The History of Old Armory
The Old Armory was constructed in 1916, most notable for its typical architecture of such military buildings of the time, as well as the manner in which it required several sectors of government, including civilians and military, to come together for it. The armory was constructed at the request of “E” Company, a military unit in Williston that had, prior to that time, conducted most of their exercises in fields and open lots. The plan for the armory, drawn up in conjunction with Minot architect Robert Stacy-Judd, would cost $27,000. The government promised to pay $15,000 if $10,000 could be locally raised. While E Company successfully raised that money, the government decided instead to only offer $5,000 towards the armory’s construction. Thankfully, along with an extra loan from the state, the rest of the money was raised by the community via the selling of 200 shares of stock that were worth $50 each. The state also offered a $5000 cash advance. Becoming both an auditorium and an armory, Old Armory has since been a major gathering place for the people of Williston, having been constructed through the combined efforts of city, state, public and the military.
Paranormal Activity
While there are few exact incidents of recorded paranormal activity at Old Armory, there have been consistently reported sightings of mannequins moving of their own accord within the building. On top of this, there have been many reports from both building staff and visitors that tell of hushed whispers even though no one else is present. Other reports include apparitions that appear only on staircases within the armory itself. Needless to say, with such varied and frequent reports of paranormal activity, the Old Armory is widely believed to be haunted, though there are no solid theories as to why that would be the case.
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