Icelandic Rootshús Receives $300,000 Grant to Build a New Icelandic Heritage Center

The dream of a permanent home for Icelandic heritage in northeastern North Dakota took a major step forward this week.

Computer rendition of Roothús

The Icelandic Roots Rootshús project in Mountain has been awarded a $300,000 Destination Development Grant from the North Dakota Department of Commerce. The award was announced as part of a statewide $4 million investment in projects designed to strengthen tourism, cultural identity, and local economic development across North Dakota.

According to the state announcement, the grant will support the creation of the new Icelandic Rootshús heritage center, including exhibits, genealogy research areas, a library, children’s space, coffee and gathering areas, furnishings, display systems, and signage. For supporters of Icelandic Roots, the grant marks an important milestone in a vision years in the making.

Located in one of the largest historic Icelandic settlement regions in the United States, the Rootshús is designed to serve as both a cultural center and a gathering place. Plans for the facility include interactive exhibits on Icelandic immigration and settlement, genealogy resources for descendants tracing family histories, educational programming, and spaces where visitors can connect through language, stories, food, and community traditions.

The project reflects the larger mission of Icelandic Roots: to preserve and share the history of Icelandic migration to North America while strengthening connections among descendants and friends of Icelandic culture.

The name “Rootshús” combines the English word “Roots” with the Icelandic “hús,” meaning house. The result is fitting: a house of roots, memory, and connection.

The grant also highlights the growing recognition that cultural heritage tourism can be a driver of rural development. In announcing the awards, North Dakota tourism officials emphasized that projects were selected for their ability to attract visitors, encourage longer stays, and showcase the authentic character of local communities.

For the Icelandic communities of the northern Great Plains, the Rootshús represents something more personal as well. It creates a permanent space where future generations can encounter the stories of immigrants who crossed the Atlantic, settled the prairies, built churches and farms, preserved language and customs, and helped shape the region’s identity.

The project also strengthens Mountain’s role as an important center of Icelandic-American heritage in North Dakota. Visitors exploring Icelandic history in the region will now have a dedicated hub for research, interpretation, genealogy, and community events.

As work moves forward, supporters hope the Rootshús will become not only a destination for descendants of Icelandic immigrants, but also a welcoming place for anyone interested in Icelandic history, culture, genealogy, and the broader immigrant experience in North America.

More information about the project can be found at the Icelandic Roots website. To donate visit here.