Man makes models of historic buildings using toothpicks

By David Schuman

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    SHAKOPEE, Minnesota (WCCO) — A Shakopee, Minnesota, man is sharing a unique talent with the public.

Jerry Hackett uses toothpicks to painstakingly create detailed, scale-model replicas of historic Minnesota buildings.

His latest masterpiece recreates Dakota County’s first courthouse, which is in Hastings.

He’s previously built the courthouses in Steele County, Waseca County and Washington County.

Hackett starts by obtaining blueprints of the building, then draws plans himself to use as a guide. Then he places each toothpick, one by one.

“It’s tedious,” Hackett said.

He’s retired and says he might spend one to three hours a day working in his man cave.

Hackett keeps meticulous inventory of all his toothpicks and other pieces of balsa wood, organized by length and shape.

The Dakota County Courthouse replica is now on display in the county’s administrative building after Hackett called and said he had something to give them.

“It’s just an amazing gift from somebody who spent his time putting this together and just gave it to the public, so we’re thrilled,” Heidi Welsch, the Dakota County manager, said.

The model took Hackett three months and about 4,000 toothpicks.

“Probably doing the roof is the toughest part,” he said. “With the courthouse, there’s four towers, one in each corner. It’s a lot of work figuring all that out and gluing the pieces together.”

Before he got into Minnesota courthouses, Hackett’s interest was in building bridges, windmills, a Ferris wheel and even the Eiffel Tower and the Space Needle in Seattle.

He has some behind-the-scenes construction experience in his life, but nothing that would seem to directly correlate with such engineering prowess.

Hackett says with a laugh that he doesn’t consider himself an artist, because it’s simply a hobby.

His next project will be the Blue Earth County Courthouse in Mankato. He plans to start as soon as he gets the blueprints.

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