Bringing a little bit of Norway to Milan

Stabbur: From Milan go 3 miles east on Highway 40, then turn and go 1 mile south and then 1/2 mile east. 612-734-4891. This traditional Norwegian Stabbur is located on the family farm of Don and Alta Peterson.

The Stabbur, a Norwegian pantry, is a freestanding building on the Don and Alta Pderson farm in rural Milan. The stabbur was intended as a gift to the people of the United States from the people of Norway as a way of saying “thanks” for care packages sent to Norway after World War II. Halvard Pettersen of Vmstra, Norway, a restaurant owner and taxi cab driver, built the stabbur with his son in Norway. In a letter explaining his gift Pettersen writes, ”Packages from American had to be picked up at the post office and then the children from the whole neighborhood would come to get a glimpse. It was quite an event at that time. Norway then had rationing of everything.”

In 1987, the stabbur was shipped here in pieces. Shipping costs totaled $1,800 and it took 10 days to reassemble the building on the Peterson farm.The stabbur was used as an outdoor pantry in the early days of Norway where smoked hams were hung. The stabbur is an excellent granary since it is raised off the ground and is rodent proof. Today it is more decorative and is considered an antique. A photo essay of the construction of the stabbur can be found at the Arv Hus Museum in Milan as recorded by Billy Thompson.

Historic Sites          Museums