Graceville, Minnesota

Graceville, Minnesota
City
Location of Graceville, Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°34′10″N 96°26′16″W / 45.56944°N 96.43778°W / 45.56944; -96.43778
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Big Stone
Area[1]
• Total	0.58 sq mi (1.50 km2)
• Land	0.58 sq mi (1.50 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,112 ft (339 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	577
• Estimate (2012[3])	568
• Density	994.8/sq mi (384.1/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	56240
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-24758[4]
GNIS feature ID	0644309[5]

Graceville is a city in Big Stone County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 577 at the 2010 census.^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.58 square miles (1.50 km²), all of it land.^[1]

U.S. Route 75 and Minnesota State Highway 28 are the two major highways that run through the community. The town's main street is named Studdart Avenue. The town is located on the northeast corner of Toqua Lake, a recreational lake surrounded by two campgrounds, a golf course and a shooting club.

Graceville is in a natural area called a wet prairie, which is a mix of prairie land, swamp and numerous small lakes and ponds.

History

Graceville was founded in the 1870s by a colony of Catholics and named for Thomas Langdon Grace, second Roman Catholic Bishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[7]

Toquatennial Days

In an effort to promote tourism, the Graceville Civic Group began Toquatennial Days on the first weekend of July in 1988, the 110th Anniversary of the town's founding. Events included the crowning of "Miss Toquatennial" (entants limited to women who would be seniors at the high school), a "Medallion Hunt", softball tournament, a Sunday evening ice cream social and drag competition (an apparent parade of past Miss Toquatennials), two street dances (a free "kiddie" dance on Friday night, and the Graceville Volunteer Fire Department Fundraiser dance on Saturday night), and the Saturday morning "Graceville Gallop", a six kilometer walk/run event that circles Toqua Lake. The events culminated with a fireworks display at dusk on the Sunday evening over Toqua Lake. Events continued to be held annually on the first weekend of July or last weekend of June until the Civic group disbanded in 1998, but several local businesses and the Volunteer Fire Department have independently kept many of the events going every year, including the addition of a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and fire department "water fights".

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 577 people, 263 households, and 135 families residing in the city. The population density was 994.8 inhabitants per square mile (384.1/km²). There were 305 housing units at an average density of 525.9 per square mile (203.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.8% White and 0.2% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 263 households of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 1.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.7% were non-families. 44.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the city was 52.2 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 35% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.9% male and 54.1% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census,^[4] there were 605 people, 257 households and 149 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,007.7 per square mile (389.3/km²). There were 283 housing units at an average density of 471.4 per square mile (182.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.50% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.17% of the population.

There were 257 households, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.92.

Age distribution was 22.3% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 32.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.

The median household income was $27,143, and the median family income was $35,385. Males had a median income of $27,031 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,451. About 3.9% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley High School

Graceville is part of the Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley School District (Independent School District 2888). It is an elementary and high school conglomerate consisting of rural schools in Big Stone County, which united in 1994. The school mascot is the Wolverine and the school newspaper is the "Paw Press." The high school is located in Graceville and the elementary school is located in nearby Clinton, MN.

Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley High School earned the Minnesota State High School League Championship in 9-man football, played at the H.H.H. Metrodome on November 13, 2012.^[9] In 2009, C-G-B High School competed in the semi-final tournament against Stephen-Argyle School District, losing 18-21.^[10] C-G-B sports compete in the Pheasant Conference of the Minnesota State High School League.

Notable residents

• Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo.
• Maureen Owen (born July 6, 1943 in Graceville, Minnesota ) is a poet, editor, and biographer.[1]
• Birthplace of former Minnesota Twins baseball manager Tom Kelly in 1950, who guided the Twins to two World Series championships (1987 and 1991).
• Irish language storyteller Éamon a Búrc (1866–1942) was a resident in the early years of settlement.
• Birthplace of Bridget Connelly, author of Forgetting Ireland: Uncovering a Family's Hidden History (Borealis Books, Minnesota Historical Society, 2003). Connelly was a scholar of folklore and comparative literature and Emeritus Professor of Rhetoric at the University of California-Berkeley. Her previous book, "Arab Folk Epic and Identity," was awarded the Chicago Folklore Prize and the Arberry Prize in Arabic Literature. She has received numerous awards for her work, including two Fulbright Fellowships and a Mellon grant.
• Birthplace of Charles "Charlie" Ryan (December 19, 1915, Graceville, Minnesota – February 16, 2008, Spokane, Washington), who was a singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing and first recording the rockabilly hit single "Hot Rod Lincoln".
• Birthplace of Jack Conway (17 July 1887; Graceville, Minnesota – 11 October 1952; Pacific Palisades, California), who was a director, producer and actor from many films in the first half of the 20th century. His full name was Hugh Ryan Conway.
• Arthur Willard Davis (born June 6, 1942 in Graceville, Minnesota) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for three seasons. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1965 to 1966 and the San Diego Padres in 1969.
• Todd Hendricks (born August 13, 1968 in Graceville, Minnesota) is a former professional football wide receiver, running back, and kick returner. He is currently head coach for the Viterbo Pitbulls in Italy.
• Charles A. Berg, farmer and politician.

References

Further reading

• Bridget Connelly, "Forgetting Ireland; Uncovering a Family's Hidden History," Borealis Books, Minnesota Historical Society, 2003.

External links

• http://www.gracevillemn.com
• Photos of Graceville, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society
• Bishop Ireland's Connemara Experiment: Minnesota Historical Society

Municipalities and communities of Big Stone County, Minnesota, United States
County seat: Ortonville
Cities	Barry Beardsley Clinton Correll Graceville Johnson Odessa Ortonville‡
Townships	Akron Almond Artichoke Big Stone Browns Valley Foster Graceville Malta Moonshine Odessa Ortonville Otrey Prior Toqua
Unincorporated communities	Foster Yankeetown
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Coordinates: 45°34′09″N 96°26′04″W / 45.56917°N 96.43444°W / 45.56917; -96.43444