Bremen is a small, unincorporated town near Fessenden in Wells County. This central part of the state is very sparsely populated and dotted with abandoned places like the Remains of Munster School and Hamberg. These photos were taken in 2008, and we hope to revisit the area sometime soon for an update.
Bremen supposedly had a population of 200 at one time, but it hasn’t had nearly that many for a very long time. Most of Bremen’s residents (there aren’t many) live in a cluster of residences a short distance to the southeast, leaving the street shown here a rather lonesome place.
Do you know what this building used to be? Please leave a comment.
The former Bremen Bank is the most striking derelict structure in Bremen. The amazing stone architecture is a thing to behold, but also perhaps a liability considering moving the building for the sake of preservation would be very difficult and expensive. The roof is totally porous already. Unless someone takes heroic measures to save this structure where it sits, it will eventually fall victim to time.
A peek inside the building from the rear, looking toward the front.
There’s something storybook about this winding drive, leading to a decidedly non-storybook abandoned home.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, © Sonic Tremor Media
Ghosts of North Dakota 
Hello all,
I grew up on a small farm 5 miles NW of Bremen, In 1962 we moved to the big town of Bremen proper. I started school in Bremen when it was a 2 room school. before the 5th grade the powers that be decided we lived in Norway lake township and had to attend that school. When we moved to Bremen, the school had become one room. I believe Mrs. Doris Ambers was our teacher. I graduated 8th grade with Diane Hitz and Jerry Alfstad. I have many wonderful memories of childhood. Many Saturday nights spent sleeping in our car while our parents attended dances in the hall across the street from the bar (many other children did the same), I think us kids had more fun than our parents! I also remember the gopher days, with the foot races, (everyone got a ticket for candy at the store), I never won a race but it was fun. I remember the elevator picnics with the pop and ice cream. I remember the roller skating in the hall. I also remember a fellow that came by and would tune the piano in the hall, he played by ear and was just wonderful, don’t remember his name. I remember the baseball games and how us girls weren’t allowed to play on a regular team but we all got to participate ‘sandlot’ baseball and had a great time playing with the boys. I remember playing hide & seek with the streetlight by the NE corner of Halvorson’s as the base. On those summer nights we were out till dark. I remember sledding down the school hill, the water left over from the school each day was poured down the hill and made a fine sheet of ice to slide down on! All wonderful memories.
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My Grandfather Art Seastrand rode a buggy from Sheyenne over to Bremen for some fair or threshing contest because there was a foot race.
He won the race and Five dollars and then went home with new found wealth, this was before WW1.
He was known as the “fastest man in North Dakota”
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From 2010 to date of this post April 10, 2021, the home formerly owned by the Hibbish family is actively haunted according to the current owner, with ghostly impression and EVPs, electronic voice phenomenon the current owner shares online. There is a Paranormal Supernatural blog and Ghost Hauntings Recon websites with multiple ghostly impressions and shares EVPs on YouTube logs. Bremen is not just a ghost town, it’s actively haunted.
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Our school bus served Bremen. Bowers, Alfstads, Bergruds, Omoths and Halversons all got on there about a dozen or so at one time. Had a lutheran church(I went to church at St Joseph’s catholic 3 miles south of Bremen0, a post office/general store, grade school(up until about 1970), prosperous elevator and a bar in the 60’s and early 70’s. Also once a year they would have a celebration called “Flickertail Days” where all the farm boys would bring their jar of gopher tails that they had hunted or trapped and redeem them for 10 cents apiece
Will go back this summer.
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Hello all! So fun reading more about Bremen. I grew up on our farm 2 miles west of town from 1950-1967. Youngest of the Buechler girls (dad was Edmund) I went to school with Virgene and Jerry Alfstad, Margaret Ann Schafer, Ronnie, Vicki and Janet Bowers, all the Halvorsons, Frances Omoth, Sheila and Leslie Roemmich, Larry Arendt. We went to Trinity Lutheran and I was good friends with Sharon and Diane Pranke who were also members. My mom Elinor Buechler was Sunday school Superintendent. I remember fondly roller skating at the Bremen Hall, Halloween parties there. Gopher Days (and collecting all those gopher tails), Elevator Days, Ice skating on the Jim River with cousins Marcy and Laurie Buechler and my older sisters Margie and Barbie. Barbie went to high school at Oak Grove Lutheran in Fargo (class of 61). By fall of 1961 our land was part of Fessenden School District so 5th grade was my last year at Bremen School #3. Marge was 8th grade. Larson’s store, Bowers implement where I bought my BBs, Cities Service station run by Olaf Omoth. Hauling grain to the elevator before I had a drivers license. Church suppers, So sad to read Bremen School is no longer standing:(
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