Preserving a legacy: Nonprofit raises money to save home of first Black Fergus Falls resident

The former home of Fergus Falls’ first Black resident, Prince Honeycutt, is in jeopardy of being forfeited to the county if a Nov. 1 deadline to pay $10,000 for a longstanding city assessment isn’t met.

The nonprofit Flowing Brook Ministries has been managing the property for about eight years. Honeycutt built the house in 1885. 

President and founder Lynette Higgins-Orr said losing the house would have statewide ramifications. 

“This isn’t a Black thing, a white thing, a brown thing or a yellow thing. This is a human race thing,” she said. “And because of the legacy of Prince Honeycutt, because of the heart of Prince Honeycutt, and because of our heart, we want to preserve it.” 

Honeycutt was born into slavery near Pulaski, Tenn., but later gained his independence. He arrived in Fergus Falls in 1872 and is credited with being Minnesota’s first Black baseball player, mayoral candidate and 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 later 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, and helped secure employment as well as 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.”

Higgins-Orr said if the deadline isn’t met the house could be forfeited and auctioned off or demolished. If successful she said the nonprofit plans to renovate and open a museum. At the time of this article Flowing Brook Ministries’ GoFundMe had raised $1,570 of their goal.