By administering a federal historic preservation grant program, the State Historical Society serves as the State Historic Preservation Office and has the responsibility to identify, evaluate and protect historic properties in North Dakota. Services include evaluating architectural and archeological properties, providing assistance to historic property owners, nominating properties to the National Register of Historic Places and State Historic Sites Registry, administering the Preservation Tax Credit Program, reviewing the impact of federally-related projects on historic properties, and providing information about historic preservation and restoration. A private, non-profit organization which supports programs and activities of the State Historical Society. Members receive the quarterly publications, North Dakota History and Plains Talk, a 15 percent discount on all gift items at the State Historical Society's museum stores, and other benefits. The North Dakota Heritage Center, located on the state capitol grounds off Exit 159 on I-94 in Bismarck, is the headquarters of the State Historical Society and the largest museum in the state.
Admission is free.
Open year-round, except major holidays. Opened in 1981, it features temporary and permanent exhibits that explore the story of life on the Northern Plains, from prehistory to the present. In a cooperative agreement with the North Dakota Geological Survey, the North Dakota Heritage Center houses the State Fossil Collection. It is also the home of the State Historic Preservation Office and the State Archives and Historical Research Library, where visitors research topics ranging from family roots to Northern Plains history. The museum interprets 100 million years of regional history, and includes temporary and permanent exhibit galleries.