The first time we find mention of the Baldwin Town Hall is in the Princeton Union-Eagle in 1904. At this time it was located on the northwest corner of County Road 38 and 116th Street in Section 15 in Baldwin.
It had apparently been built, or moved, to this low location sometime at an earlier date. A little humor accompanied this article when the reporter wrote,
“The town hall of Baldwin that for some time has stood on a low piece of ground and all last summer was surrounded by water, has been moved to higher ground. The members of the town board and those who had business before the board was obliged to take the “ferry” several times in order to reach the town hall. It was deemed advisable to move the building as it was feared that some member of the board might jump overboard and be unable to swim.”
(From Princeton Union-Eagle, 1904)
The 1903 town map shows the town hall just a few feet from the intersection. If one drives by that location, you will see how wet it is. When the hall burned down in 1968, it was then located over a quarter mile west of the intersection on an oak knoll. Kermit Young, in an oral interview in 2004, and one with Larry Marquette in 1977, both who were on the town board in their day, confirmed a move. It was also indicated the building might have been used as a school. The fact remains, that the hall was moved from the intersection to about 1500 feet west to the oak knoll.
“A fire in Baldwin Township destroyed the town hall. Old township records, filing cabinets and some furniture were destroyed. The fire burned and shorted electrical wires nearby, causing electricity in the area to go off for a time.”
(From “Growth of Sherburne Co. 1875 – 1975. Sherburne Historical Society, 1975)
Princeton Union-Eagle
Baldwin Township Hall Destroyed
By Fire Late Sunday
(February 29, 1968)
Baldwin Township electors will cast their ballot at the March 12 town meeting at District 31 School also known as the Jenson School in Baldwin Township according to Lawrence Nordwall, township secretary.
The decision was made by the township board last Tuesday after fire destroyed the Baldwin Hall early Monday morning.
According to Sherburne County Sheriff Chet Goerner, the fire was discussed by a REA troubleshooter who was sent to the area four miles south of Princeton when power was disrupted shortly after midnight Sunday.
Goerner said the suspicious fire in the converted schoolhouse was under investigation by this department and also by the state marshal’s office.
He said the entire structure was destroyed in the conflagration. All of the Township’s records were also destroyed. The building was in an open space and none of the residents noticed the late night fire.
The next evening following the town hall fire on February 26, 1968, the town board had a special meeting.
Baldwin Township Minutes
Held at Pratt & Hansen Home
Special meeting called to order by Ch. Pratt.
Members Present:
- Charles Pratt
- Merle Knippling
- E.W. Marquette
- Harry Rossing
- Lawrence Nordwall
The Baldwin Town Hall burned to the ground early in the morning on Monday February 26th. Origin unknown. The State Fire Marshall & Chet Goerner were up several times but had nothing to go on. After much discussion, it was decided to investigate the possibility of rebuilding. We have no deed to the land where the old building stood so will have to hunt up a new location.
Meeting adj.
Lawrence W. Nordwall, Clerk
On April 15, 1968, the board accepted bids for a new town hall, which was built in Section 10 on County Road 2 and 116th Street. Norman Looney submitted the lowest bid, which was also accepted by the board. The bid was $2,352.12. The lot was purchased from Sherburne for back taxes. The price was $133.00.
This time the Baldwin board built the town hall with concrete blocks for walls and for heat they used electric. At least this time it couldn’t burn. The building was only 24 feet by 36 feet. It had an outside toilet.
In the summer the little concrete building was cool, if you had a fan. In the winter the baseboard heaters would only give minimal heat. The winter of 1981 and 1982 found the board using the music room at the Princeton High School.
There was never sufficient parking. On election days, the line of cars parked south on 116th Street kept getting longer. We understood that dollars were limited. Most of our roads were gravel and we had not started to see any significant development of homes.
The board allowed gopher feet to be placed in peanut jars. It was decided to stop this odiferous practice. The new rule was to tape the front feet on cardboard with masking tape.
Merle Knippling was a board member and he and Myrna lived across the road. She would frequently stop by with cookies. At the annual meeting, if we didn’t have a quorum, we would get Myrna so that the meeting could be conducted.
On March 18, 1982, the board decided it was time to move. Jess Hall was asked to find some property. Herb Murphy was asked to be responsible for the blueprints and serve as construction coordinator. They decided to build a town hall building with a bath and kitchen. They also decided to build a maintenance building.
Bids were received. Latcham, from Milaca, got the bid. The town hall came to $19,000 and the maintenance garage to $10,000. Having carpet, running water, chairs and a place to store things was great. The 1982 town hall and maintenance building is the same one being used today. In the year 2002, the residents also chose to construct a fire station on the same property.