A North Dakota couple is spending up to $380,000 to move a 112-year-old farmhouse six miles across the prairie, uniting two family legacies on land that has been passed down through generations. JaSondra and Jason Schmidt completed the move of the 1914 home, built by JaSondra's great-great-grandfather Freiderich, onto farmland connected to Jason's grandparents near their existing property.
The couple shared their story with PEOPLE magazine, which reported the project on October 12, 2026. According to The Times of India, the house measures roughly 30 feet wide and 60 feet long and required steel beams, hydraulic jacks, and two power companies clearing lines along the route before it could reach its new foundation.
Why the Schmidts refused to let the family home go
JaSondra grew up in Medina, North Dakota, where the agricultural tradition of passing things down to the next generation shaped her values. She and Jason had spent years searching for an old house to restore, touring five to seven candidates and even fielding offers of free houses on farmland. None felt right.
Their search hit repeated setbacks. One planned move collapsed after flooding in Iowa diverted the movers they had booked. In 2024, their daughter became ill, forcing the couple into nearly a year of travel between North Dakota and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. They shelved the hunt entirely before picking it up again in late 2025.
The breakthrough came from an unlikely place: a Facebook comment. In late 2025, JaSondra noticed relatives discussing a two-storey house online and realized it was the home her great-great-grandfather had owned since it was built in 1914. She had known about the house since childhood and seen photographs of it, but she had never set foot inside.
Another family member had already expressed interest in buying the property, so JaSondra agreed to wait. Eventually, the relatives chose to sell to her and Jason, recognizing the couple's wish to preserve its history rather than see it fade away.
A family farm, a cancer diagnosis, and a decision made in grief
The land itself carries its own story. In August 2025, Jason's mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She died in February 2026, and about six weeks later, his father received a terminal cancer diagnosis. His father then approached the couple about buying the family farmstead.
The Schmidts initially declined. They had already purchased land and begun improving it. But Jason's father had written into his will that the couple would get the first option to buy the farm, and because the property bordered their existing farmland, they reconsidered. After a single weekend spent walking the ground and deciding where the house would sit, they agreed to sell their original farmstead and take over his family's land.
Work on the basement started just four days later. Jason's grandparents bought the land in the early 1940s, which makes Jason, JaSondra, and their two daughters the third generation of his family to live there.
How movers lifted a two-story house and rolled it six miles
Moving a structure built in 1914 is not a weekend job. Workers separated the house from its original foundation, slid large steel beams underneath, and used jacks to lift the entire building. Rollers fitted to the beams allowed crews to push the house into position for transport.
The six-mile journey required two power companies to maneuver lines along the route. Around 20 relatives gathered to watch the house travel, just two days after JaSondra's aunt died of cancer. Once it arrived, the house sat elevated on beams and tires for nearly two months while contractors built the basement beneath it.
What the $380,000 project actually costs
The numbers add up fast. JaSondra estimates the move itself cost about $40,000, while the concrete for the basement and foundation ran more than $110,000. With the remaining restoration work, the couple expects the entire project to land between $340,000 and $380,000, according to AOL's report.
The family has not yet moved in. They are now stripping out modern additions to restore original-style details and woodwork, a slow process that prioritizes authenticity over speed.
“But we're preserving history, my family history,” JaSondra told PEOPLE.
A rural story Iowans will recognize
The Schmidt family's project is a distinctly rural American story, one that will feel familiar to readers across Iowa, where family farms and century-old homes anchor community identity. It is also a reminder that Iowa's landscape can upend even careful plans, as it did when flooding here derailed the movers the Schmidts had originally booked for a different house.
While the couple's project is apolitical, it reflects values that many rural families hold dear: keeping land in the family, honoring the generations that came before, and investing in restoration rather than replacement. In an era when farmland consolidation and rural population loss dominate headlines, a young family choosing to put down roots on inherited ground is its own kind of news.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to move the 112-year-old house?
The Schmidts estimate the move itself cost about $40,000, the basement and foundation concrete cost more than $110,000, and the full project is expected to total between $340,000 and $380,000.
How far was the house moved?
The 1914 home was moved six miles from its original site to farmland near the couple's existing property in North Dakota.
Who built the house in 1914?
JaSondra Schmidt's great-great-grandfather Freiderich owned the home from the time it was built in 1914, making it a five-generation family property.