News and Events
State Historical Society foundation receives $5.8 million donation, largest in its history
Posted 10/08/24 (Tue)
By Masaki Ova
October 04, 2024
JAMESTOWN — The State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation received its largest-ever donation this month when the estate of a late Jamestown resident gifted more than $5.8 million to the Stutsman County Courthouse.
The State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation received the gift on Sept. 18 from the estate of Sebastian George Spangler, of Jamestown.
The $5.8 million gift is the largest donation in the history of the foundation and will have a positive impact for years to come, said Dale Lennon, executive director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation.
“What we will be able to do with this gift is going to be incredible for the Stutsman County Courthouse,” Lennon said at an Oct. 1 news conference about the donation. “We are going to have some of it set aside for special projects, projects that need to be completed immediately. That can … make this a place that’s a destination for people driving through the state of North Dakota and North Dakotans themselves coming to see the history, the birthplace of North Dakota statehood.”
Lennon said the foundation will set up an endowment with the gift.
“This endowment is going to be a significant amount that will be able to continue to give on a yearly basis to the Stutsman County Courthouse so things that they’ve never had before we’ll be able to budget for, will be able to prepare for and will be able to gift that out of the endowment,” he said.
The State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation is the primary fundraising arm of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
“The foundation has been in existence since 1965,” Lennon said.
Bill Peterson, director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota and state historic preservation officer, read a statement on behalf of Gov. Doug Burgum.
“As the largest donation ever received, the $5.8 million gift designated for the Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site will help the courthouse retain this historical place in North Dakota’s movement toward statehood,” Peterson read. “We also pay tribute to Mr. Sebastian George Spangler and all those who have helped safeguard the 1883 Courthouse for the community of Jamestown and our entire state. The generosity of Mr. Spangler respects the past, inspires the future and reminds us to be grateful in the present. May the days ahead be filled with continued restoration and preservation of the Stutsman County Courthouse and the history contained therein and the people who celebrate both.”
Peterson said the donation was possible because of the work of individuals who wanted to preserve the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse.
“I just wanted to give a big shout-out to the people that from the very beginning saw the desire to keep this building,” he said. “The greenest building ever built is one that’s already built. … You can’t help but be in here and recognize the craftsmanship, the quality, the detail. They don’t make things like this any more.”
Peterson said the $5.8 million gift will benefit the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse for a long time to ensure maintenance and repairs can always be done and staffing is present.
“The wherewithal is always there to allow this building to continue to function as part of the community,” he said.
Peterson added that the building can be used for wedding venues, concerts and other events.
He said the first projects that will be done include replacing the roof, which was done 30 years ago, and installing air conditioning in the courtroom.
Before Spangler’s gift, the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation’s largest gift was $2 million from Hess Corp. during a capital campaign in 2014 to raise funds for the expansion of the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, Lennon said.
“We've had several gifts in that million-plus range,” Lennon said. “Moving forward, we’re also in another campaign with the expansion of the (North Dakota) Military Gallery. There could be some extremely large gifts involved with that.”
Peterson said the capital campaign in 2014 raised $12 million total in private donations. The expansion of the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum cost about $52 million.
The largest single gift previously to the Stutsman County Courthouse was $25,000, said Barb Lang, a member of the 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse Committee.
Spangler farmed and raised cattle in the Jamestown area in addition to operating an antique business. He previously donated an antique chandelier to the Stutsman County Courthouse.