strength and to mask, hide and protect the otherwise exposed end of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof to which they were attached...
s, and the west gable contains a pointed window. A porch extends across the west facade and is supported by turned posts and bentwood arches. It is the only building remaining from the Campbell family's pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
farmstead.
The interior of the house serves as a museum, and is fitted out with turn-of-the-century furnishings befitting a family residence. The chinked log walls and hand-hewn loft joists of the original 1879 log cabin are exposed from within.
At the time of its construction the Campbell house was south of the tiny settlement of Grand Forks; it was one of a string of pioneer homes along the Red River
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
, with no other buildings in its immediate area. Associated with the First Dakota Boom and the pre-railroad (pre-1880) era, it is a significant example of the architecture of this period. Log structures were popular at this time due to the expense of hauling cut lumber up the river from the railhead in Fargo
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. The practiced of constructing a fairly simple log home, to be supplanted or engulfed later on by a more substantial structure, appears to have been fairly common to the area at this time. The house is notable for being the only Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
farmhouse in Grand Forks and one of only a few houses of this style in North Dakota's Red River Valley
Red River Valley
The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North. It is significant in the geography of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba for its relatively fertile lands and the population centers of Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks, and Winnipeg...
region, and at the time of its enlargement was one of the finer homes in the area.
The Campbell family
Thomas D. and Almira Richards Campbell, immigrants from Scotland and Canada, began their lives in the Red River Valley with a small farm. This grew to include 4000 acres (16.2 km²) of excellent crop land by 1898. By the turn of the century Mr. Campbell had become a prominent real estate man in the city.The log portion of the home was the birthplace of General Thomas D. Campbell (1882–1966), who was known as the "Wheat KIng" and owned large tracts of land in Montana and New Mexico. Gen. Campbell was at one time the nation's largest wheat producer, and served in both World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During the latter he developed a napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
firebomb used widely in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
.