Bypassed, Threatened and Still Here: The Resilient Heart of Forestville

FORESTVILLE STATE PARK, FILLMORE COUNTY — Some towns fade quietly; their stories left to weather in peeling paint and forgotten footpaths.

Forestville never learned how to do that. Instead, it’s spent more than 150 years proving that a community can be bypassed, threatened, even shuttered — and still find its way back. So why should 2025 be any different?

The first blow: the railroad turns away

In the 1860s, Forestville, Minn. was a thriving hub in Fillmore County. The Meighen brick general store anchored the business district, and the Root River carried the promise of trade and connection. Then in 1868, the railroad surveyors came — only to decide their tracks would run elsewhere. It was a single decision that altered everything.

Without a rail line, goods cost more to ship, travelers passed through other towns, and families began to move away. For some communities, that would have been the end. Forestville adapted — tightening ties among those who remained, leaning on the Meighen store, and shifting from regional trade to survival.

Budget cuts and boarded doors

By the early 20th century, the store shut its doors, and Forestville’s business district was silent. When the State of Minnesota purchased the land in the 1960s to form Forestville State Park, it seemed like a permanent lifeline. But permanence here was an illusion.

In 1986, state budget cuts forced Forestville to close. For six years the buildings sat quiet. The Friends of Forestville lobbied, fundraised and kept the cause alive until 1992, when the site reopened to the public once more.

The threats didn’t end there. In 2003, another budget crisis nearly shuttered the site. The Friends of Forestville raised more than $100,000 to keep the gates open through summer and into the next season.

The historic Forestville bridge, now closed due to disrepair. (Photo by Laney Smith)

Floods, closures and a pandemic pause

In 2008, devastating floods damaged the park and the historic 1899 bridge into town was closed to motor traffic. There was talk — again — that closure could be imminent. Instead, the site adapted, survived and remained open.

In 2020, COVID-19 silenced the village. Living history programs stopped. The costumed interpreters who usually brought the 1890s to life hung up their bonnets and suspenders. For a town built on human connection, the empty boardwalk was eerie.

Yet as COVID restrictions eased, staff and volunteers returned, reimagining programs for safety and still finding ways to let the public step into the past.

Then in 2023, the historic bridge failed inspection entirely. It seemed like a final blow — until a temporary walking bridge was put in place to allow visitors access. The season was shortened, but the stories of Forestville could still be told.

Today’s test

Now, Forestville faces its greatest uncertainty in decades: the Minnesota Historical Society has announced the historic site will close after Labor Day 2025 due to a budget deficit. The Friends of Forestville, once the heartbeat of every comeback, went inactive in 2024 due to declining membership. Without a leader to take the helm, the group’s future — and perhaps Forestville’s — hangs in the balance.

Still, history suggests this isn’t the end. Forestville’s resilience is almost a reflex now. Denied the railroad? It endured as a farming community. Closed by budgets? It reopened. Flooded? It held fast. Blocked by a bridge? It built another way in.

If the past is any guide, this latest setback isn’t an ending — it’s a pause before another chapter. And somewhere in the Root River’s bend, between the prairie grasses and the brick walls of the Meighen store, the town is waiting to tell it.