Former North Dakota Governors' Mansion
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this beautifully restored home was built in 1884 for wealthy local businessman Asa Fisher, who earned his wealth in banking, real estate, and liquor sales. It was designed in the mid-Victorian style and has been renovated to appear as it did in when it was first built. It is operated by the State Historical Society of North Dakota and has been open to the public since 1983. The house served as the governors' residence from 1893 until 1960 when a new home for the governor was completed. The site also includes a restored carriage house that was built in 1903. The first floor was used as a workroom and garage and the second floor was where the governor's caretaker lived. The carriage house features a permanent exhibit about the transition from horse-powered transportation to the automobile.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
From 1960-1975, the State Health Department converted the home into the North Dakota Psychiatric Clinic until 1972, the state's first outpatient mental health clinic and among the first in the country to try talk therapy (the clinic was part of a national pilot program, spearheaded by President John F. Kennedy, implemented by the Federal government to develop new treatment techniques for mentally ill patients).
Sources
"Former Governors' Mansion - History." State Historical Society of North Dakota. Accessed February 23, 2018. http://history.nd.gov/historicsites/fgm/fgmhistory.html.
Sperry, James. "Former North Dakota Executive Mansion." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. April 16, 1975. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/d1b153bc-1608-4e52-945a-8320a0086fb4.
Photo: Plazak, via Wikimedia Commons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Former_North_Dakota_Executive_Mansion#/media/File:FormerGovernorReside...