Campbell Straw Bale Built Museum (Carthage)

Have you ever wondered what kind of structure could be built out of 1,300 straw bales? Over 22 years ago, the community of Carthage, South Dakota, put that idea to the test, building the first and only museum in the United States originally built from straw – the Campbell Straw Bale Built Museum.

In the early 2000’s, faced with concerns of a crumbling structure being used to house local historical artifacts, the community of Carthage chose to take a unique approach to replacing it that would be eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and sourced from the local area. What they came up with was a uniquely unconventional structure constructed of solid straw bales that act as both the insulation and the walls themselves, kept in place by a framework of reclaimed timbers. The exterior coating of the building is made of stucco, which conceals the view of the straw bales. However, in the event there is ever any doubt that the building is constructed of straw, the founders included a number of “truth windows,” which allow visitors to see the South Dakota-grown straw bales tucked inside the walls that help to maintain a stable temperature year round – no small feat for South Dakota winters.  

Perhaps one of the even more remarkable aspects of the Campbell Straw Bale Built Museum isn’t simply what it’s made of, but who built it; the entire structure was built by local volunteers alongside South Dakota state penitentiary inmates. Construction began in 2003, and completion of the largest straw bale-built museum in the world was completed and opened to the public in 2004.

Inside the museum, visitors can find a variety of treasures, including artifacts that date back to the 1800s as well as a series of Carthage School class photos ranging from 1923 to 1983. Also included are pieces reflective of a more recent part of pop culture history: authentic artifacts and memorabilia relating to the film and the book by Jon Krakauer entitled, Into the Wild. The story’s lead character, Christopher McCandless, resided in Carthage before his epic journey to Alaska, and much of the 2007 movie was filmed in the Carthage area.

The Campbell Straw Bale Built Museum is located at 206 North Main Street in Carthage and is generally open on the weekends during the summer months. Of course, arrangements can be made to visit the museum any time of year by contacting museum operators Norbert and Barbara Moldan at strawbalemus@alliancecom.net, or via phone at (605) 772-4716. Admission is free and open to the public, and with summertime in full swing, it’s the perfect time to visit Carthage to take in a bit of South Dakota history…right along with ingenuity, creativity, and a lot of hard work.