Autumn Fest
Historical Society member Will Williams displays one of
many bricks sold as a fundraiser to finance the relocation
of the old Savage Depot!
Special thanks to the City of Savage for coordinating the Depot Fest and the following vendors who participated: Mom's Clubs of Savage, Abrakadoodle , Pony Pals, Cal's Market , DP Coffee Depot, Great Lakes Granola, Savage Art Studio and the Savage Liquor Stores.
We had a steady stream of people coming to view their brick, tour the depot and just plain visit with old and new friends and neighbors. We hope that you noticed the two new signs. Both explain the project with one on highway 13 and the other on the south side of the depot.
The engraved bricks that were purchased before the June deadline are now on display on the floor of the display case under the sulkey at the entrance of the library. While you are there take a few minutes to wander to the back of the library to the Heritage Room, a cooperative effort of the Dan Patch Historical Society and the Savage Branch of the Scott County Library System.
Housed there are items donated to the DPHS that are of historical significance to the city. It is not limited to Dan Patch and M.W. Savage but has files of people, maps of 1940, a complete set of the Savage Review (the newspaper before the Savage Pacer), photos of events, list of chronological events, a tank heater made in Savage, a copy of a yearbook from Camp Savage, cemetery lists, information on Cargill, Continental Machines, boiling springs, early schools and on and on.
If you or your family have anything about Savage (photos, artifacts) remember the DPHS and the Heritage Room are great to donate your items too. Deal with them now. Your kids probably will just throw them away. Let us decide if they are worth storing there. Remember .........HISTORY MATTERS.
We had a steady stream of people coming to view their brick, tour the depot and just plain visit with old and new friends and neighbors. We hope that you noticed the two new signs. Both explain the project with one on highway 13 and the other on the south side of the depot.
The engraved bricks that were purchased before the June deadline are now on display on the floor of the display case under the sulkey at the entrance of the library. While you are there take a few minutes to wander to the back of the library to the Heritage Room, a cooperative effort of the Dan Patch Historical Society and the Savage Branch of the Scott County Library System.
Housed there are items donated to the DPHS that are of historical significance to the city. It is not limited to Dan Patch and M.W. Savage but has files of people, maps of 1940, a complete set of the Savage Review (the newspaper before the Savage Pacer), photos of events, list of chronological events, a tank heater made in Savage, a copy of a yearbook from Camp Savage, cemetery lists, information on Cargill, Continental Machines, boiling springs, early schools and on and on.
If you or your family have anything about Savage (photos, artifacts) remember the DPHS and the Heritage Room are great to donate your items too. Deal with them now. Your kids probably will just throw them away. Let us decide if they are worth storing there. Remember .........HISTORY MATTERS.
Sharon Allen & Janet Williams representing the Historical Society out in the 37° weather!
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Mayor Brennan and City Administrator Stock experimenting with the, "The more I talk, the more I can stay warm" theory!
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Annette Grant participating in the festivities!
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Folks who purchased bricks, stopped by to have a glance at them, before they are installed in the Spring 2007
All Photos ©Copyright 2006 by Greg Lind &
Dan Patch Historical Society
Used by Permission
Celebrate Autumn & the Depot’s return
during Savage festival!
Savage, Minn. (Oct. 3, 2006) – Autumn Depot Fest will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 21 to celebrate fall and the return of a historic railroad depot to downtown Savage.
Autumn Depot Fest will take place in the town square off 123rd Street in downtown Savage. The event is cosponsored by the Dan Patch Historical Society and the City of Savage.
The public is invited to enjoy a variety of beverages, treats and activities while getting their first glimpse of the Depot, which is being restored. Along with taking a tour of the building, attendees can view and purchase personalized bricks that will be installed in a Depot Walk of Fame when landscaping is completed next spring
Festivities also will include a bake sale supplied by the MOMs Clubs of Savage, pumpkins by Cal’s Market and painting demonstrations by Savage Art Studios. Complimentary coffee, hot cider and donuts also will be available. Proceeds from the bake sale will be donated to the Depot’s restoration.
Free children’s activities also are planned. Youth will have an opportunity to take a pony ride and sculpt their own Dan Patch horse. The first 100 children at the event will receive a free miniature pumpkin.
During the event, attendees will have a chance to make a voluntary contribution to the Depot’s restoration, if they wish. The Depot was built in 1880 and served many needs of the International Stock Food Farm owned by the city’s namesake, Marion W. Savage. (Savage also was the owner of the famous racehorse, Dan Patch.)
In 1970, the Depot was closed and subsequently relocated from Savage to Murphy’s Landing in Shakopee. A grassroots effort led by the Dan Patch Historical Society and supported by the City brought the building back to the community last summer. Once complete, the Depot will house a coffee shop and historical memorabilia important to Savage’s past.
More information about the Depot and its restoration may be found at www.danpatch.com. For more information about Autumn Depot Fest, visit or call 952-882-2660.
Autumn Depot Fest will take place in the town square off 123rd Street in downtown Savage. The event is cosponsored by the Dan Patch Historical Society and the City of Savage.
The public is invited to enjoy a variety of beverages, treats and activities while getting their first glimpse of the Depot, which is being restored. Along with taking a tour of the building, attendees can view and purchase personalized bricks that will be installed in a Depot Walk of Fame when landscaping is completed next spring
Festivities also will include a bake sale supplied by the MOMs Clubs of Savage, pumpkins by Cal’s Market and painting demonstrations by Savage Art Studios. Complimentary coffee, hot cider and donuts also will be available. Proceeds from the bake sale will be donated to the Depot’s restoration.
Free children’s activities also are planned. Youth will have an opportunity to take a pony ride and sculpt their own Dan Patch horse. The first 100 children at the event will receive a free miniature pumpkin.
During the event, attendees will have a chance to make a voluntary contribution to the Depot’s restoration, if they wish. The Depot was built in 1880 and served many needs of the International Stock Food Farm owned by the city’s namesake, Marion W. Savage. (Savage also was the owner of the famous racehorse, Dan Patch.)
In 1970, the Depot was closed and subsequently relocated from Savage to Murphy’s Landing in Shakopee. A grassroots effort led by the Dan Patch Historical Society and supported by the City brought the building back to the community last summer. Once complete, the Depot will house a coffee shop and historical memorabilia important to Savage’s past.
More information about the Depot and its restoration may be found at www.danpatch.com. For more information about Autumn Depot Fest, visit or call 952-882-2660.
Autumn depot fest celebrates city's heritage
The Dan Patch Historical Society has found a silver lining to the delays it experienced this summer in getting the historic Savage Depot back in town.An Autumn Depot Fest is slated to take place Saturday, Oct. 21, when the public can get a glance at the inside of the depot and the city and historical society can show off future renovation plans. Plus, commemorative brick sales have been extended, so anyone who didn't get a chance to buy a "Walk of Fame" brick can do so. The "Walk of Fame" was originally slated to be dedicated on Sept. 8, the 100th anniversary of Dan Patch's world record of 1:55 at the Minnesota State Fair. However, the depot site wasn't ready, so the dedication has been put off until spring.
The 214 bricks that were already ordered have arrived and will be on display at the Depot Fest. Those bricks - and the others that are ordered by Feb. 1 - will be placed into a permanent walkway near the depot. Funds raised from the brick sale are paying for the move, restoration and landscaping around the depot. Bricks sell for $100 for a 4-inch by 8-inch brick or $175 for an 8-inch by 8-inch brick. Each brick is permanently imprinted with a name or dedication.
Janet Williams, secretary of the Dan Patch Historical Society, said extending the sale will allow people to see the bricks that are already made and inspire them to place their own order. During Dan Patch Day at the Minnesota State Fair, many relatives of M.W. Savage expressed an interest in buying bricks, as did other folks who don't live in Savage.
Besides showing off the bricks and future depot plans, the Autumn Depot Fest will feature a bake sale by the three MOMS Clubs in Savage and autumn produce sales by area vendors and individuals.
Assistant City Administrator Scott Somers sees the Depot Fest as another opportunity for residents to come downtown and see how the area is evolving. He noted that the depot is one of several new developments in the downtown area. Besides the depot relocation, the downtown parking lot was upgraded and the Savage Art Studios moved into The Hamilton. Next year, there will be a farmer's market on Wednesday evenings in the parking lot, which will be run by the St. Paul Farmer's Market.
Depot plans
The depot plan was topic of discussion this week for the Savage Economic Development Commission (EDC).
Somers said the exterior of the building will be updated with new lapboard siding, windows and doors, and the interior will be restored and preserved. Some type of tear-out work was needed to install new electric service and insulation, he explained, so the city's depot committee needed to find a way to do that, while still preserving the historic nature of the building. The exterior method was chosen, he explained, because the siding, doors and window can more easily be replicated with new materials.
Also, negotiations are continuing with Annette Grant with her plans to lease half of the depot and run a coffee shop. The other half of the depot will be used as display space for the historical society and public meeting rooms.
Somers said Grant initially proposed to rent the space for $1 a year for five years. But that didn't seem fair, he noted, saying city tenants in the first floor of The Hamilton pay $10 to $12 per foot and a tenant in a city-owned property (old Warrick building, which is now a nail salon) on 123rd Street pays $7.80 a square foot.
Somers said city staff felt asking Grant to pay the same rate as the nail salon was reasonable, but asked for further input from the EDC.
City Administrator Barry Stock said Grant would pay for her own taxes, utilities, insurance and lease-hold improvements to her part of the depot space. "She is willing to do the improvements to the building that relate to her business, but she is still seeking at least a year's free rent from the city," he said.
EDC Commissioner Ray Leathers suggested coming up with a profit-sharing arrangement with Grant, whereby her rent might be based on her profits, as opposed to a flat rental rate.
But EDC Commissioner Tom Hansen asked, "what if the business isn't successful?"
Hansen went on to say that the first year of business, when Grant is getting her feet on the ground, is different, "She's making an investment and needs to grow her business," he said. "We need her to be as strong as she can be."
So, the city should start off with the flat rental rate of around $500 a month, Hansen continued. "Then you go back and tie in to a percentage of her sales in the following years," he said. "That way, we're still getting rent," he said.
The other EDC commissioners agreed, saying the city needs to be fair to everyone who leases city property in the downtown area and can't be giving rent away. They also felt the $7.80 a square foot price was an equitable offer.
Somers said the city hopes that exterior improvements to the depot can take place over the winter so that the space is ready to be occupied in the spring. But Stock noted the renovation project is a partnership with the historical society, which is working with contractors to donate their services or provide them at cost. Therefore, progress on the exterior renovations might take longer than anticipated.
Nancy Huddleston can be reached at [email protected].
The 214 bricks that were already ordered have arrived and will be on display at the Depot Fest. Those bricks - and the others that are ordered by Feb. 1 - will be placed into a permanent walkway near the depot. Funds raised from the brick sale are paying for the move, restoration and landscaping around the depot. Bricks sell for $100 for a 4-inch by 8-inch brick or $175 for an 8-inch by 8-inch brick. Each brick is permanently imprinted with a name or dedication.
Janet Williams, secretary of the Dan Patch Historical Society, said extending the sale will allow people to see the bricks that are already made and inspire them to place their own order. During Dan Patch Day at the Minnesota State Fair, many relatives of M.W. Savage expressed an interest in buying bricks, as did other folks who don't live in Savage.
Besides showing off the bricks and future depot plans, the Autumn Depot Fest will feature a bake sale by the three MOMS Clubs in Savage and autumn produce sales by area vendors and individuals.
Assistant City Administrator Scott Somers sees the Depot Fest as another opportunity for residents to come downtown and see how the area is evolving. He noted that the depot is one of several new developments in the downtown area. Besides the depot relocation, the downtown parking lot was upgraded and the Savage Art Studios moved into The Hamilton. Next year, there will be a farmer's market on Wednesday evenings in the parking lot, which will be run by the St. Paul Farmer's Market.
Depot plans
The depot plan was topic of discussion this week for the Savage Economic Development Commission (EDC).
Somers said the exterior of the building will be updated with new lapboard siding, windows and doors, and the interior will be restored and preserved. Some type of tear-out work was needed to install new electric service and insulation, he explained, so the city's depot committee needed to find a way to do that, while still preserving the historic nature of the building. The exterior method was chosen, he explained, because the siding, doors and window can more easily be replicated with new materials.
Also, negotiations are continuing with Annette Grant with her plans to lease half of the depot and run a coffee shop. The other half of the depot will be used as display space for the historical society and public meeting rooms.
Somers said Grant initially proposed to rent the space for $1 a year for five years. But that didn't seem fair, he noted, saying city tenants in the first floor of The Hamilton pay $10 to $12 per foot and a tenant in a city-owned property (old Warrick building, which is now a nail salon) on 123rd Street pays $7.80 a square foot.
Somers said city staff felt asking Grant to pay the same rate as the nail salon was reasonable, but asked for further input from the EDC.
City Administrator Barry Stock said Grant would pay for her own taxes, utilities, insurance and lease-hold improvements to her part of the depot space. "She is willing to do the improvements to the building that relate to her business, but she is still seeking at least a year's free rent from the city," he said.
EDC Commissioner Ray Leathers suggested coming up with a profit-sharing arrangement with Grant, whereby her rent might be based on her profits, as opposed to a flat rental rate.
But EDC Commissioner Tom Hansen asked, "what if the business isn't successful?"
Hansen went on to say that the first year of business, when Grant is getting her feet on the ground, is different, "She's making an investment and needs to grow her business," he said. "We need her to be as strong as she can be."
So, the city should start off with the flat rental rate of around $500 a month, Hansen continued. "Then you go back and tie in to a percentage of her sales in the following years," he said. "That way, we're still getting rent," he said.
The other EDC commissioners agreed, saying the city needs to be fair to everyone who leases city property in the downtown area and can't be giving rent away. They also felt the $7.80 a square foot price was an equitable offer.
Somers said the city hopes that exterior improvements to the depot can take place over the winter so that the space is ready to be occupied in the spring. But Stock noted the renovation project is a partnership with the historical society, which is working with contractors to donate their services or provide them at cost. Therefore, progress on the exterior renovations might take longer than anticipated.
Nancy Huddleston can be reached at [email protected].