Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
“Brown State Wayside Rest is a National Scenic Byway Wayside Rest area. It is located on Renville County Highway 15, south of Sacred Heart, Minnesota, United States.”
Wikipedia article Joseph Brown House Ruins, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 9 National Register listings published here for Renville County · listed in 1986 · category: Site.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Joseph Brown House Ruins between 2006 and 2016, burning about 165 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 July 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 108 acres | Litchfield Wetland Management District | TEACHERS WF |
| 13 April 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 October 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 17 acres | Litchfield Wetland Management District | SACRED HEART FIRE |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Joseph Brown House Ruins: 3 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Granite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Quarry | Granite | Producer | ||
| Hagen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hetle Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sacred Heart, the town this property stands in, in 37 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 19 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2016 | Lightning | Sacred Heart | $500,000 | A lightning bolt struck a church in Sacred Heart, Minnesota. The lightning started a fire and destroyed the church which was built 140 years before. No one was injured, but the church was a total loss. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | $50,000 | Damage occurred north of Sacred Heart, and south of County Road 11. There was a metal roof that was blown several feet from its foundation and had its roof peeled off. Plus, several large trees were blown down. In addition, the farm had some of their corn flattened. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | $25,000 | Severe straight-line winds blew down a large grain bin near Sacred Heart and blocked part of Highway 212. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | $5,000 | A few large trees were blown down between Sacred Heart, and Renville, including a large tree that fell on a house in Renville. |
| June 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Sacred Heart | - | A storm chaser filmed a brief tornado. It broke a few large branches before moving into an open field and dissipating. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | Photos were sent to the NWS. |
| September 2021 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | A picture of 1 hail that fell north of Sacred Heart. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Several power lines were blown down northwest of Sacred Heart. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | A few reports of downed trees and power lines from near Sacred Heart, south to the Minnesota River. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Sacred Heart | - | An individual measured 5.40 inches of rain in Sacred Heart. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | A large tree was blown down on Highway 212 in Sacred Heart. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | A power line was blown down, along with several large tree branches scattered across the town of Sacred Heart. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Several large tree branches, up to six inches in diameter, were blown down northeast of Sacred Heart. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | A tractor trailer was blown over on Highway 212 west of Sacred Heart. |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | Sacred Heart | - | Several inches of rainfall occurred between 10 PM CST to 12 Midnight CST across a large area of Renville County. A section of Highway 212 near Sacred Heart was closed due to the flood waters. Some areas along Highway 212 had knee deep water during the height of the storm. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | Penny sized hail fell for 5 minutes. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Six inch diameter branches were downed in Ericson Township. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Trees and power lines down. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Trees blown down. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Ballpark damaged. Trees uprooted and power lines down. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sacred Heart | - | Street lamps blown over. Estimated windspeed. |
| September 2024 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| September 2020 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| September 2020 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| September 2020 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| April 2012 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Sacred Heart | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Sacred Heart Public School | 2.5 miles | 2014 |
| Hotel Sacred Heart | 2.7 miles | 2016 | |
| Lars Rudi House | 5.6 miles | 1986 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 86002838 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Renville County | All 9 listed properties in this county. |
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