Andrea Johnson/MDN The church and the Samuelson House were moved to Burlington, the new site of the Ward County Historical Society’s Pioneer Village Museum, on Tuesday.

Movers from Huwe the House Mover Inc. loaded the Immanuel Lutheran Church and the Samuelson House onto trailers and slowly moved them out to the new site of the Ward County Historical Society’s Pioneer Village in Burlington on Tuesday. Several people snapped pictures as the trailers went by.

It was a milestone day for the historical society and for the Pioneer Village Museum, which had been located at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds for well over half a century.

Two other buildings are to be moved off the old site at the fairgrounds on Thursday, said historical society president David Leite. Those will be the last of the buildings to be moved.

The historical society lost a long running legal battle last year against the State Fair Association to keep the buildings on the fairgrounds. Historical society members decided against appealing the district court decision in favor of a new start in Burlington, which was the original Ward County seat. The land where the museum is now located is along U.S. 2 and 52 in Burlington, right next to the Dollar General Store. The land was donated and the historical society now holds title to the land, meaning the museum will never again be in danger of eviction.

More financial assistance will be needed to establish the museum there, including putting the buildings on foundations and other infrastructure.

All of the buildings must be off the fairgrounds by June 15 if the museum is to receive $250,000 from the state. A bill passed by the North Dakota Legislature calls for the State Fair Association to receive the appropriation from the state general fund, contingent upon all of the buildings being removed by that date. Some $100,000 of that money is to come from the State Fair Association.