Miner's Hat, Scout House added to Register of Historic Places

KELLOGG — Shoshone County's largest city recently saw two of its oldest buildings added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Jason Tippeconnic Fox, National Register/Historic Tax Credit Program Coordinator and Architectural Historian, explains that both the Miner's Hat and Scout House have been added to the registry following an application procedure that began in 2019.

It all started with a federal regulatory review that ironically involved the local expansion of modern technology.

"They were building a telecommunications tower in Kellogg, and so when that happens, there's a federal process — when federal money is used to finance a project and it has an impact on historic resources, they have to find a way to offset that negative impact," Tippeconnic Fox said.

This led to the state of Idaho pushing for the listing of the Miner's Hat and the Scout House to be part of this offset.

The Idaho State Historic Preservation Office explains that the Miner's Hat was built in 1940 and opened as a diner by Mary Etta Page and her two daughters. It continued to operate under several owners until the late 1960s when the building became a real estate office.

The building’s iconic form references the dominant local industry of mining by resembling an enormous miner’s helmet- complete with a lighted headlamp.

"It's an example of what we call 'programmatic architecture,' which is a type of roadside architecture designed to attract the attention of passing motorists," Tippeconnic Fox said.

Most popular in the United States between 1920 and 1950, programmatic architecture combined innovative building shapes and advertising to attract the attention of passing motorists on busy thoroughfares.

Located at 300 E. Cameron Ave., along what was once U.S. Highway 10, the Miner’s Hat catered to both locals and travelers making their way across the Idaho Panhandle.

Despite alterations, the Miner’s Hat retains enough integrity of its original design to be identifiable as a unique piece of programmatic architecture and today is one of the few surviving examples of the type in Idaho.

The Kellogg Boy Scout House, or Scout House, also brings with it a massive amount of history.

"The Kellogg Boy Scout Cabin was nominated for its historical significance, for its association with the Boy Scouts of America," Tippeconnic Fox said. "Also, what we have as a period of significance — the point when it was historically significant, which was 1945 to 1971. That was when it was being used by the Boy Scouts."

Kellogg Mayor Mac Pooler recalls that the charming log cabin, located near the corner of McKinley Avenue and Hill Street in the Kellogg City Park, was built with timbers from the Bunker Hill Mine.

The Kellogg American Legion Post spearheaded the cabin’s construction, contracting Finnish carpenters from nearby Cataldo to build it.

Dedicated during the 1946 Miner’s Picnic, the cabin remains the headquarters of the local Cub Scout troop and is used by the Girl Scouts and other community organizations.

As to be expected, not any building or district can make the National Register list.

"It first involves a determination that the property is eligible for listing," Tippeconnic Fox explained. "That means it must have some sort of historic significance and that it must also retain integrity from the historic period."

Buildings must not have extensive changes or modifications to them compared to their original design, so it can still be recognized today compared to the original.

Once buildings are determined to be eligible for NRHP status, a nomination process begins. This involves creating a two-part document that covers both an architectural description and a discussion of their historical significance.

Another key piece of being listed is getting approval from the property owners. The Miner's Hat is currently home to Miner's Hat Realty and is owned by Shelly Hopper. The Scout House is owned and maintained by the city of Kellogg.

Before the two buildings were added, the only building in Kellogg that was on the National Register was the U.S. Post Office building at 302 S. Division St.

Despite misconceptions that a listing restricts property owners in terms of what they can do with the property, building/demolition restrictions can only come from local governments.

"The National Register is an honorific designation, so what it really does is increase recognition that these are important historical places … it'll really put these places on the map," Tippeconnic Fox said.

Shoshone County boasts 24 properties and districts on the National Register, including the Avery Depot, Murray Masonic Hall, Pine Creek Baptist Church, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Mullan, and the entire Wallace Historic District (which includes 786 contributing properties).