Allina Health Faribault Medical Center commemorates Johnston Hall

FARIBAULT, Minn. (November 2, 2023) — Allina Health is grateful for the opportunity to work with the community to preserve Faribault history.

Artifacts from Johnston Hall are now displayed in a memorial garden where the community can learn more about its rich history. 

The story of Johnston Hall is also commemorated in a 40-minute documentary. 

When the 133-year-old building was declared a hazard and razed in 2021, crews retrieved numerous artifacts for the memorial, including the bronze Seabury Divinity School plaque cornerstone which now serves as the center monument in the garden on the Faribault Medical Center campus. The benches and pavers are also made from stone from the building.

“We are grateful for the employees, donors and community members who created this beautiful and educational tribute to Johnston Hall,” said Michael Johnston, Allina Health South Market President. “This building with its distinctive tower was a mainstay in the community for more than a century, and it’s important that we honor its historical significance.”

Signs in the memorial detail the history of Johnston Hall and provide a QR code for people to watch a documentary produced by The 1855 History Team, which is part of Steamboat Media Company. That video can be viewed here: www.steamboatmedia.co/johnstonhall.

The documentary produced as part of the memorial is called, Love Inwrought: Johnston Hall and the Memory of a Building. It was written and directed by Logan Ledman and Sam Temple, it also features a miniature model of Johnston Hall created by Rathbun Reliquaries, illustrations by Piper Mohring, music by Sam Dwyer, and actors Steve Searl (portraying Bishop Henry Whipple) and Eli Hastings (portraying Reverend Henry St. Clair.)
 
The title of the documentary was inspired by a quote from Bishop Whipple: “There is an unwritten history of faith and love inwrought in every building erected here.” Whipple was writing about the schools he helped to organize; Johnston Hall, completed in 1888, was originally built as part of Seabury Divinity School.