Steve Farden said the brothers had been waiting for about 16 years to buy the 115-year-old building that had once been used as a bank and later as a post office through the 1970s.

The original building was in poor condition and had to be torn down but the Fardens arranged to build a new structure that looks just like the old one in the same spot.

Future Builders in Minot was contracted for the project.

It has great significance for all who grew up in the Maxbass area.

Submitted Photo A 72-foot tall evergreen lights the holiday next to the town square building in Maxbass.

“I remember being in the building one time myself,” said Steve Farden. “Every generation before me remembers it being a vital part of the community.”

The replica building was “unwrapped” a few weeks ago and Maxbass residents were able to enjoy the Christmas lights on the 72-foot tall evergeen that is next to the building.

The Fardens plan to use the building as a site for safety meetings and as a secondary office site for Farden Construction.

The original building was constructed in about 1906 by the Great Northern Railroad, said Steve Farden. The railroad also has family significance for the Fardens as Ole Farden, who started Farden Construction, got off a train in Minot in 1905.

Steve Farden said he knows the Fardens are fortunate to have been able to afford to build the replica of the building.

He still wishes it had been possible to restored the original building, which was nearly identical to a bank building that still stands in Antler.

According to a 1988 application to have the State Bank of Antler added to the National Historic Register, David Tallman of Willmar, Minn., was the main town developer for Great Northern, which promoted the establishment of towns along the railway line. Antler, Maxbass, Sarles and McCumber were all platted with town squares dominated by a single central building. The bank building at Maxbass was located in the central square and was covered in pressed metal, according to the application. Antler’s bank building is in far better condition than the original building that had to be torn down in Maxbass.

The replica will preserve that history for generations to come.

“I’ve got all the faith in the world that it will represent the old building,” said Steve Farden, who is proud of the work that was done and thinks it gave people in town something to look forward to, especially in the middle of the pandemic.

(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944 or call 1-800-735-3229. You also can send email suggestions to eogden@minotdailynews.com.)