The Farm is Sold
Dedication Plaque at the Hutmacher Site
Veronica Hutmacher died April 3, 1969, and Frank followed, five years later, on September 10, 1974. Their youngest child, and only son, Alex, continued to live on the farm until he and Karen Wanner were married in September of 1979. With Alex moving off the farm, the family decided to sell the property.
A nearby resident, Steve Burian, had recently lost his wife Agnes. Steve wanted to honor his wife and the generation of pioneers who sacrificed so much to provide a better life for their children and children’s children.
Steve was familiar with the Hutmacher farm and aware of its historical significance. When it came up for sale, he bought the farm site from Alex Hutmacher for $2,000, then donated the land and buildings to the Dunn County Historical Society.
The donation of the Hutmacher farm was marked in a ceremony in 1982. A plaque was installed at the site, and Steve Burian’s son, Arnold, gave a moving speech in tribute to the Hutmachers and other regional pioneers.
The Frank Hutmacher Farmstead
The Frank Hutmacher farmstead is an excellent example of the stoneslab construction technique brought to North Dakota by Ukrainian and Russian-German immigrants. Built mostly between 1928 and 1930, the Hutmacher farmstead consists of a house, a garage, a granary, a hen house, a barn, and a root cellar. The site, together with the ruins of the Valentine Hutmacher farmstead to the southeast, is listed on the National register of Historic Places.
In December, 1980, Steve Burian of rural Manning purchased the Frank Hutmacher farmstead and donated it to the Dunn County Historical Society. The site is preserved as a memorial to Mr. Burian’s wife, Agnes, and the early settlers of this area.
The Farm is Sold
