This stabbur is a replica of a storehouse from a farm near Telemark, Norway. The original was built about 1775. This replica was constructed in Norway. It was then disassembled and shipped to Minot where it was reconstructed in 1990.
Trunks with clothing and valuables were stored on the upper floor. Food and commodities were stored on the ground floor. Water and rodents were the biggest enemies in a storehouse. Stilts raised the floor level, the wooden steps did not come into contact with building to reduce the possibility of rodent infestation and meat/cheese was hung from the ceiling.
According to the Norwegian folklore each farmstead has a Christmas gnome living in their stabbur. The Christmas gnome brings gifts for well-behaved children. But if the gnomes are not well-looked after, they can play tricks on people. Some people put out a bowl of rice porridge sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon to keep their barn gnome happy, much like children today leave out cookies for Santa.