Longhouse, Old Ad Buildings Gone, But Not Forgotten
by Sara Needham
"Longhouse 4 Ever"
"Dorm war champs 1952-2005"
"Free Martha Stewart"
"Vote for Pedro"
These were a few of the sentiments expressed on the walls of Bethany's Longhouse residence on July 1, 2005, shortly before the building was razed. The previous day had seen the demolition of Old Ad, the first building on Bethany's campus.
As scattered groups of people watched the wrecking crew at work, emotions were mixed. Part of Bethany's early history is gone, and it was heart-wrenching for some of the long-time staff members who dedicated hours of sweat labor to construct the buildings to see them go. Both intermittent cheers from students caught up in the excitement of demolition and bittersweet comments from others were heard as the buildings slowly came down.
Although the buildings are no longer a prominent part of Bethany's campus, the memories will not fade quickly. The Old Ad, first dubbed "The New House," was first lived in by the Ted Hegre and Morry Johnson families in 1947. In 1948, the Longhouse was named after houses described by a missionary in Borneo. Early occupants of the Longhouse included the Dahlen, Carlson, Strand, Lovestrand, and Grimstad families.
Ruth (Bergh) Billman, one of Bethany's first missionaries, writes:
"I have a memory that has a touch of humor and a flash back to other days remembering a terrifically important Bethany lady. My husband, Herb Billman, and I had returned from Guinea Bissau on our first furlough. We brought with us our first child, Danny. Who should be babysitting him in the Longhouse but Esther Chilson? She was too old to be babysitting, but we were great friends and Esther was one available lady. One night she had trouble getting him to sleep. Nothing seemed to quiet him. He wouldn't quit crying. Finally an idea popped into Esther's mind. She promptly acted on it. She walked quietly to the end of the hall, just outside his door. Then she turned around, tramped with all her energy down the hall to his door. Victory! No doubt he thought his father was arriving! He went promptly to sleep."
In 2004 the decision was made to close the Longhouse and Old Ad buildings, as their living space was not needed and the winter utilities cost was prohibitive. Residents were moved to other apartments on campus, and the buildings have been empty for most of the year. This led to the decision that the buildings had reached the end of their usefulness, as it was determined that the substantial renovations they needed would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For the present time, the gaping holes of history will be filled in and grass will be planted, leaving only fond memories where Bethany's first administration building and residence once stood. The courtyard somehow seems larger now, and it will take some time to adjust to the emptiness.
If you have a special memory of the Longhouse or Old Ad building, e-mail it to , with the subject line of "Longhouse memory," and we will include it in our scrapbook for others to reminisce with you!
Visit the Longhouse and Old Ad memory scrapbook.
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