Olmsted County Historical Society asks for $850,000 in legacy funds to finish Stoppel Farmstead restoration

Senator Liz Bolden introduced Senate File 627, an appropriation request for $850,000 from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to the Olmsted County Historical Society to continue restoration and make accessible the George Stoppel Farmstead on the History Center campus.

The farmstead includes three buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places; supporters said the site provides education on immigration and early agriculture in southeast Minnesota and is important to visitors connected to Rochester’s Mayo Clinic. “The Stoppel Farmstead serve[s] an important role in preserving the cultural heritage of Southeast Minnesota,” Senator Liz Bolden told the committee.

Mark Warner, president of the Olmsted County Historical Society board, outlined earlier restoration work and fundraising: the society has contributed roughly $1.1 million to date and recently stabilized a bank barn with roughly $500,000 in investment. Warner described the smokehouse as an early structure with hand-dug caves used by immigrant families in the 1850s and said the society is seeking funding to “activate” the site for education and visitation.

Supporters in the audience, including a county commissioner and Heritage Center volunteers, spoke in favor of the request. Warner and Bolden asserted the farmstead attracts regional and international visitors tied to the Mayo Clinic and could become a larger attraction with completed restoration.

The committee did not vote; Chair said Senate File 627 will be laid over for possible inclusion.