Historic Fergus Falls home saved by anonymous donor, nonprofit says

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A nonprofit organization that currently owns the nearly 130-year-old home of Prince Honeycutt, the first Black resident of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, says an anonymous donor has stepped up to pay a city assessment that put the home in jeopardy.

What we know 

Freed slave Prince Honeycutt built the home, located on East Summit Avenue in Fergus Falls, in 1885 after becoming the first African American to live in the town.

In addition to opening a barbershop, Honeycutt is also believed to be the first Black baseball player in Minnesota, and the first Black mayoral candidate in the state.

"It not only tells about the diversity of our community, it tells that great story about the movement west of people after the Civil War," Chris Schuelke, Executive Director of the Otter Tail Historical Society, told FOX 9.

Restoration efforts

The home had fallen into disrepair and was set for demolition until city officials donated it to Flowingbrook Ministries, which raised money to aid in its restoration.

However, a city utility improvement project assessment of $10,000 put the home's future in jeopardy, with a GoFundMe campaign soliciting donations.

Flowingbrook Ministries now tells FOX 9 that an anonymous donor has stepped in to pay off the assessment, and save the home from future action.

What’s next

Local preservationists say the goal is for the home to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, so this piece of the past doesn't become history itself.