Our Historic Home

Built in 1929, this historic building originally housed the International Harvester farm machinery dealership. Located near the Missouri River on a street locally known as Machinery Row, the building is adjacent to the National Register’s Historic Railroad District in the original town site of Great Falls.

Second Street South was once lined with implement dealers who provided farmers and ranchers one-stop shopping. The earliest dealerships date back to 1909. Despite economic hardships prefacing the Great Depression and the 1929 Stock Market Crash, the building was completed in 1929. International Harvester operated for nearly thirty years in the 47,625 square foot building.

Northern School Supply, in business in Great Falls since 1931, purchased the facility in 1958 and redesigned the space as a warehouse. The company provided resources for educators across the state. School Specialty, a Wisconsin-based company, purchased Northern School Supply in 1997 and consolidated Western operations out of Portland, OR.

In 1998, the Cascade County Historical Society purchased the building to house its collections, archives, and museum in one location. In 2007 the building was formally named The History Museum. Today, the Cascade County Historical Society operates as The History Museum & Research Center.