In 1854, “Yankee Settlers” built a log cabin in what would become Concord, Minnesota in May of 1858. Concord developed quickly. By the Civil War, 60 men from Concord served the Union. There were approximately 200 residents of the town proper, but the surrounding farms supported the growth of the town. The Business Directory of 1882-1883 lists 19 stores. In 1884, a railroad bed was laid three miles west of Concord through a swampy marsh. In 1885, a new town at the site of the railroad depot was established, the town of West Concord. West Concord was literally built on the foundations of Concord. Concord’s limestone quarries provided the underpinnings of the new business that sprung up. For a while, there was quite a competition between the Old Town and West Concord. Snobbery toward the upstart town was rampant in the local newspaper, but within five years the pull of the railroad led to almost all of the businesses migrating to West Concord. Today there is only one business in “Old Concord”, The Concord Store and Locker, where locally shot meat has been butchered and stored since 1858.
West Concord grew steadily, as Concord shrank. The population has hovered around 700 since 1920. The West Concord High School was closed in 1990 and the building has become an excellent museum displays about Concord and West Concord in the old classroom.
West Concord grew steadily, as Concord shrank. The population has hovered around 700 since 1920. The West Concord High School was closed in 1990 and the building has become an excellent museum displays about Concord and West Concord in the old classroom.
Folks around town (Roll over images to read their story)
Coleen Hain, the President of the West Concord Museum was my host. She had visited Concord Massachusetts and was a Louisa May Alcott fan. "I've read them many times: Little Women ,Little Men, Jo's Boys, Eight Cousins..... We went to a museum and we loved Walden." A third-grade research project spawned her love of local history.
Volunteers at the West Concord Museum (Roll over images to read their story)
The volunteers in the museum had a rather sad conversation about the West Concord they grew up in. "There used to be 6-7 gas stations, 6-7 restaurants and stores." Much of the downtown is boarded up, and they were worried that they were going to lose the last liquor store in town. "The liquor store brings in a lot of money, with scratch tickets, e-tabs, and there's a bingo game, I guess."
West Concord still has one of the largest farmers markets in the state and some of the residents are optimistic about the future. Regardless of what the future holds, West Concord is a powerful example of the importance of the railroads, the rapid development of Midwest towns and villages and the demise of the small local store and family farms that once were the backbone of thriving closely knit communities.