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HOME > History > History Club > Harvey Barberg - Temperance Corner and the Cokato-Finnish American Historical Society
Temperance Corner and
the Cokato-Finnish American Historical Society
Presentation to the Annandale History
Club
October 3, 2005
Harvey Barberg
Harvey Barberg is the current president of the
Cokato-Finnish American Historical Society.
His ancestors were Finnish pioneers northwest of Cokato.
On June 22, 1865, four Finnish men walked from
In 1866, the first permanent cabin was erected on
the Elias Peltopera land. It was the
shelter for the four pioneers and others until their cabins could be built. This
log cabin was sold to CFAHS and moved from a farmstead a half-mile east to
Temperance Corner in the 1970s. A
sauna constructed in 1868, called the Savu Sauna, was used by three Finnish
families, the Barbergs, Selvalas and Salmonsons.
In 1976, this sauna was donated to the CFAHS and moved to Temperance
Corner.
The Onnen Toivo (Hope of Happiness) Temperance
Society was founded August 2, 1896, as a branch of the Minnesota Temperance
Society. In 1896, Temperance Hall
was built at the crossroads of present-day Wright County Roads 3 and 100, three
miles north of Cokato. The purpose
was to provide recreation for Finns other than alcohol.
There were 40-50 people at a typical meeting.
Members made vows to abstain from alcohol consumption.
Temperance Hall provided opportunities to socialize and served as the
recreational center for the entire area. There
was a stage for plays, programs and skits. In
1910, an athletic club was started, complete with a boxing and wrestling ring.
There were hooks in the ceiling for gymnastics.
Temperance Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in
1976.
A school was started at Temperance Corner (District
117) in 1891. There were 74
students, ages 5-19 in Grades 1-8. On
Saturdays and during the summer months, the Finnish language was taught at the
school. The first Temperance Corner
School was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1921.
The Temperance Hall served as a temporary school, and by fall term a new
school had been built. The
Temperance Corner School closed in 1971 and the schoolhouse was sold and moved
in 1973. In 1999, Jerry Bajari
donated the Lee School (District 131) and it was moved to Temperance Corner and
restored. Lee School had been
located in Section 17, French Lake Township, and was open from 1899 to 1971.
1938 was the 300th anniversary of the
year Finns settled in Delaware. The
Finns in Cokato also held a gala celebration on Sunday, June 12, 1938.
A monument was dedicated at Peterson Park in Cokato.
Renewed interest in Finnish heritage led to the formation of the
Temperance Community Association. Work
was started to gather historical material about the early Finns in this
community. The Cokato
Finnish-American Historical Society was started on November 28, 1939.
Members continued to gather historical material and articles used by the
Finnish pioneers and to preserve early Finnish traditions and customs.
A pioneer memorial monument was erected at Temperance Corner in 1949 in
memory of the Finnish pioneers.
Harvey concluded his talk with information about
his ancestors. Harvey and Heidi
Barberg moved to the Barberg ancestral farm in Cokato in 1979.
Five generations of Barbergs have lived there.
The house is the oldest built by Finnish pioneers still in use in the
Cokato community. Harvey and Heidi
showed copies of the Kotila Family History, the Barberg Family History, and the
Lee School History. Harvey also
spoke a few words in the Finnish language.
The Cokato Finnish Historical Society has no
funding outside of membership dues, donations and raffles.
Constant maintenance on the historic buildings is needed.
A fund has been started to restore the 1868 Savu Sauna.
Seasonal events scheduled by CFAHS at Temperance
Corner include a Memorial Day celebration on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend;
Mid-Summer celebration in June, including a bonfire; Fall Festival in October,
including a program and bake and craft sale; and Pikkujoulu (Little Christmas)
in December, including a potluck meal and a trip to the Finnish Pioneer Cemetery
for the lighting of candles and singing of Christmas carols.
Notes by Secretary
Annandale History Club