The Icelandic Rootshús
Our Home We Can Walk Into
Icelandic Roots has long been a home for connection, discovery,
and shared heritage across generations and across the ocean.
The Icelandic Rootshús is a permanent interpretive center - a welcoming place where this work can be experienced in person through learning, studying, and gathering across the street
from the historic Vikur Church and Cemetery.
A LIVING INTERPRETIVE CENTER
At its heart, the Rootshús will be a modern interpretive and educational center that blends interactive, high-tech learning experiences with traditional learning spaces. Visitors of all ages will explore:
-
Emigration journeys from Iceland to North America
-
Family lines unfolding across time and place
-
The shared Icelandic story across the globe
-
Their own genealogy and ancestral connections
This is not a static museum or library but a high-tech living center
designed for discovery, built for connection, and open to everyone.
BECOME A FOUNDING SUPPORTER
The Icelandic Rootshús is a once-in-a-generation moment, and Founding status is available only until our Grand Opening July 31, 2027.
If you have ever wanted your family name woven permanently into the fabric of Icelandic heritage in North America, this is your moment.
We welcome gifts of any size—there is no minimum.
Anyone who gives to the Rootshús becomes a Friend of the Rootshús.
Every Friend who gives any size gift will be named on the website in gratitude.
To give by check:
Icelandic Roots
277 Main Ave., PO Box 222
Mountain, ND 58262
Donate online, or to discuss a gift, contact Sunna
at Rootshus@IcelandicRoots.com or call 701-200-1694
Founding Contributor
Join the
Founders Circle
$250 – $999
-
Name listed on the IR Website with our Founding Supporters
Founding Member
Join the
Founders Circle
$1,000 – $4,999
-
Everything in Founding Contributor
-
Name on Digital Donor Legacy Display inside the Rootshús
Founding Patron
A lasting mark on a place
$5,000 – $9,999
- Everything in Founding Member plus your name, ancestors, and their farms in Iceland on display
-
Featured on permanant plaque
Founding Steward
A lasting mark on a place
$10,000-$24,999
- Everything in Founding Patron
-
Named recognition on an exhibit or space subject to availability
Founding Benefactor
A lasting mark on a place
$25,000+
- Everything in Founding Steward
-
First choice of available naming opportunities on an exhibit or space
Whether you sponsor an exhibit or make a gift of any size, you are helping preserve Icelandic heritage for generations to come.
The Rootshús tells a story that belongs to thousands of families across Iceland, Canada, the United States, and Brazil. We welcome the chance to weave your family's name into that story — permanently, visibly, and with care.
Named recognition is available on major exhibits and spaces throughout the Rootshús — from the Emigration Trail to Saga Hall to the Library & Rare Works Collection.
Smaller named opportunities — individual features, artifacts, and outdoor elements — are also available for gifts of $5,000 or more, particularly for thoughtful gifts given in memory of an ancestor who made the crossing, or in honor of a family whose history is part of this place.
Frequently Asked Questions
U.S. Donors — Is My Gift Tax-Deductible?
Yes. Icelandic Roots is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by U.S. law. For gifts of $250 or more, we provide a written acknowledgment letter for your tax records. We also accept gifts of appreciated stock, qualified charitable distributions from IRAs (age 70½ and older), donor-advised fund grants, and bequests through your estate plan. Each of these carries its own tax advantages.
Canadian Donors — Can I Claim This on My Taxes?
Often, yes. Canadian residents with U.S.-source income — including those who hold U.S. stocks, bonds, or mutual funds — can claim a donation to Icelandic Roots as a tax deduction on their Canadian return, up to 75% of net U.S.-source income. Canadians who live near the border and commute to work in the U.S. can claim up to 75% of net world income. We're happy to provide a receipt — please check with your accountant to confirm what applies to your situation.
Icelandic Donors & International Donors — What About Me?
Icelandic Roots welcomes donations from anywhere in the world, and we are honored by the support we receive from Iceland and our supporters across the globe. If you file a U.S. tax return for any reason — U.S.-source income, U.S. property, dual citizenship, or time spent working in the United States — your gift to Icelandic Roots is tax-deductible on that U.S. return, just as it would be for any U.S. taxpayer.
Please check with your accountant. Regardless of tax treatment, we provide acknowledgment letters for every gift, and every donor is recognized as a Friend of the Rootshús.
Ways to Give
Mail a check *(No credit card fees) to:
Icelandic Roots, 277 Main Ave., Mountain, ND 58262
Credit Card or PayPal, one-time or recurring, with the Donate Online button below.
Donor-advised funds, installments, planned giving, or other assets
Nonprofit 501c3 Federal EIN# 46-3960686
For inquiries or questions, please contact us at Rootshus@IcelandicRoots.com
or call Sunna at 701-200-1694.
Our Shared Stories
Stories that crossed the ocean and continue through today. Discover personal items, photographs, the letters, and the objects that traveled across the ocean in trunks and pockets. These displays will change over time, drawing from our collections and from community contributions.
Find Your Family
Genealogy assistance and explore the Icelandic Roots database — the most comprehensive Icelandic-North American genealogical database in existence, with nearly 868,000 individuals and much more than names and dates. Staff and volunteers will help visitors discover their own connections.
Gift Shop & Coffee Bar
Operated in cooperation with the Icelandic Communities Association, the gift shop will offer books, Icelandic-themed items, and select Icelandic Roots merchandise. This partnership strengthens ties across the Icelandic heritage community. A simple coffee and tea bar will be available for self-service.
The Emigration Trail
An immersive audio/visual experience that traces the journey from Iceland to North America. Visitors enter symbolically through a turfhouse door — the last door our ancestors left from. Inside, the story unfolds through sound, image, and narrative — the decision to leave, the crossing, the arrival, and the new beginning on the Dakota prairie.
Discovery Corner
A dedicated hands-on learning area designed to connect the next generation to their heritage. Children will engage with Icelandic culture through interactive activities, stories, and discovery — making the history personal and alive.
The Land They Left
A large-scale interactive map connecting visitors to the places their families left behind. Touch a region and learn about its history, its emigrants, and the families who made the journey to North America.
Other Spaces
The Wild Iceland Geology Rooom
The Saga Hall Conference Room
The Heim Hearth Lounge Gathering Space
The Library with Rare Volumes
Storyboards, Artifacts, and Photos
The Table of Knowledge
Architectural Rendering DRAFT April 2026
PROJECT STATUS & TIMELINE
After eight visionary years in development, here is where The Rootshús currently stands:
Planning & Land Acquisition:
As of March 2026, three parcels of land along Main Avenue have been secured.
The Rootshús address will be 277 Main Ave., Mountain, ND 58262
Core Land Donation: Received October 2025 from: Lori Byron Cameron, Phyllis Byron Aarseth, Eugene Byron, & Roger Bjornson
Dilapidated Buildings Removed and Site Cleanup: April and May 2026
Architectural Planning: In the final stages of design
Building Shell: Beginning August 2026 after The Deuce
Grants Received:
$50,000 Thingvalla/Mountain Fire Department Charitable Gaming Grant
$300,000 Destination Development Grant from the ND Dept of Commerce (a 50% matching grant)
We need to raise $300,000 more to complete the interior exhibits, technology, geology Wild Iceland exhibit, The Emigration Trail Exhibit, the Turfhouse Door, and the Children's Discovery Corner.
Ground Breaking: August 1, 2026 (Deuce of August)
Grand Opening: July 31, 2027 (Deuce of August)
The Library
The Rootshús will be home to our Icelandic-North American collection of more than 4,000 volumes — many rare and valuable — including works in Icelandic and English, a rare reprint of the original Guðbrandsbiblía, genealogy records, and other memorabilia and educational materials.
Much of this collection was donated to Icelandic Roots over many years, including 29 boxes from mathematician Michael Fell's personal library and 38 boxes generously donated by George Hanson. In 2013, Sunna purchased 26 boxes of Hálfdan Helgason's genealogy books, which became the foundation of the collection.
The library will serve as a research space for scholars, genealogists, historians, students, and anyone curious about Icelandic heritage in North America.
Learn More About the Library’s History
Over the years, the Icelandic Roots library has grown through intentional collecting, donations, and professional cataloging. These articles share that journey:
Sunna's Dream of a Little Safnahús on the Prairie — By Rob Olason (July 2023)
The Michael Fell Collection — In 2022, we received 29 boxes from the mathematician Michael Fell.
Cataloging Update — By Angela Beaton, from her work in 2021 and 2023.
Þórdís Edda Guðjónsdóttir — Summer 2018 intern for the IR Library.
George Hanson — A generous donation of 38 boxes of books in 2017.
Hálfdan Helgason Collection — In 2013, Sunna purchased 26 boxes of genealogy books.