One thousand, one hundred souls, more or less. From its Wikipedia page: "In the mid-1860s, George Archer had a sod tavern on the north banks of what was then Lake Manyaska located just south of Sherburn. Marked by a lone Cedar tree, pioneer travelers used it as a rest stop as they traveled from Fairmont to Jackson. Soon there were pioneer settlers and a post office. As stage coaches from Fairmont to Jackson and St. James to Estherville crossed the area, it was concluded that there was a definite need for a settlement."

The article is dinged for its lack of sources. Maybe it's the recollections of an immortal man who lives there still. Ever think about that, Wikipedia? Huh?

From their application for the National Registry of Historic Places:

Many of the buildings in the district are second generation brick buildings which replaced earlier woodframe structures which were more modest in size and design and dangerously susceptible to fire. The fifteen buildings in the historic district were constructed during a relatively brief, approximately ten year period and represent efforts to construct substantial, handsome, and permanent structures in architectural styles popular at the time.

The buildings attest to the optimism which infused new communities established along Minnesota's frontier rail lines, communities which looked to a future of sustained economic growth

I’m not saying there’s something odd going on here; the screen is standard, the part of the screen falling off to reveal the old building is standard. No, I’m not saying there’s something odd going on here.

Not saying that at all.

A tidy main street with a grain elevator at the end: perfect little nice Minnesota small town

That color - sort of fever-beets - was popular for facade overhauls, and I’d bet it has a limited time frame. '62 - '67.

NUCHIN? NURCRIN!

I don’t know what the architect was thinking when he added that rustication above the middle windows.

Buckaroo’d citizen that proved brick is an effective and economical source for making the facade slightly interesting. Bonus: pressed tin cornice.

The Chard Building, if you’re curious.

“We tried the wooden gravity press on all the windows, and two failed right away”

Those panels can be pried off by a kitten with a crowbar at this point, I'll bet.

Lamentable window rehab.

It's as if the sign imitates a glitch, or a defective CRT.

Another name time is erasing:

“No, don’t put it on the roof. When it gets full of snow I don’t want to have to climb stairs to clear the dish.”

I can’t imagine why it went out of business. Sunlight’s so overrated.

“Okay, I’ll take your sister on, but I’m not changing the name of the business.”

“YES YOU WILL”

“No, I won’t”

“YES YOU WILL”

Technically, OSHA will sometimes let you count the length of the safety ladder’s shadow

“The winning entry for the Sherburne Community Building name is here in my hand! Drum roll, please.”

If you’re literally a club for odd fellows, it stands to reason you’d have a variety of door shapes.

Here we end: almost original. If I had to guess, I’d say it was covered for years, then uncovered in hopes of a better third act.