Many houses in the East-side have added “Built” date plaques on their homes as a way to acknowledge and celebrate the historical assets of our neighborhood. These date plaques on all ages of houses enrich our understanding of the history and development pattern of our neighborhood. If you are interested in purchasing a built date plaque for your house at a reduced bulk rate, please contact Alice Thomas at ythoma078@yahoo.com or go to this NESNA site for additional information, order form and pictures.
“Built” Date House Plaques
One aspect of Northfield’s heritage is its well-maintained homes that range in age and architectural styles. In recognition and celebration of this historical heritage, Northfield-in-Bloom encourages residents to add a “Built” date plaque on their houses. Date plaques on houses, regardless of age, provide a sense of the development pattern and history of the block and neighborhood. The plaques also serve as a reminder of our city’s historical assets and of the need to celebrate and protect those assets.
Source and Price of Plaques
A company has agreed to provide a discount (almost ½ price) if 30 or more orders are placed at the same time. The selected plaques are a pewter background with a silver date (see attached pictures) for a cost of $45.35 including shipping. Note: The pewter color was selected from among the neutral colors because it would avoid confusion with signs for the National Registry of Historical sites which are brass, and less likely to be stolen than copper. All plaques are made of recycled aluminum with dimensions of 12.5” x 7.5” and can be attached with two screws that come with the plaque.
If you would like to order a plaque, please complete the attached order form or contact Alice Thomas at ythoma078@yahoo.com, 645-8482 or at the NESNA meetings. Once a total of 30 orders are received, you will be contacted and asked to verify your order and to forward payment at that time. Please do not send payment when submitting the order form.
Date of House
If you have an older home and are not sure of the date it was built (the deeds on many of the older homes do not contain the date a house was built on the property), you can use a program available through the Rice County Assessor’s Office. Follow these steps below or contact Alice Thomas who can help you get into the website.
1. Go to http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/
2. Select “Minnesota” and “Rice County” and click “I agree”
3. Enter your house address and click on “search”
4. Click on Click here to visit the Assessor’s VCS information page (this second page contains the “Year Built” date – along with a lot of other information).
Note: Some home owners of older homes have found that the dates listed on the above website may represent an “approximate” date the county has entered into their data base due to lack better information. These dates appear to be “rounded” off, e.g., 1870, 1875, etc. Those after 1890 don’t appear to be rounded numbers. Some home owners have been able to identify built dates through other sources such as those in the Pye Room at the Northfield Public Library.
Bulk Order Form for “Built” Date House Plaque
– Order will be placed once 30 forms have been received
Bulk price quoted from House and Garden Accents:
$45.35 (includes shipping)
Color: Pewter with silver letters
Payment: Once 30 orders have been received, you will be contacted and
requested to provide a check for payment to the “Northfield Garden
Club”; please do not provide check until contacted.
1. Name:
2. Address:
3. “Built” date to appear on plaque:
4. E-mail address:
5. Telephone number:
Please return this completed form to Alice Thomas at ythoma078@yahoo.com or
418 College St. Thank you.
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