Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps

Building a Pathway to the Preservation Trades

Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps

Established in 2011, Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps was created to serve two converging needs in Minnesota: an aging stock of historic structures and landscapes needing maintenance and repair, and to create a pathway for young adults into the preservation trades workforce.

At a time when historic structures across the country are greatly in need of maintenance and repair the number of individuals knowledgeable in these preservation trades is dwindling. Our goal at Northern Bedrock is to engage the next generation in the preservation trades by partnering with skilled trades professionals doing historic preservation work.

At Northern Bedrock, we utilize a corps model to address these two converging needs. Our AmeriCorps crews are comprised of young adults, 18-25 years old, who work during a six month field season on historic sites across the state of Minnesota. By integrating historic preservation training within the corps model, we provide young adults with the opportunity to explore diverse career paths through hands on experience and training in the building trades and historic preservation fields.

Halfway Ranger Station

Northern Bedrock is also the guardian of the Halfway Ranger Station Historic District: a 12 acre parcel of land located 12 miles south of Ely, MN on HWY 1 in the Superior National Forest. The Halfway Ranger Station Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes 12 buildings and structures including seven buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the oldest remaining building in the Superior National Forest. The site is located along the South Kawishiwi River and has water access to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Although the site is owned by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station (NRS), Northern Bedrock is responsible for the management, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of the site. We are actively working to restore the structures on the site to utilize the site as a training facility for our corpsmembers. 

   Hastings Community TV highlighted Northern Bedrock's program and work at the Oakwood Cemetery.