He was giving away a house. For free.

With one catch: The new owner would have to move it off its site on the family farm just north of Dayton to make way for the Danielsons to construct a new home.

Steve Pinkley, executive director of the Hidden Acres Christian Center southeast of Dayton, heard about it.

“I got a message that there was a home to give away,” Pinkley said. “I called Amber Graves who lives in Dayton and asked her ‘is this true that’s there’s a home for free?’ She told me ‘Well yeah. I’m actually looking at it out my window right now.'”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Cindy Danielson, at left, looks around what used to be her son, Scott Danielson’s room at its new location at the Hidden Acres Christian Center southeast of Dayton. Scott Danielson gave the home away in 2021. Hidden Acres then had it moved to their site. Center, Jamie Varangkounh Danielson, who had her childhood room just down the hall, enjoys the tour.

What Hidden Acres got was a farmhouse built in 1912. It was in beautiful condition, well maintained and only needed some remodeling to suit its new purpose. Pinkley said it will be used to house gap term students who come to the center to study and learn life skills.

“It was a ready to go home,” he said. “We added a bathroom. We wanted to use the basement so we have a 9-foot ceiling and an apartment with its own exit. The hardwood floors were painted. We stripped them and refinished them.”

Randy and Cindy Danielson raised their family in the home.

“The kids wanted a new home,” Cindy Danielson said. “We lived there the whole kids’ lives. What a beautiful place for it to land. We knew somebody would like it.”

Their son, Scott Danielson, grew up in the home. He was looking forward to going in to see his old room. It’s upstairs in the northwest corner.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Cindy Danielson shows some of her grandkids around the former family home that was moved to the Hidden Acres Christian Center southeast of Dayton from its former site north of Dayton. The family gave the home away.

“We came out when they were remodeling it,” he said. “Much has happened. This is much better than us tearing it down.”

His sister, Jamie Varangkounh Danielson, of Humboldt, had her bedroom growing up on the northeast corner next to her brother’s room.

“My bedroom was my hangout,” she said, looking around the refurbished room. “I loved the really large closet. I love old houses. I love that they were able to restore it, and that it now has a new purpose. It’s great to see it live on.”

Pinkley said Ensor House Moving, of Omaha, Nebraska, got the home to its new location. Boxton Masonry, of Ogden, built the basement.

Most of the porch had to be taken apart for the move. It’s been rebuilt to look like the original porch. It offers a nice view of the sunrise and horses in the pasture next to it.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
The Danielson House is oriented the same way at its new home at the Hidden Acres Christian Center as it was before it was moved there from just north of Dayton. The porch is a great place to sit and watch the sunrise.

“I think of all the family pictures that were taken on this porch,” Scott Danielson said, then began gathering members of the family to do that again.

Wednesday was expected to be the first day the house would be occupied by its new residents.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Hidden Acres Christian Center Executive Director Steve Pinkley uncovers a plaque that briefly tells the story of the “Danielson House” during an open house Tuesday evening. The home was given away by Scott and Chelsea Danielson to make way for new construction at their farm just north of Dayton then moved to its current site.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jamie Varangkounh Danielson looks around what used to be her old bedroom Tuesday afternoon at the home’s new site at the Hidden Acres Christian Center southeast of Dayton.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Some of the original brick work on the house contained these diamond shaped patterns. It was reused to make the porch foundation.