Anonymous donor pays assessment bill to save Fergus Falls historic home

An anonymous donor has stepped up to save the historic home of the first Black resident of Fergus Falls. The 139-year-old house faced forfeiture to Otter Tail County due to an unpaid city assessment bill.

Prince Honeycutt, who was also Minnesota’s first Black baseball player and mayoral candidate, built the home 13 years after he arrived in Fergus Falls from Tennessee. 

Three years ago, the city placed a utility improvement assessment of $8,000 on the home.  When it was not paid, the amount grew. 

Lynette Higgins-Orr, the president and founder of the nonprofit Flowing Brook Ministries, which manages the property, said it could not afford to pay the bill.

The anonymous donor called up Higgins-Orr recently after learning about the issue through recent media coverage. She said she has known the donor “for many years” but he asked for the contribution to be kept anonymous. 

“The gentleman called and asked me some questions about the house and to make sure he heard the story correctly and when I said yes, he said, ‘We'll take care of it,’” she said. 

Higgins-Orr said she received a call from the city on Wednesday and a representative confirmed the bill was paid. The total amount was $11,550.

‘This is for everyone’

Moving forward, the group hopes to raise additional money to fix up the home. 

“Our plans are to continue with the GoFundMe for the renovation piece of it ... where we’re going to ask if those that would will continue to donate for the renovation,” she said. The goal is to open the home as a museum, she added.

Phase one of the plan is to replace existing windows with donated ones, Higgins-Orr said. The group needs to hire installers. The group also plans to re-plaster some areas in the house and paint the exterior. In phase two, the group plans to upgrade the plumbing and electrical system.  

“That’s where our plans are to get that going so that we can get the museum up and running,” Higgins-Orr said.

Honeycutt was born into slavery near Pulaski, Tenn., but later gained his independence. In addition to playing baseball and running for office, Honeycutt was also a firefighter.

He also helped spearhead a movement which brought the first Black families to the area from Kentucky by train in 1897. The group would become known as the First 85 or the Original 85.

Honeycutt, who owned a downtown barbershop at the time, acted as a liaison for the families. He also helped secure employment and housing for them.

Higgins-Orr said what Honeycutt stood for transcends racial lines and is as relevant now as it was then.

“This is for everyone. This is to celebrate how far we have come and so I really, really don’t want people to think this is all about a Black man,” she said. “No, this is about a human; and humankind; and just love.”