T H E EAST HALF OF 'THE CHURCHILL, NELSON & SLAUGHTER ADDITION RESIDENTIAL AREA,
STILLWATER, WASHINGTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA
WinterfSpring, 2003 National Register Identification and Eval~iation Study
Submitted to: The City of Stillwater
Heritage Preservation Committee
Prepared by Donald Empson Empson Archives
P.O. Box 791 Stillwater. MN 55082
July, 2003
Tlre Enst One-Half of Churclrill, Nefson R. Slaughter's Addition
ACKNOLVLEDGEMENT OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND SUPPORT AND NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
This project has been financed in par t with Federal funds from the National Park Service. Department of Interior, through the i h n e s o t a Historical Society under provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act as amended. However the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement. or recommendat,ion by the Department of t.he Interior.
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the U.S. Department of Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin. or handicap in its federally assisted program. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program activity, or facility a s described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, I1.S. Department of the interior, Washington, D.C., 20240.
Street Map of the Survey Area
The East One-Half of C h ~ ~ r r h i l l . Nelson & Slaughter's Addilion
Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................... Page 5 ...................................... Introduction Page 6
Research Design ................................ Page 8 The Third Street Hill .......................... Page 10 Survey Deta iIs ................................... Page 30 Appendix A (Building Dates) ............... Page 70 Appendix B (Building Dates) ............... Page 75 Appendix C (1894 City Directory) ......... Page 80 Contexts .......................................... Page 86 Bibliography ..................................... Page 87 Recommendations .............................. Page 89
The East One-Half of Churchil l , A'elson & Slarrghter'silddition
Abstract
0 ne hundred and thii-ty-five properties w i t h an area of forty acres were surveyed for inclusion on the National Register of Histuric
Places. These properties are located in Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota in an area designated as the East One-Half of Churchill, Nelson & Slaughter's Addition HPPA. .As a result of my survey. I did not find any properties within the area that might qualify for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
The complete papers generated by this survey wdl be deposited with the City of Stillwater and the Minnesota Historical Society.
The Eust One-Half of Ch~l rch i l l , Nelson B Slarrghter's .IddiLion
Introduction
B etween November 1. 2002, and July 1, 2003, Empson .kchives conducted a National Register survey of (.he East One-Half of
Churchdl, Nelson, & Slaughter's Addition HPPA residential area of St~Uwater, Washington County, Minnesota. The project area was in the KE I/q of the NE 1/4 of Section 33, 'r30N, R20W.
Included within the s u r v ~ y area is the East One-Half of Churchill. Nelson & Slaughter's Atlclition to Stdlwater.
The objective of the study was to conduct an intensive historical survey of the ~ a i t One-Half of Churchd: Nelson & Slaught.er's Addition residential neighborhood bounded by, or on a line with. Fourth Street South on the West: East.M7est \ W a r d Street on the East; Sixth Avenue South on the South; and EastAVest Hancock Street on the North. There are 135 slrucfrires wilhin this s ~ r v e y area covering 40 acres.
The work was conducted between November ls, 2002 and July Is, 2003 by Donald Empson, the principal investigator: and his wife, Kathleen Vadnais.
Donald Empson, the principal investigator, meets the Secretary of the Interior's Professional Quahfications Standards.
The property types in this survey included dwellings, associated garages and carriage houses, o u t b u i l d m ~ , objects and structures, and businesses. These properties were located, photographed and their physical descriptions documented. The project team compiled building files on each inventoried site for the City of Stillwater's Heritage Preservation Commission. A project report was prepared ibr the City of Stillwater and for the Minnesota State Historic Preservation W c e . The format of the f i n d report. is determined by regdations of the Minnesota Historical Society. Properties within the East One-Half of Churchill, Nelson & Slaughter's Addition residential area were evaluated for preliminary National Register significance in terms of one appropriate statewide historic context: "St. Croix Valley Triangle Lumbering (1843-1914)." n e project team consulted the Stillwater historic context study (Vogel 1993) in evaluating local signi6cance and determined the appropriate context was: "Development of Residential Neighborhoods in Stil lwater, 1850's1940's."
This effort is par t of the on-going program of the Minnesota Historical Society's State Historic Preservation Office (SlIPO) whch began after passage of the Historic Preservation Act of 1066. as amended. The SHPO
The East One-Half of CI~rrrchiIl, Nelson & Slarrghter's ' 4dd i t i on
administers the National Register of Historic Places program in hlinnesota. In the early years of t k program. the SHPO concentrated on basic inventories of the 87 counties in h'linnesota on a county-by-county basis.
Stillwater established a Heritage Preservation Conimission in 1973 and, in conjunction with a federal grant from the Minnesota SHPO, contracted for is first National Register survey of the downtown commercial a lea in 1988. This study le5l to the placing of Stillwater's downtown commercial area on the National Register in 1991.
In 1992-3. the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) received a Certified LocaI Government (CLG) grant and sponsored a study of historic contexts in the city, conducted by Robert C. Vogel and Associates.
The final report, "Stillu~ilter Historic Contexts: .4 Comprehensive Planning ,Qproach," was completed in July 1993. The Stillwater HPC has divided the city's neighborhoods into Historic Preservation Planning Areas (HPPAs) and intends to proceed n i th systematic siwveys of all Stillwater neighborhoods over the next decade. The current report summarizes the results of the sixth HPPA to be systemically surveyed.
The eight previous surveys were of the North Hill (Original Town) the South Hill (Original Town), the Greeiey Residential Area, the Dutchtown Residential Area. the Holcombe's Adchtions Residential Area. the Hersey. Staples & Co, Addtion Residential Area, the South Half of Cad i Pi Schulenburg's Addition Residential Area. and the West One-Ilalf of Churchill, Nelson & SIaughter's Addition Residential Area.
The Ens/ One-Half of C h ~ i r c h i l l , Nelson & Sln~iphLer's Addit ion
Research Design
T h e project. area was the NF, % of the NE % of Section 33 in Tonrnship 30 N, Range 20 W. Included ~vithin the survey area is the Eas t One-Half of Churchill, Nelson Si Slaughter's Addition to StiUwater.
We have done a thorough'study of the area. despite the considerable time and money constraints. We have used the yea ly tax assessor ' s r e c o r d s collected in the State Archives ant1 available on microfilm, 186 1- 1900, at. t he Stillwater Public Library--a p f t of Rivertown Restoration. These records were generated much the same way they are today. Every year the tax assessor viewed all the properties in the city and made an estimate of t he market value of the land and the improvements. By following a property through the years, it is usually possible to determine when the value jumped &om t h a t of a lot only to that of a lot with a bui lhng on it. This record also contains the name of the property owner through the years. While this kind of research is tedious in the extreme, it gave us accurate information tha t can b e found in no other way.
u w o previous surveys have used the date of the building found on the assessment card a t the tax assessor's office. Before the turn of the century. these dates a r e notoriously inaccurate, an admission readily made by the tax assessor's office itself.)
Rivertown Restoration recently paid to have the Stillwater b u i l d i n g p e r m i t a p p l i c a t i o n s , 1886-1940, microfilmed. They, dong with an index compiled by Kay Thueson, are available a t the Stillwater Public Library. The applications g i v e the date of building, the size of the structure, name of the owner, sometimes the name of the builder and architect. and other incidental information. There are also applications for repairs and remodeling. This information was invaluable and essential for this study.
There a r e useful records available in the Water D e p a r t m e n t , t h e F i r e D e p a r t m e n t , and the P u b l i c W o r k s D e p a r t m e n t and in the M i n u t e s of t h e S t i l l w a t e r C i t y Counci l that. ha re never been used before. The S a n b o r n I n s u r a n c e M a p s did not illustrate the residential area, bu t they were useful in following the history of the some of the businesses. There a r e a number of u n p u b l i s h e d m a n u s c r i p t s and some p u b l i s h e d r e m i n i s c e n c e s which contained i~sefld information, bat since they a re often inaccurate, we only quoted them when we could verify their information Gom another source. In general, we used o n l y or ig ina l s o u r c e s for our research.
The East One-half of C111~rchil1, Nelson & Slaughter's Additiorl
For visual aids, there are two Bird's Eye View Maps of S t i l lwa te r drawn in 1869, and again in 1879. With their accurate representatiuns of each house and builchng: these were extremely useful. and we reproduced sections of both maps i n the text of this report.
We t a lked t o t h e r e s iden t s of the area in cases where we had some uncertainties; when convenient we obtained copies of P r o p e r t y Abstracts . We also used the land records a t the office of the Recorde r of Deeds.
We also used the S t i l lwnter City Director ies ; consulted the locnl n e w s p a p e r s on microfilm a t the Stlllwater Public Libr,ary, and pursued other research materials that were useful.
We incorporated the information gleaner1 from our research in the context of Robert. Vogel's Stlllwater Historic Contexts and other research done previously in Stillwater.
We reviewed the survey work on the properties prepared by the Stdlwater Heritage Preservation Commission.
We identified, dated, and cataloger1 the 135 properties in the Preservation Planning Area in the manner required by the Minnesota Historical Society.
We discussed the architectural styles in the Preservation Planning Area and compared them to other Stillwater neighborhook.
We photographed all properties
We have prepared a report. that describes the development of the area, recommendations for future survey work, and evaluated the possibility of properties t ha t might be eligible for local historic designation andlor eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. We are not making any nominations ourselves. We have discussed any possible planning methods for preservation of historic structures, landscapes, and neighborhoods.
We have attended three meetings with the Stillwater H.P.C.
The work was conducted between November 1 I*, 2002 and July I*. 2003 by Donald Empson, the principal investigator and his d e , Kathleen Vadnais.
The East One-Half ofChl~rchil1, S ~ l s o n & Slaughter's i lddif ion
T H E T H I R D STREET HILL
A small news item appeared in the Sti l l~oater Republican newspaper on November 2. 1869:
Closing the Gap
"The Third s l r e ~ i grade is rapidly approaching completion. The gap between the two sides of the fill is steadily being closed, and a week or tlc!o of the kind of weather ule have been having during the past few da.ys will enable the workmen to complete the job. Gou. [Mayor] Holcombe promises, Aou!euer, if the weather does not permit finishing the ic~ork, that he lriill cause a temporary bridge to bc made, spanning the gap, for tllc convenience of the scllolrlrs this i~!inter, who reside i n the northern porlion of the city."
The South Third Street hill between Chestnut and U'illard Streets was a massive public marks project that included the filling of a major ravine and grading down through the b l~df . For most of the 1850's and 18609s, t he city fathers planned and schemed to find the wherewithal to breach the bluff. In 1867, construction began on the new Washington County Courthouse a t the top of the hill, and plans were laid for a new Central high school-the largest in Stillwater - kitty corner from the new Courthouse. Opening a street between the hdltop and tiowntown became imperative.
Previous to 1870, the South Hill, or Nelson's Field1 as i t was then known, was accessible only by the Main Street steps rising to South Broadway, or by a windmg path snaking down a ravine (named Nelson's H o l l o ~ ) ~ which spilled east into Nelson Street and Nelson's Alley.3
Unfortunately by 1870, the men most involved in this development of what we know today a s the South Hill were already in their graves.
Socrates Nelson was born in Conway, (Franklin County) Massachusetts, January 11, 1814. As a young man, he attended Deerfield Academy before becoming a merchant in Conway. At the age of 25, he
I Wchael Kinsella obituary in the Stillwater Gazette, December 25. 1878. His store a t Willard and Fifth Streets was in "urhat i.s knou~n as ivelson's Field." ?The Stillwater Republican, July 21, 1868
Enuna Glasser, "How Stillwater Came to Ee," in Minnesota History 24-195-206 (September, 1943)
The Ens1 One-half of Chrrrchill, Nelson & S l n z ~ g l ~ t e r ' s Addition
wandered west to Illinois prospecting and buying furs. R v 1510, he was in tht, rapidly growing city of St. Louis, Missouri, where he met up wich his f u t u r ~ business partner, Levi Churchlll. Four years later, Nelson married Bertha Bartlett, a widow from Connay tvho had come to Illinois after the death of her husband.
Upon his marriage in 1544, Nelson took his wife and some mercantile goods upon a steamboat north on the Mississippi River to the northwesrern frontier: a St. Croix River lanrling with a newly erected sawmdl. There, a t a place c d e d Stillwater, he built himself a house and store near what today would be approximately the intersection of Nelson Street and South Main Street.4
Socrates Nelson's St. Louis partner, Levi Churchill, was also a Yankee. born on September 16, 1813, in Woodstock, Windsor County, Vermont. He married Eli2abet.h Marion Proctor on October 2, 1844, in Proctorsville, Vermont. They must. have moved to St. Louis shortly after t,he wedding.&
In the outpost settlement of Stillwater, Socrates Nelson (Nelson's Warehouse) collected f i~ r s . and sold merchandise. The furs were shlpped downriver to St. Louis where Levi Churchill sold the furs. and used the money to buy merchandise to ship back upriver to Nelson. Socrates also acted as a transfer agent on the Stillwater levee. receiving packages and other goods headed further up river and inland and arranged to forward them to their ultimate destination.
However i t became obvio~is to the residents of the fiontler Territory that the future lay not in furs and trading, but in land and town sites. As one of the f i s t residents of the Iocation, Socrates and Betsey Nelson, and their St. Louis partners, Lev1 and Elizabeth Churchill, split the waterfront Iand of Stillwater with two other pioneer settlers. Joseph R. Brown took the northern par t of the waterfront, between what would be today the site of t he old Terntorial P r ~ s o n and Brown's Creek. John McKusick bought out his sawmill partners, and claimed the area between the old prison site and what E today Nelson's Alley. Nelson and Churchill's claim extended one-half mile south of NeL5on's Alley. All three claims extended thr~e-quar te rs of a mile west from the river. As one local historian put it:
FlftvYears in the Northwest by W.H.C. Folsom, Pioneer Press Company, 1888. Page 59.59; History of Washington Co~mt)., North Star Publishing Company, Minneapolis, 1851. Page 590. There seems to be some question about the opinion that he was at Nelson's Landing on the Mississippi River.
This information comes from two Internet genealogy sites: LDS Family Search and www.ancestiy.com
TIIF East One-llal/ofCh~rrchill , .Vrlson & Slaugllter's Addition
"In 1815, a verbal agreement zuas made wirh regard to land claims, by tuhich [Joseph R.] Broriirr's claim was recognized as exlending along the luke shore nor.th of Raltle Hollou~, where the .Rlinnesota slule prison now stands. S O I L ~ ~ L of Battle Hollow, along the lake shore to Nelson, extending three-fourths of a mile lciesf, was the claim of the mill company, originally held by Fisher. [This cIaim was purchased by John McKusick.] South of Nelson's alley, one-half mile down the lake, three-fourths of a mile west, was S. Nelson's claim."
This original claim, supplemented by subsequent purchases, made Socrates and Betsey Nelson, and Levi and Elizabeth Churchill, owners of much of what is today known as the South Hill.
One of t,he first purchases Churchill and NeLson made a t the new land office when it opened in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin in 1849 was the NE !A of Section 33, one-hunched and sixty acres between what is today Mr. Orleans and \?'. Willard Streets; between S. Holcombe Street and Sixth Avenue S.1 Churchill was apparently the partner more active in land speculation; in 1845, h e was one of several proprietors of the town of Fillmore in Andrew County, Missouri.8
Rut land was not the exclusive focus of Churchdl and Nelson. Socrates Nelson was involved in a number of commercial ventures in the fledging city of Stillwater. He was the f i s t merchant: trading in furs, hardware, household goods. and lumber. He was a developer of Baytown Township, and along with others, built a steam sawmill on the riverfront of what is today Bayport. He was active m public life, serving as territorial a u h t o r from 1853 to 1857, and as a s ta te senator. Of his personal nature, one historian remembered him as "He luczs of a free and generous disposition i n all his relations of life."
6 Fifty Years in the North- by W H.C. Folsom. Pioneer Press Company, 1888. Pages 40- 41 ' Land certificates #30, 31, 2 Deeds 612, 613.
The Missouri Historical Revlew, \'oIume X, April 1916, Number 3. Page 197 F m e a r s in t,he Nort,hwest by W.H.C. Folsom, Pioneer Frees Company, 1888. Pages 58.
59.
The Enst One-t la!f o f Chrrrchill , .%'elson 6- S lnr~gh ler ' s Add i t ion
S. Holcombe Street
-7
Sixth .-\venue S.
Survey Arela
E a t 5: of Chn.rchil1, nTelson & Slazcghter's Addition
The Ens! One-half of Chrrrchill, 'Velson & Slauglrter's Addit ion
0 n the western Gontier of the United States, the 1850's were boom years, and optimism was at. an all-t.ime peak. The eastern part. of
blinnesota. and its cities, including Stdlwater, were growing rapidly, and the one thing every newcomer needed was land: land to farm. land to live on, land for commercial entel.prise: The businessmen of Stillwater were well aware of this demand, and many of them bought tracts of land to develop into building lots.
Stillwater began with a sawmill in 1844. Five years later, when Minnesota became a Territory, the population was estimated at 609.1° A year later the population had jumped to 1.052. Most of the residents lived in what is the donmtown area today. But boom times lay ahead.
' Thousands of immigrants were pouring into the Territory, and the price of land was rising rapidly. Through the early 1850's, the price of land doubled, ant1 doublet1 again. The fever of land speculation struck the Territory. With the continuing influx of newcomers, all of whom needed a place to Live, how could the price of land not continue to rise - or so the speculator reasoned. By 1854, the speculation in land prices was just beginning in earnest, peaking in the year 1857, when i t is estimated tha t in Minnesota, a t least 700 tow-ns were platted into more than 300,000 building lots - enough for 1,500.000 people 11 Stillwater did not escape the speculation fever.
The St. Croix Union newspaper was delighted to point out that:
"About two years ago, Hersey, Staples & Co. gaue $GOO for a lot [whch] last week sold for $3000 lo Mr. Dodge ... We add that when Hersey Staples & Co. made the aforesaid purchase, many thought they had given a very high price ... but time will prove that the lot will increase as rapidly in urslue, in the next trrio years, as it has done in the true jusl passed. Mr. Dodge has already been offered $500 advance on what he gave. Our faith in Stillwater is unbounded. "I2
'"Theodore C. Blegen. M i m m of t h e m . U, of Minnesota Press. 1963 Page 159. "William Watts Folwell. AHistory of Ahnnesota. St. Paul, The Minnesota klistorical Society. 1956. Vol. 1, page 362. l 2 St. Croix Union, August 6, 1856.
The Enst One-Half o f Ch~rrchill, Nelsor~ & Slaughter's Addition
On another occasion, the editor struck back a t any who might doubt the future.
"Less than nrlything outside \lie iclell recollect orrr Len1 oul in
two years ago they stleered at Stillwater's being the Basin, or Origir~al Limits [of clowntown]. that we were laughed at, by some, for pitching I3olcombe's Addilion-it being then a wild
unbroken wilderness. Buf what are now the facts? There are otier 100 hoirses out there now-some of them first class---and about 600 inhabitants. Lois which, when we located there [two years ago] colild be had for $25 cannot now bepirrchased for less than a hi~trdred dollars--and they are constantly rising. L,ots...haue been enhanced in ualue four-fold within thepast two years, and the way we read the signs of the times, they lack much of having reached their
A nticipating quick profits in the land. Stillwater entrepreneurs clid what others throughout the settled port ions of Minnesota
Territory were doing: they platted more Additions. The triclr was, they reasoned, to buy the land by the acre and seU i t by the -foot. I
"STTLL WATER FOREVER Another Addition to Stillwater
Additions to Slillwater are all the rage now. Within a few days past, Jacob Maerty hus sold to Joshua B. Carter and Gov. Ramsey, 140 acres of land lying west o f Stillwater and adjoining ffolcombe's Addition, for $7000. It is soon to be sumeyed into town lots.
We rejoice to see this movement. There are now three heavy S t . Paul capitalists and
speculators deeply interested i n Stillwater; viz: R. F. Slaughter, Col. H hf'Kenty, and Gou. Ramsey. We are glad to know that S t . Paul speculators are vitally interested here, because it argues that they rzow see what we saw nearly three years ago; tlzat is, that Stillwater is destined inevitably to be a great place. They now see that Stillwater is not a 'one-horse lo~cln, chucked down among the hills i n the sand.' They now see that Stillwater has
l3 St Croix Union. December 5, 1856
15
- - -- - -
The East One-Half of Churchill, .?'elson & Slaughter's Addition
unr i~~aled advantages-tha/ she has n ~ u c h capital-thal a Rail- Koud is to come here probably before one runs lo St . Paul, and that Slillwater is rapidly advancing in all that contr ib~~tes to muterial prosperity and greatness.'?"
HURRAH FClR STILL M'ATER "
In January of 1857, just as the land speculation was reaching its height, Churchill and Nelson began to act. On January 12, they deedetl an undivided one-half of the NE % of Section 33 (40 acres) to Robert F. Slaughter of St. Paul for $5,000.15 Slaughter, who was involved in several other Additions in Stillwater, was a consummate real estate salesman; his specialty was selling local lots to out-of-state speculators.16
The following May, Slaughter sold one-half of his portion to Hilary B. Hancock of the town of Minneapolis. Hancock was the twin brother of General Winfield Scott Hancock; both brothers were graduates of West Point. Hilary moved to Minneapolis in 1856; he was a n attorney for the Minneapolis IvLill Company from 1858-1872, followed by a private law practice.17 Hancock paid $2.500 for his 20 acres.18
On June 15, 1857. the four men and their wives: Levi and Elizabeth Churchlll, Socrates and Betsey Nelson, Robert and Nancy Slaughter, and Hilary R. Hancock platted Churchill, Nelson. & Slaughter's Addition to Stlllwater.
But their timing was very bad
As late as February, 1857, the future looked bright:19
"Real Estate a n d Business in Stillwater
The price of land i n our city and vicinity has advanced ruith astonishing rapidity during the last two years, and from presenl appearances we shall see still greater imprvuemenls in
"El. C-rok Union, December 12, 1856. 1" Deeds 75 l6 There is more on Slaughter in this author's book: A History of the Greeley Residential Area. Slaughter may have lived in Stillwater for awhile; there were a couple of liens filed against hrn for houses he built.
Biography Index, Minnes0t.a Bstoric Society 'W Deeds 422 I y A Plats 129
The East Orre-Half of Chlcrchill, flelson & Slaughter's Addition
the f~rlure. During the week past !Mr. H. R. Murdock pprrrchased (en ncres of land adjoining Cooper's Addition, from Mr. Slorrghler, for $100 per acre. Two years ago this same land was sold for five dollars per acre.
Three thousar~rl seven hundred dollars have been recently offered by Mr. Gorga , the banker, for a lot on A4ain street, corner o f Chestnut-25 -feet front and 80 -feet d e e p a n d refused. The owners-the Messrs. Mr~;dock, Druggists-intend to build a splendid stone building on it in the spring. This is at t.he rate of about. $150 a front -foot, and be it remembered tlint the lvhole lot, of which this is only apar t , a little ouer a year ago, sold for $10 a front -foot. This, to say the least, is a uery fair aduance.
There are yet many splendid inuestments and fortunes to be made in this city-which is, as yet, in its infancy-nd euery day presents new euidences of its future greatness.. .On every side preparations are being made for the erection of capacious ware houses; substantial--and in some instances-fine private duiellings, and euery thing promises a season of unprecedented prosperity. "20
The four partners must have had +ions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. With close to 500 lots for sale in this Addition alone, their future was assured.
0 n the 24th of August, 1857, the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of New York failed; i ts creditors were forced to default,
and a calamitous chain of even& spread across the Unit.ed States. Wit,hin two months. almost everybody in Minnesota was in debt: the Minnesota Territory was literally emptied of cash. Cit.y lots became virt,ually worthless. Those who were formerly wealthy found themselves bankrupt. Stillwater boosters were in despair, and the city was never to fully recover i ts boundless optimism after this Depression of 1857.
Writing of St. Paul, Thomas Newson described what was also true of S tillwa ter:
.-
20 St. Croix Union, February 13, 1857
The East One-Hal/o/Churchill, Nelson & Slarrghter's ..lddition
"And then came [he terribly hard times. With no mongy, no values, no property, no business, little or no emigmtiori, no banks, or banks with empty vaults, no coumge, no hope, notes due, mortgages foreclosed, men heavily in debt, land depreciated from fifty to seventy-five per cent, no trade, indeed with nothing lo t d e , no foundation to br~ild on, no one can imagine the frightful condition of affairs in S t . Paul in i l ~ e latter part of the year 1857 but he n~ho passed tlirough it all...'"'
The Stillwater Democrat, on January 1, 1859, editorialized:
" A Happy Neu Ikar to our Friends and Pairons. Eighteen hundred and fifty eight, with its panics and monetary convulsions, its depression of trade and depreciation in value of all and every kind of purchaseable and ponderable goods and estates, has, thank goodness, departed for ever ..."
The population of Stillwater had declined, and all plans for the future were put on hold. A couple of the local banks, not being able to obtain cash, printed their own bank notes, and Washington County was forced to issue its own scrip payable against tax dollars tha t were difficult, if not impossible, to collect.
In 1857, before the crash, Churchill & Nelson managed to sell only a couple of lots in Block 10.
But as the economy collapsed, and the real estate market withered, Nelson, as the partner resident in Stillwater, realized that the sale of his lots would ultimately depend upon better access to the top of the South Hill. To promote his property, Nelson &d what many other land developers and speculators did in the nineteenth (and twentieth) centuries: they donated some of their lots for a public development, in this case, they donated a whole block for the building of a new Washington County Courthouse on Pine and South Third Streets. This was not an act of altruistic generosity on the part of the partners; they knew the building of a Courthouse would make their own lots surrounding the courthouse much more valuable. Not only would the sale of their lots benefit from businesses and workers wishing to live near the Courthouse; the developers would also benefit because the city would fmally be forced to provide easy and quick access up the bluff to the Courthouse.
T TI Newson. Pen Pictures of St. Paul. Minnesota and Biowa~hical Sketches o m Settlers. By the Author. St. Paul. 1886. Page 698. --
18
The East One-Half of Chrrrchill, iVelson & Slarrgl~ter's Addi t ion
.4s Churchill and Nelson anticipated, t.he building of the new Courthouse served a s the impetus for other development. A new, large. and very grand public school, Central School, was constructed kitty-corner from the C:ol~rthouse, and across South Third Street, Father Michael Murphy paid the astronomical sum of $4,000. in 1871 for three of the best lots in the city on which he built the new St. Michael's Church.
Wit.h the building of the Courthouse and other institutions nearby, and the opening of the Third street hill, the lots in Churchill, Nelson and Slaughter's Addition began to sell, h o ~ ~ s e s were built., and the neighborhood began to take shape.
But the two men most responsible for these changes were both dead. Levi Churchill had died a t t.he young age of 44 in St. Louis, Missouri, on Christmas Eve, 1857. His very brief obituary - the penalty for dying on a holiday. no doubt - read: "DIED-Of consumption, on Thursday evening, the 24h inst., Leui Churchill, aged 44 years. The funeral will take place from the the 'Church of the Messiah, corner of Olive and Ninth streets, on Sunday at 2 o'clock, P.M. Vermont papers please copy."" He had left his ent.ire estate to his wife, Elizabeth M. Churchill. Elizabeth, in turn, assigned responsibility for the affairs of the Stillwater partnership to her brother, John Proctor, an attorney and a well-known Stillwater resident.23
Sccrates Nelson had died on May 6, 1867 a t the age of 53. His heirs were his wife, Betsey, and his one surviving daughter, Emma A. Nelson. Socrates left an estate of considerable value. His household goods were appraised a t $445. including a very expensive $50. double-barreled shotgun. (By contrast, his four featherbeds were only valued a t $30.00, and a walnut chning table was valued a t $3.). His Main Street store inventory was valued a t $9770. His accounts payable were valued a t $13,416. giving him total assets in personal property of $23,303. In addition to this, his real estate, consisting of lots in Stillwater and Baytown, were appraised a t $63,990. The total value of his estate was close to $100,000. a great deal of money when the average wage was $2. a day, and you could buy a modest house for $500.24 His business affairs were to be continued by Betsey and a local businessman and surveyor, Harvey Wilson.
The other two partners: Robert Slaughter and Hilary B. Hancock, discouraged no doubt. by the panic of 1857, sold their cIaim to Churchill &
22 Missouri Republican, Decernber 27, 1857. 23 Will #51, Washington County Probate Court. On June 21, 1858, Elizabeth Churchill gave the first of many Powers of Attorney to act for her. D Bonds 34 24 Will $155, Washington County Probate Court
The Easr One-Half of Ch~rrchi l l , h'elsort & S l n ~ r g l ~ t e r ' s Addit ion
Nelson in August of 1857 for S5,000.00.25 I believe Slaughter moved to St. Peter, b h n e s o t a ; Hancock died in W n e a p o l i s in 1908 at the age of 84. His obituary said: "Hilary Hancock was one of the finest chamcters ujho euer lived i n hlinneapolis. His was a fine legal mind and /ew men were more conscienlious artd thorough than he in everything he uizderlook." 26
0 n September 26, 1871, the business of Churchill and Nelson took another turn. Emma, the heir and only surviving daughter of
Socrates Nelson, married a 28-year-old dapper and promising Stdlwater attorney, Tayette Marsh. One of the first orders of business was to b i d d a splendid new house for the family. The house a t 516 S. Broadway, which cost around $15,000 was a resplendent conglomeration of brackets, bays, porches, all in a more or less fashionable French Second Empire Style.
In November of 1880. Emma Nelson Marsh &ed leaving three children. In her will, we find that the $100,000 estate left her by her father some 13 years earlier has been reduced by one-third. Emma's personal assets included bank stock, promissory notes and cash worth $9,131. The value of her real estate was reckoned a t $57.275, which included the value of the South Broadway house a t $13,000. From her personal estate, her husband, Fayette, was to receive $3.043.23; each of the three children, Ella N. Marsh, Nelson Orris Marsh, and Faith Marsh, were to receive $2,029.23. Fayette was the administrator of the will, and i t was his task to continue managing the real estate interests of the estate.
However, there was apparently some difference of opinion over the administration of the real estate between Fayette and his mother-in-law, Betsey Nelson, Socrates' widow. In a five page memorandum between the two heirs of Socrates, which reads, in p'art. "...certain differences have arisen between [Fayette] and Betsey D. Nelson respecting the rights and interest i n ... the residue of the estate of Socrates Nelson, deceased which ... consists principally i n certain real estate situated in the city o f Stillwater ..." Fayette agreed to pay Betsey a monthly allowance from the proceeds of the real estate. As an indication of the amounts concerned, there is a note in the will tha t the rents received from the properties was $4,270 between November 23, 1880 and November 1. 1882.27
25 I Deeds 302. ?"here are no recorded documents to explain what happened to Slaught'er and Hanccck's title to the property. Minneapolis Journal, February 26, 1908, pages 1 &9. 27 Will of Emma Nelson Marsh, "35 in Washington Count). Probate Court.
The East One-HalfofCh~rrchill, Nelson & Slaright~r's .tddition
But Betsey Nelson was apparently not the only one Fayette Marsh hacl clifficulty with. The beleaguered son-in-law, who had an unfortunate and ultimately fatal addiction t,o alcohol. was apparently accused of living off, or a t least using his -wife and mother-in-law's money for his own extravagant purposes. In a letter of justification GO his children, accompanying an account book, he wrote:
"The account which is set forth just above is as you perceive the account. from the time we finished building the House [616 S . Broadway] up /o the t ime o f your Mother's Death. The history of that period is this. In order lo explain the account from 1873-4 when ule finally closed up House building until 1876 Mrs. Nelson continued the business of the Churchill & Nelson Estate. Your mother's @mms Nelson] property was our half of that estate. .And you will find that I have charged to myself all that which I received fmm h i m dz~ring that period, even when it ulas delivered directly to your G m n d Mother. This lasted until the Fall of 1876 at which time Harvey i4'ilson [a trustee under socrates Nelson's will] died. Then for about one year or perhaps a little more Mr. John Proctor, the brother of Mrs. Churchill, uiho was the owner of the other half of the estate ran the business; and I have charged myself with all of the cash which I obtained from him. There rum no other source from which I received any belonging to your Mother during that period, so I charged it all to myself. During that period also--the fall of 1876--your Grand Mother [Betsey Nelson] resided with me and I paid ihe entire expenses of my family and of your Grand Mother except for as far as she puuchased clothing or expended money which. was drawn from Mr. LVilson which money you will find charged to m e in the accounts set forth. But the money turned over to her for her especial use was also credited back to her in the same account so that made it stand in this way: From the time we quit building the House up to 1876 I supported your G m n d Mother except as to her spending money and some money which she used for the purchase of clothing that she received from Mr. Wilson. thmugh me as indicated i n the account. This continued to be the case during the administration. of the estate by Mr. Proctor which lasted until sometime in 1877. Except that he so misembly managed the affairs of the estate that but little m o n q was received which might be d i sb~~rsed . You will o b s e r ~ ~ e by this account contained in the old Wilson Book, which will be presented for you, that he must have lost most of the rents and indeed made a very lame attempt a t running the business o f the Estate. It was the actual desire o f both parties that the Estate should then be divided: It was done so i n a very satisfactory way I believe to both of them.'"a
F'revious to 1877, the deeds in C h ~ r h i l l ~ Nelson & Slaughter's Adhtion were s~gned hy all parties: John Pmtor (for Elizabeth Churchill), Eetsey Nelson. Emma and Fayette Marsh. When the estate was dwided, certain lots were deeded to Churchlll, and certain lots were deeded to Nelson's heirs.
The East Or~e-Halfof Ch~irchill, Nelson & Sloughlt-r's Addilion
"Noui a1 the d i ~ ~ i s i o n of the estale a certain lot of notes u1ere ilrrnecl over lo me as the agent of your mother; a part of them netler were collected; all of those that rt~ere collected ?ou will find in the list charged to m y account on page 14 of this Book. Three of the notes were not collected and you will find them charged to m y account. At the time o f the dilrision of the estate there was no property except certain bank stock in the Lumbermans National Bank and in the First National Bank of Still~c~ater, these certain promissory notes and the real estate. The real estate of ic~hiclt I speak ic1a.s conveyed to her by Deed. Yo~r iclill find these deeds recorded in the office o f the Register o f Deeds at the Court House. [3 Deeds 1161 There uiere three of these deeds. The deeds that were so recorded described all of the real estate that was convqed lo your mother at that tinze. I enclose in this book and attach to it maps shoujing where that real estate was situated. The colored pieces on the ncaps indicate the estates which urere conveyed to your mother at that time. It contained a complete descn:ption of all that ~ i ~ a s conveyed to her; nothing has been omitted. I n order to sho~c~ you that I account for every piece of Real Estate sold I have jotted down upon ihesc: maps on each lot the number of the ilem and thepages where you will find that I hare been charged with it. This is so that you may be perfectly cont~inced that I halje accounted for every foot of real esfate ~uhich was deeded to your nzother or of which she u ~ a s the la~uful owner. When I do that and account @r the promissory notes received and for the cash received from Mr. Proctor and Mr. Wilson I have absolutely accounted for eve? dollars worth of properly of hers that I ever touched or handled.
"There r ~ ~ a s also certain other real estate which was nominally or apparently con~ieyed to your Mother. The deed of that has never been recorded. The reason for that was this: Before the division o f thepartnership property there icras quite a number of lots conveyed by way of Bond for Deed [similar to our Contract for Deed] and notes given therefore. I n many instances the taxes were not paid upon it, therefore the deed of that could not be recorded. These notes given for them are the same notes which I ha t~e cha.rged myself twice because they were already sold and a bond given for a deed so. that the real estate really u:as not ours. The bond only giving us a lien ur title to the property until the notes were paid. When the notes were paid the property became theirs. Therefore I ought only to charge myself with the notes."
[Many of the lots in this addition were not conveyed with a Warranty Deed to the new owners until several years after the owners had b i d t a home on the lot. What Fayette refers to above is an intermediate (unrecorded) instrument h e called a Bond for Deed, much like our Contract for Deed. I t was used to convey the property until a later Warranty Deed was issued by Churchill or Nelson]
The East One-Hal/o/ Chrrrchill, Relson & S l u l ~ g h f ~ r ' s .4ddition
"If you are not satisfied upon this point sholu this pamgraph to on:+ real estate Lawyer or any competenf I ~ w y e r and he rc:ill tell you lhaf I a m stating just what the legal rights of the case arc and that I s l ro~~ld so charge myself just as I have done and in no other w a x And ?'OIL will discuss by the examination of this account and the books of H a r u g bVilson and the maps which are attached to this Book and the deeds which are upon record al the Court House recorded in the year 187% about the month o f May, that I have accounted for every note and eue& dollar i n m o n q that I ever received of y o ~ ~ r mother's and every piece of real estate that I ever sold of hers up to and including the year 1880, the account closing on the 23rd day o f No~lember 1880, the day your mother died.
"Let me state the proposition broadly to you that fi.om the time that I married your mother i n 1871 to the 23rd day of ~Vouember, 1880, I furnished the entire support of my family without the use of a Dollar of your mother's money. That such money of hers as I did receive was expended as YOU see by the account for her benefit and in the protection of her property and in the building of ualuable Buildings upon her cstate.
"When I came to take charge of the Estate and the division was made there was only one building upon the property save and except our Homestead. There was no property that ruould pay a n income as .you perceive except this building known as the old Willard Building which ruas standing at the time that I write this explanation. That was rented for five hundred Dollars per year. The laxes on the property, it being all outlying lots, u : m above Twelve Hundred Dollars per year. You can see that i~istead of being a help to us it wcls a positive ntrisance and b u d e n . Yet notwithstanding this trnt,h all o f those years I necessarily had to bear the humiliation and reproach of the current belief i n society, reiterated upon every possible opportunity by the friends of Mrs. Nelson that I was being supported out of the property belonging to your mother. Your mother understood it correctly and u.sed every possible endeavor she could to correct such a misapprehension and in all respects i n reference to it behaved toward me like a noble woman which she was. I n her there was no farilt either i n reference to that or anything else. This will close up the account to 1880 at the time of her death. The next two years the account was filed with the Probate Court. It consisted in the collection of various notes which we had at that time and in the sale of some certain real estate. I will indicate upon the map what the Real Estate was. The account will only he the acco~rnt just I filed it i n the Probate Court at that time and nothing more. From that time forloard I will continc~e the account so as to show that I ha t~e accounted for every piece of property, m o n q or any other thing had or owned by your mother.
The E a s t One-Half of Churchi l l , Nelson & Slnrrghter 's .4ddition
" As I hnue above stated I found the property uios oi~tlying and producing no income in m y j~~dgemen t and I rroiu believe it was the hest business judgement in order to secure an income for nly wife and children irl cosp of nly death and I rhoughl that this or~tlving properly oughl to bc sold and converted into n1one.Y ond br~ildings built upon that portiorl of the estate lying upon ;\lain Street in the city ofStil1u;ater where it w o ~ ~ l d bring a good rent. As you see by the accounts I 1mi;e accomplisi~ed for that. purpose the bt~ildings are built: and if you notice the larger rents with urhich my account has been charged since that date you hill perceive that it 11!os a good business jrrdgemen t .
"This property u~il l be turned over to yo l~ in your due proportions when you arricle at Laruful age, aitd upon my Death by the terms of my &'ill. You will inherit e u e q Dollars worth of it, eucry dollars worth of property of ujhich your molher died possessed together with much other propcrty and life i n s ~ ~ r a n c e ullzich I shall be able to confer upon you,. I do this ulith only the desire o f accounting to you for a11 of your mother's estate. I shall neither
m y wife b e had re rna rned] or anyorre else to inherit. a dollars u!orth of the property that belonged Lo your mother. After the close o f the accozcnt u~hich I shall add and which is filed in the Pmbate Court I will go on with the receipts and disbursements from that date until the present, and from time to time while I live I shall kcep up this account. And I say here, that in case I shall li~le, after I complete one more building up on that property I shall feel Lhat I have made sacrifices enough in the labor I hove bestowed upon it and shall feel at liberty to use the income in excess for what I have done with the money. "29
Apart from the a c u l t i e s with his in-laws, Fayette Marsh did 'not appear to be a popular figure in Stillwater. The occasional newspaper mention was generally not favorable:
Taken to the City Hospi ta l
Last evening about six o'clock Chief Glennon took Fayette marsh out to the city hospital. Mr. Marsh has been drinking v e q heavily during the past few weeks and is in a deplorable
23 This document, along with other information on Church11 and Nelson, is from the grandson of Nelson Orris Marsh (who was a son of Emma & Fayette Marsh), Richard Huseth , 11007 Spicewood Parkway, Austin, TX 78750. Kichard was extremely helpful in gathering information on Churchill and Ne l~on ,
The Ens1 One-Hnl/o/Ch~rrchill, Nelson & Slnzrghter'silddilion
condition. He u:ill be treated at the hospital and i f he does not improve he hay be sent lo the Rochester asylum.
P.S. blarsh didn't remain at the hospital, but came down town this morning. He says he is going to Pire City.30
This is ihe way that Marslz falked lo a Pioneer Press reporter about the manngr i n uhich senator Castle became a delegale to the recent democratic county convention held here: "You see, the senator is a lawyer. They say that he went rip to one of t,he country delegates and said: "We don't luanl. your vote, but. we-want you to give 14s yourprox!. A'o~ou!, if you'll gi t~e it to me, I'll pay you $50. 1'11 give yoti $40 for that old cow you want to sell me, a r ~ d that isn't urorth $0, and when that laic'srrit. about that cord of tciood that you stole comes up, I'll defend you for nothing. If that isn't enough, lohat do you wan t f " Mr. Marsh wouldn't. furnish doczrnzentary evidence of cuhat he said, though Mr. Castle, who waspresent, did not deny it.31
I n his reminiscence of Stillwater in the 1880' and '90's. Albert Caplazi w ~ o t e in 1944:
"At that time Elliots on the nortlzwest corner and Day's on the northeast corner of 4th and Hancock streets were the last houses on @ street. Reuoir's 1916 South Third Street] where Schindler's shoe repair shop is now was the last place on 3d. The road ran there diagonally to the race track [Athletic Field] and on down through the woods to Oak Park. The house on the east side of P d St . about the middle of the block between Churchill and Hancock St. was in the I U O O ~ S . It loas built by Mr. Mahaney, a plasterer and was plastered on the outside. Abe Rohback litled tllere later.
"Lumber and labor was cheap in tlze '70's & '80's it is said. Conrad Drechsler who operated the Casino Saloon on the north east corner of Chestnut and Union. built a fine large residence on the northwest corner of Willard and 5U; in the late seuenties for
3%t.illwater Daily Gazet,te, September 22, 1897 31 Stillwater Dlly Gazette, August 1 I , 1888.
Tlre East One-Flc~lf of Clrrrrchill. Nelson d Slc~llghtcr's Addition
$2,200. Herman Steinliorst ruas the Di~ilder. [Steinhorst also built. 806 S. Gth St.] .A. ill. Dodd liued on the s o ~ ~ t l ~ ~uest corner of Willard and 5''' at that time Charles Lustig lived there later. [513 W . W~llard].
".il.Iany iami1it.s kept a cow or two in the scuenties and early eighties. m e r e rtias lots of free pasture, from Hancock St . south to Oak Park and Highway 212 and west to Lily Lake rtins nearly all rlloods. There ' u i m no herd laru, cows could run at large. l ' h q would be tr~rned orit i n the morning and come home in the evening to be milked. About that time in the late set'enties City Clerk E . A. Hopkins built the fourth house south o f Willard Street on ihc roest side of @ and while he liued there his cou3 gave birth to four calves all alive all white with red ears ond nose. They were pretty calves, but Mr. Hopkins was a n inexperienced cow man, gave the caloes too much rope. They got tangled up in the ropes and 111~ng themselues.
"From Hancock S t . south to Fainiiew Cemetery and from +Ph street west to Holcombe S t . was (arty acres of rtioods, which was cleared, broken and sowed to grain i n the late seventies .... It uias called Marsh's Field. Mrs. Marsh was B e t s q Nelson [actually it was Emma Nelson], the darlghter of Socrates Nelson who ou~ned much of the land in th.at uicinit ?....At that time in the euening you could hear the Cl'hipporwill and other night birds lilhich are not heard ony more.
"The South Hill from Willard to Hancock u ~ a s called Nelson's field after Socrates Nelson who owned the land in 1872 Albert Caplazi built a house on the southuiest corner of Fourth and bTillard [704/706 S. 4th St.] and at one time had a dairy of about 15 cows, until the herd law went into effect about 1885 when the cows were not allowed to run at large, many in the neighborhood came and got their milk fresh at milking time, morning and evening.
"Other early residents of South qfh St. were DeStaffeni [7 10 S. 4th St.], where Joc Giossi lives now. City clerk E. A. Hopkins, Meal.? [802 S. 4th St.], Crirnmins, Barry [810 S. 4th St.], Goodman [816 S. 4th St.]. Le Moine [826 S. 4th St.], Elliot [lo22 S. 4th St.], Sinclair [719 S. 4* St], Barrow p a r r o n , 801 S. 4'h St.], Kilty [807 S. 4th St.], lVard White, C r o ~ u l q [921 S. 4th St.], MeGee, Sutherland [lo09 S. 4th St.], Day, Carroll [Y24 S. 4th St.] ond others.
The ENSI One-Half of Churchil l , ,Velsor~ & Slnlrgllter's Addi t ion
On 3 d iclere O'Shaunessy, [703 S. 3rd St..] McCarthy, [fill S . 2""t.J Foran, [821 S. 3 1 ~ St.] Capmn, [822 S. 3rd St.] Roney, Ricllardson, Tozer, [704 S. 3r"t.I Joy, [!~04 S. 3'"t.I B~nrlingham, [505 S. Srd St.] Stewart [906 S. 3 r d St.] and other. John Roney lived on the nortl~east corner of Willard and ,W.C;ol Ricely i t~c l s stabled t h e r ~ a i d one day it is said he got loose, the wonzen folks had a pie cooling on the windo~usill, Go11 (horse) Ricely came along and ate the pie. Daily lived on the soc~thu,esl cornfr of Willard and P d ... 2
"Oct 10, 1875, a fine October S ~ ~ n d a y about, noon there wos made a uiing shot that don't happen very often, a large flock of geese were flying North, they rvere high, so high they appeared about the size of a two months olti chick. .4 Mr. Roettger lived in the third hoirse jronz the southwest corner of Churchill and 5* [912 S . 5Ih St.]. He shot at those geese twice from his door step, when t h q got half way between Chr~rchill and 1Villard oLer 5* a goose turned and headed south, she held the1.e a moment and then she began lo tumble over and over she l~lent and struck a fence and broke the top one by six inch fence board edgewise back of where Hooley's meat market is now, corner o f 4* & Churchill. It was surprising the size of that goose, they looked so small in the air. She was dark colored and weighed about ten. pounds. It was q l~ i te a sight to see that goose come tumbling down from such a height. The Irish Church [St. Michael's] had just let OIL^ so it attracted a large crown. ,blr. Roettger later moved to a farm in Wisconsin betu~een Houlton ond Somerset.
"A terrible thing happened between the Irish Church and Hooley's butcher shop on Sunday about noon late i n November i n the late eighties. Mr. Ratican living on the northeast corner of 6* & Hancock [I021 S. 6th St.] bought a team of horses for the woods. They were large, young and frisky. They were being led to ~uater. George Ra l imn about 12 year old, was leading one of the horses. He had learned fmm some one who worked at the boom to make a hitch which they r~sed to tie logs together. He made a hitch around his wrist. There was a water fountain i n the triangle at -I*, \Villard and Locust but the water was shut o f f for the winter, so they had to go dourn on 31d at the head of Chestnut on the way back just as they got in front o f St . Michael's C h ~ ~ r c h the bell struck 12 o'clock-church out, the horse bolted and started to run the boy couldn't hold h im and he couldn't let go as he was hitched to the end of the halter rope. The horse
The East 011e-fltrlf of Churchill, Nelson & Slal~ghter's Addition
turned on Lucust down .lh running away ~clith tile boy dangling a1 the end of the halter rope ~uilen the horse turned on Churchill the boy's bmins were spattered on tile sidewalk and the side of Hooley's Meat h.1ar.l;et on the S. W. corner of 4& and Churchill."
In 1885, another principal in the Churchdl and Nelson business died. Betsey Nelson, the wife of Sccrates, died on October gth She left her estate totahng $5921.6.1 to be divided among her three ~andchl lc l ren 32
B y 1900, most of the real es ta te left by Levi Churchill and Sccrates Nelson had been sold. In September of 1901, Fayette Marsh died
at the age of 57. His obituary testifies to the tragic figure Fayette had become.33
"The sad fact has for years been impressed upon the minds of our c i t i z ~ n s that the once brilliant lawyer, Fayette Marsh, bound by a. seemingly uncontmllablepassion to habits of dissipation was moving in the pace that kills. All the efforts of' his better nature and the kindly influence of relatives and friends were of no auail. At times it seemed as if tilegreat curse of his life was to be lifted, and he became himself. Bu t not for long. The demon of drink clu,tched h i m again i n its deadly grasp, and he went steadily downward. His speedy decline, the loss of the respect and confidence among friends who had hoped in uain for his deliuerance from the cruel bonds which led h i m c a p t i ~ ~ e on the du~onward road, these are too well known to most of our readers.
"Last Tuesday afternoon, while i n a weak and dazed condition, he stumbled and fell down a flight of stairs in the Mower block and was found insensible a few moments later. He was taken to the city hospitnl and after a n examination by thephysicians his case waspronounced a very serious one. He lingered, hou~euer, i n a semiconsciou~s condition, until last evening at 8:30, when death closed the career of one who in life was respected and beloued by all, and whose memory will be kindly cherished by hundreds who will only remember his many noble and unselfish acts of kindness, forgetting else i n the charity which covers all the shortcomings and imperfections o f this brief, transitory existence here. "
-~ -
'' Will of Betsey D. Nelson, #a54 Washington County Probate Office 33 Stlllwater Gazette, September 14, 1901.
The E a s t One-Half of Chrrrcllill, Nelson & Slaugh te r ' s Addi t ion
Fayette Marsh's wvi1134 left one-third of his esta te to each of his three ch i lhen with Emma Nelson Marsh. He left one-half his law library to his second child, Fayette Marsh. J r . , age 13, by his second nife, Kate Greeley. The personal assets of Fayette totaled $218; his real estate, heavily mortgaged with back tases, was valued a t $333. Socrates Nelson's legacy, worth $100.000 in 1867. hat1 been reduced by his son-in-law to less than $1,000 two generations later. despite a ten-fold increase in the price of Stillwater real estate.
On hlay 11. 1908, Elizabeth Churchill, aged 83; died in her home a t 5108 S. Broadway in St. Louis, Missouri. She had no children. Her Washington County estate consisted of Rlock 29 on Main Street in the original plat of Stdlwater, which was valued a t $5,500; some lots in Churchill's Second Addition valued a t $950, and $773 in cash. Her house in St. Louis wvas left to her sisters; a brother, Barron Proctor, age 74; and two nephews: Levi Prnctor, age 52, and William b'hite, age 60, were her sole heirs 35
34 Will of h y e t t e Marsh, #2297 Washington County Probate c f i c e . " Will of Elizabet,h M. Churchill, $3039 Washington County Probate Wice
29
The East One-lialf of Churchill, iVplson R- Sluughter's Addition
Survey Details
Churchill Street
Edmund Butts, a local attorney and real es ta te dealer sold ]Jots 1 & 2, Block 16 to Alice McMahon in October of 1871. Within a couple of years, according to the tax assessor's annual reports, a medium sized house - which remains a t 317 E. C h u r c h i l l S t r e e t - had been built on Lot 1. I t npppars however that Alice did not actually live in the house; she does not appear in any of the Stillwater City Directories for this period.36
307 E. Church i l l S t r e e t was built in 1964.
304 E. Church i l l Street was b ~ ~ i l t i n 1946.
The house a t 303 E. C h u r c h i l l S t r e e t was b d t in 1883. We know that date for certain because the owners of the property, John & Matilda hlahon, did not pay their contractor. James Kelly the las t $74 they owed him for '.constructir~g a foundation rr~all of masonry" in the spring of 1883. The total bill for the foundation was $194, bu t the Mahons had already paid him $120 on account.37
There is not one deed or other property record, hefore 1908, on Lots 1 Ri 2, Block 15: the location of the house a t 215 E. Church i l l S t r e e t . I can only guess there was some kind of unrecorded deed or contract that. conveyed ownership to the property. From the t ax assessor's records, it appears the house was built about 1883, bu t I cannot say by whom. The McDonough family lived there in the early 1890's, b u t it does not appear they built the house.
In June of 1874, Elizabeth Churchill sold Lot 15, Block 2, to Mary McColrlricli on the equivalent of a Contract for Deed. Apparently McColdrick defaulted on the Contract, for Elizabeth Churchill sold the same lot to Mary Ann and James Nichol in March of 1885. They soon after built a house tha t took the number 218 E. C h u r c h i l l Street . . James A. Nichol was a laborer for the Musser-Sauntry Land, Logging, and Manufacturing
" T D e e d s 6 1 2 ; SAM7,Roll 4. 31 12 Deeds 420; A Liens 321; 1887 Stillwater City Directoq. 38 E Bonds 138; 7 Deeds 327; 1887, 1891 Stillwater City Directories.
The East One-Half of Chr~rclrill, .Velson & S1azrghter's:lddilion
114 W. C h u r c h i l l S t r e e t , a one-story brick b d d i n g , was originally constructed as a "picture theatrd' in the summer of 1915. The owners we.re the O'Neal Brother. James & Eugene, who were lumbermen. According to the building permit, the $3,500 st.ructure was to b e one-story. 50 feet wide, and 75 fret deep. 'I'he budding material was concrete, ant1 the roofing "ruberoitl." In an article in the February 16, 191G issue of the Stdlwater hlessenger, there was an announcement of the builtlings new ownership: "Tlic Hilltop mooing picture house ill be re-opened immediately under new nzanngement. The nelu ma.n.ager's name i s Samuel Carlson .... Mr. Carlson sbotes fliat i l ~ e main dralcback to the theatre, the lack of heat, has been remedied by the installation of a number of more radiators and that the theatre roil1 rtoul be found u larm an.d comfortable." In 1924, the Theatre was closed and the buildmg reopenetl as an automobile repair. garage. This, and much more hist.ory of the builtling can be found in an article by Imal historian, Brent Peterson, in The St.. Croix Valley Press of October 4, 2001. Previous to t.he Theatre, there was a house on this site built around 1873, the residence of Timothy Donohue. who sold cantly and cigars a t this location.3g
117 West C h u r c h i l l S t r e e t was built as an addition t,o 901 South Fourth Street by Charles and Carrie Glaser who had a store and residence in 901 South Fourth Street. According to the building permit. the $1,000 addition a t 117 West C h i ~ c h i U was for the purpose: "by adding pool room to easl side 30 ' x 38' 2 stories in height." Over the years, this building has had a number of uses, but the most common is as a barber shop.1°
South First Street
Lots 28, 29, & 30, Block 1 were pa r t of an $1800 package sold by Elizabeth Church111 to Henry Woodruff on a Contract for Deed. Woodruff, a StiUwater resident and one-time owner of t he newspaper, the Stillwater Messenger, assigned the Contract to his brother, Willis \Voodruff, who, in turn, sold Lot 30 to Peter Stenstrom in J ~ d y of 1885. Stenstrom sold boots, shoes, tobacco and cigars from his business and residence a t 211 & 213 N. Second Street. I t was not until 1921 tha t t he residence a t 703 S. F i r s t S t r e e t was constructed. According to t he b idd ing permit, the cost of this house was $3,500; it was one-and-one-half story, 22 feet by 32 feet. The name of the permit was Mathew F. Butler.41
3W.4M 7 , Roll 4; 1877 & 1881-82 Stillwater City Directories; City of Stillwater Building P e r m t it 1606. #'City of Stillwater Building Permit #1515; also see entry a t 901 South Fourth St..
L) Bonds 497; 7 Deeds 374; Stillwat,er City Directory, 1887; City of Stillwater Buildins P e r r ~ t # 1853.
The East One-Half of Churchill, Nelson & Slnnghter's Addition
Seward P. and Elizabeth Richardson purchased this property in April of 1881: they immediately took out a $1000 mortgage n i th t.he Stillwater Building Association. But the loan was not used to build a house on this property, hut perhaps elsewhere. By 1889, the mort.gage had been satisfied, but within a couple of years, it appears the Richardsons had financial troubles, for they soltl these lots and their home a t 712 S. Third St. to Robert McGarry, a bookkeeper for the Hersey, Bean & Brown Lumber Co. In J u n e of 1895, McGarry sold the two akd one-half lots to James and R h n i e Hanson who built a fine house which took the number, 704 S . First S t r e e t . A building permit taken out in October of 1895 records the building of a barn and wagon shed, 20 feet by 30 feet, one-and-a-half stories high at a cost of $300. Madt Nelson from the North Hill was the builder.42
Lots 28, 29, & 30: Block 1 were part of an $1800 package sold by Elizabeth Churchdl to Henry Woodruff on a Contract for Deed. Woodruff, a Stdlyater resident and one-time owner of the newspaper, the Sti l l~uater Messenger, assigned the Contract to his brother, Wlllis Woodruff, who, in t.urn, sold Lot 28 to Margxe t Mahoney in November of 1884. The tax assessor's record of 1886 assigns a value of $625 to the lot indicating a house had been built a t 709 S. First S t r e e t . The 1887 City Directory lists "Miss Maggie Mahoney, mdhner, 225 E. Chest.nut, res. 709 S. l*."43
The Stillwater Gazette in it,s issue of November 14, 1871, made a list of improvements to demonstrate how the city had grown the past year. Noted under "Nelson's F ie ld (as the South Hill was then called) was a 24-foot by 32-foot house constructed by S. Doyle. In September of 1872, Stephen & Mary Ann Doyle: he was a "riverman" (working with the logs in the river) took out a $208 mortgage on Lots 26 & 27, Block 1. The mortgage was n i th Hersey, Bean & Brown, a sawmill and lumber company located on South Main Street below the bluff, and this mortgage almost certainly financed the construction of the house a t 711 S. F i r s t Street. The mortgage was satisfied a year later, but in October, 1874, James Kelly, a stone mason who lived on the corner of Fourth & Churchill Streets, f l e d a lien against Doyle for $60.75 "to do the stonework at $1.25per perch and to do the brick work and cement the cistern for what would be a reasonable price ..." This. however, was the least of the Doyle's troubles, for there was no deed recorded to the Doyles. Fayette Marsh reclaimed the property - despite the Doyle's efforts - and resold the house and lots to Wdliam Stein, a jeweIer who lived on Pine Street. Stephen Doyle had emigrated from New Brunswick; his wife: Mary Ann was born in Pennsylvania. By 1880, the Doyle household consisted of Stephen
8 Deeds 120: P Mtga 345; 8 Mtgs 133; 35-291; 40 Deeds 521; 1896-97 Stillwater City Directow; City of Stillwater Building Permit #867. '"AM 78, Roll 5; D Bonds 497; 12 Deeds 404; Stillwater City DirecLory, 1887.
32
TIIP Eas t 0 1 1 ~ - H a l f of Cl~~rrrh i I I , Ne l son & Slnrrghler's Add i t i on
and Mary Ann, n son. Etlmund. 7; Elizabeth, 5 : Austin, 1: antl their mother- in-law, Elizabeth Austin from Ireland. The Doyles, apparently fond of the nrighborhood, moved south in the early 1880's to 1017 South First.44
I n hlay of 1879, Ernest Borscht or Rorchard, a fruit dealer and confectioner, purchased Lots 4 & 5, Block 2. Within six months he took out a mortgage n i th the Seymour, Sabin & Co. who most UeIy furnished the lumber to build the home a t 712 S. F i r s t S t r e e t . By 1881, t.he tax assessor had assigned a value of $1050 to t h e t\vo lots antl building.15
In April of 1872, seven years after the end of the Civil War, Elizabeth Churchill sold Lots 2.1 & 25 to Henry Prince, a St.iUwater merchant and land speculator. Henry, in turn, sold them to George Prince, who sold them to Emily prince, and in Augiist of 1880, Emily Prince sold the lots to John L. Miller. a carpenter and house mover. Soon after purchasing the property, John 8: Elizabeth Miller t,ook out a mortgage from the St. Croix Valley Savings Bank. By 1885, the tax assessor had valued the lots a t $1500, indi;ating a substantial house - which took the number, 717 S o u t h F i r s t Street - on the property. On one of the coldest evenings of the year, January 20, 1911, there was a large fire in the house requiring one-and-one- half hours to extinguish. Damage was estimated at. $2,514.92.46
This property went through six owners before Charles W. and Ida J . Crowell purchased i t in August of 1881. By 1883: the tax assessors records recorded a vaIue of $1650 for the two lots and home a t 720 S. F i r s t S t r e e t , indicating quite a substantial home. Charles was a miller. In April of 1886, the Crowells sold the property and house for $3000 to Mike Johnson of Houlton, Wisconsin who. i t appears, rented the house for a number of years.47
In April of 1872, seven years after the end of the Civil War, Elizabeth Chwchill sold Lots 22 & 23 to Henry Prince, a StiUwater merchant, insurance agent, and real estate dealer. In 1883, h e and his wife, Emily, took out a mortgage with the St. Croix Valley Savings Bank, and build a substantial house, which takes the number 801 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t In the spring of 1898, Frank Linner ( that is pronounced Lin-near) & Co., a Stillwater contractor, took out a building permit: "To raise the roof on Lpart 9 ft. and build aporch in front of building for the sum of .S275."48
" 4 1 Mtgs 342: A Liens 110; Stillwater City Directories 1877-1887; SAM 7. Roll 3 & subsequent; 1880 Federal Census for Stillwater, Family fi299. 45 5 Deeds 175; 0 Mtgs 141; 1881-82, 1887 Stillwater City Directory. a X Deeds 212; 5 Deeds 534; Z Deeds 585; T Mtgs 465; S.4M ?8, Roll 15; 1887.1894 St,illwater City Directories; Stillwat,er Fire Department Records. 17
18 8 Deeds 380; 15 Deeds 597; 1884 Stillwater City Directory; SAM 78, Roll 13. SAM 78, Roll 13; T Mtgs 270; 1894 Stillwater City hector).; City- of Shllwater Budding Permit #954.
The East One-Hnlfof Chtrrrhill, .\"L.lIson R. SInrrght~r's.4ddition
The home a t 802 S. F i r s t S t r e e t Tist had the house number, 526 S. First Street. Frederick E. Loomis. a photographer, bought Lots 8 & 9. Block 2, in July of 1878. He took out a mortgage ~ i t h the Stillwater Building Association that same month. and it appears within a year to so, he had built a house. In 1882, he sold the property and house to Charles W. and Adche N. Gorham.qY
Thomas Francis, a confectioner (candymaker) purchased Lots 20 & 21, Block 1, in April of 1881. That. fall he began having his house a t 805 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t constructed. Unfortunately, he (lid not pay Hersey, Bean & Brown, a lumberyard and s a w m d on South hlain Street below the bluff, for the mat.erials he used. In January of 1882, they Tded a lien against Francis whlch included a detailed listing of building materials used in "coizstruction of a certain dwelling" between July and September 1881 in the amount of $270.98.50
, George Low and his wife, Ossina, purchased a number of Iots in this area iil the 1870's. In 1877, they purchased Lots 10-12, Block 2, and a year later, took out a mortgage with the Stillwater Building Association for $500. Wi thn two years, they had constructed the house having the number, 808 S. F i r s t Street today. George was a carpenter, and for a time, had a business manufacturing wood and iron fences. George was also the general manager of the Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company, a neighborhood company that. built several of the houses in this area. Ossina Low was a florist, and a building permit taken out in September of 1886 is for a $700 greenhouse, 26 feet. wide, and 96 feet long, one story in height. George Low was listed as the However i t appears the present house a t this address was built. after the turn of the century.
817 S o u t h F i r s t Street was built in 1947
Wilhelm & Bertha Gast purchased Lots 3 & 4, Block 15 in July of 1883. Within a year they built their modest sized house that was to take the number. 912 S o u t h F i r s t Street. In the 1884 Stillwater City Directory, Wilhelm is listed as a tailor working for F. C. Cutler, and residing (before house numbers) on the west side of First, the 2nd house south of Churchill. In 1902, the then owner, Henry Hagen, added a $70 two story 20 foot by 12 foot barn to the property.52
" W e e d s 594; N lvItgs 271; 10 Deeds 360; SAM 78, Roll 13; 1884 Stillwater City Directory S A M 78, Roll 13; 8 Deeds 139; A Liens 292;
" SAM 78, Koll 11; N Mtgs 181; I Deeds 613; 1877 & 1881-82 Stillwater City Directory; City of Stillwater Building Permit #132; 1887 Stil lwater City Directory 32 7 Deeds 194; SAM 78, Roll 13; Stillwater Building permit #1094.
The East One-Half of Chrtrchill, Nelson & Slorlghter's Addition
Edmund Butts, a lcral attorney and real estate dealer sold Lot 21, Block 16, to Christian Cook in June of 1889; Christian bought Lot 25 in July of 1893. In the spring of 1868, Cook applied for a permit to build a house a t 915 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t , on these lots. The $400 house was to be 16 feeL nide and 40 feet deep, one-and-a-half stories. The cellar was 8 feet by S feet, and 6 feet deel1,~3
In writing the hist,ory of a house. there is noihing quite so wonderful as a lien: in which those buildmg h e house are not paid, and they f i e a claim against the pr0pert.y that shows up in the property records. In this case, we know that 917 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t was built in the summer of 1586 because James Kelly, a stone mason who lived on Fourth Street, f i ed a lien against the owner- of the property, Benjamin \4%ite, for "...excavalion of a cellar, and doing the mason work for the same Logelher ulith ihe for~izdoiion r~nderpari of the dwelling to be erected on the same o f the size o f 20 x 25 feet ..." As a matter of historical interest, the excavation of the cellar cost $16 (at $2 a day, that is over 7 days work), and the stone and labor came to $156.60. Besides the lien, there is also a building permit for this house taken out in April of 1886. The building was expected to cost $600; i t was one-and-a-half stories, 20 feet. by 26 feet with a cellar 20 by 14 feet and 8-112 feet. deep. The builder was ~ i c h a e l Carroll, a carpenter, who lived in the neighborhood a t 924 South Fourth Street. Benjamin White purchased Lot 23 from Edmund But t s in May of 1886, and took out a mortgage with the St. Croix Savings & Loan in August, 1886 - hopefully to pay off Mr. Kelly, the stone mason! 54
918 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t appears to be a house built by Charles Ries about. 1892. Charles purchased Lots 5, 6, & 7 in November of 1891 from Julius Heller. He soon after took a mortgage from the Stillwater ~ a v & s Bank.55
Edmund Butts, a local attorney and real estate dealer sold this lot to Patrick Glynn in September of 1885. Glynn built his house soon after, for h e is listed a t this address, 919 S o u t h F i r s t S t r ee t , in the 1887 Stillwater City Directory .56
The house a t 920 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t , was, according to i ts present. owner, moved to this location from the site of Lakeview Hospital.57
53 24 Deeds 567; 35 Deeds 579: 1891 Stillwater City Directory; City of Stillwater Building Permit. $262. 54 A Lien 503; 19 Deeds 108; X Mtzs 24; City of Stillwat,er Build~ng Permit #26 " 31 Deeds 613; X Mtgs 483. 56 7 Deeds 387. 67 Melissa Pfannenstein
The East 01le-half of Churchil l , Nelson & Sla~rghler's .Addition
The house a t 923 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t was a f a d y affair. John F. Blankenham - who is listed as a Baker in the Stillwater City Directory - purchased Lot 20, Block 16 from E h a b e t h Church111 in July of 1882. Fredereka Magdalena Blankenhorn purchased Lot 21 Gom Elizabeth Church111 in the same month. They built a home soon afterwards we know, because they are listed a t this address in the 1884 Stillwater City D i r e ~ t o r y . ~ ~
John J . Maloy, a bookkeeper, bought Lots 8 & 9, Block 15 in the fall of 1884: soon after he built his h o k e at 1002 S o u t h F i r s t S t ree t . In the fall of 1888. Malloy took out a building permit to add a $200 kitchen adhtion on the rear of the original house. The new addition was to be onestory, 18 feet by 20 feet. The permit also notes that the original house was two-story, 24 feet by 30 feet with a lup r00f.~g
The history of 1006 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t is uncertain. The house presently a t this address appears to have been built circa 1900.
Fredirka and CVdham Meyer bought Lot 19, Block 16 from Elizabeth Churchill in March of 1882. He was a harnessmaker. They built their house a t 1007 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t the following year, according to the annual tax assessor's records.60
August Wojahn bought Lot 17, Block 16 in August of 1886, and within a year. made an addition to the small existing house a t 1013 S o u t h F i r s t Street tha t appears to have been built by the previous residents, John Jacob & Magdalene Daschler. According to the building addition permit, the original house was one-story, 14 feet wide by 24 feet deep. Wojahn added a $400 one-and-a-half-story addition, 16 feet by 16 feet, to the front of the original house. August was a carpenter with Bieging & Schmidt, a firm of house building contractors. In the spring of 1903, the owner, August Wojahn had the house raised four feet.61
The history of 1017 S o u t h F i r s t Streetis a little murky. Albert Tozer bought Lots 16 & 16 from ELizabeth Churchill in June of 1881, and i t appears, may have built a small house or partial house by 1883. In July of 1885, he sold the property to Matt. Clark and Horace W. Davis: wealthy men who must have bought it for investment. A mortgage was taken out with the Stillwater Building Assmiation that, unpaid, was foreclosed in 1891. But the actual resident of the house in those years was Stephen and Mary Ann Doyle
" 7Deeds 140,141. b9 15 Deeds 98; 1887 Stillwater City Directory; City of Stillwater Building Permit lt351. EV Deeds 78; SAM 78, Roll 13
19 Deeds 103; 1890.91 Stillwater City Directory; City of Stillwater Buildins Permjt li186, 1108.
The East One-Half of Chrrrchill, Nelson R. Slarlghter's Addition
who had, in the 187O's, lost their home a t 711 South First Street. Perhaps Clark & Davis were holding the title for the Doyles. An 1897 budding permit however, suggests that a new two-story house, costing $600, was built on these two lots.62
In the fall of 1897, Nelson School opener1 at 1018 S o u t h F i r s t S t r e e t . Thp Stillwater Daily Gazette of September 25, 1897 has a full account of the new school that is interesting'not only it its tlescription of the physical building, b u t in how it was viewed a t the time.
New Nelson School, a Model Structure o f l t s Kind
It Will be Thrown Open to the Pupils Monday Next.
On next Monday morning the neui Nelson school building, corn.er First and Hancock. streets will be thrown open to the pupils; and the parents of those who attend there may rest assured that their children are receivi
n
g their education under h,ygienic conditions as nearly perfect as can be attained by the application of modern scientific knowledge. The Nelson school can hardly be called one of the architectural beaut.ies of the city, although its appearance is attractive and conforms well with the purpose for which it is intended; but in every deta,il o f construction it is strictly modern and embodies the latest and most appmved ideas inpractice in the larger cities.
The structure is of plain outward appearance as h m been said and to the cursory observer presents unattractive features, one of which is the fact that there are no windows in either front or back, and the brick ualls are relieved only by panels. This however is a concession to the scientific idea upon which the building is designed, and is made necessary in that there need be nothing but the side light in any of the school rooms.
Another striking feature which is also said to detract from the appearance of the building is a large square stock of chimney but here again beauty has been merely forced to give way to science for this stock is an important part of the heating and ventilating system.
Beyond these points there is but little to be said of the exterior appearance of the structure. It is two full slories in
B2 8 Deeds 271; 15 Deeds 35.3; 1884 8; 1887 Stillwater City Directories; SAM 78, Roll 13; City of Stil lwater Building Permit #936.
37
The East Onr- f fa l fo f Chtrrchill. A'elson & Slatrghter's Addition
height ulilh an attic and a basement u~hich is only half underground and is therefore as well lighted from the outside as either o f the floors above and partly serves t.hepurposc of another floor. The foundation, as far as it is exposed, is of stone and the front and rear doors are arched with the same material. The upper portion of the building is of brick with cornice and lrimmings of u!ood and the doors and casements are of hard wood. At the front and back of the building, over the doors, arc: large bay windows, but othenuise the outline is nearly sqrLar.e. The basement is floored thror~ghol~t i ~ ~ i t h cement and in this part are the furnace and engine moms. The building is ventilated by lohat is known as the mechanical method or in other luords, ci,t.ulation of air is obtained by mechanical means and it is not. necessary to depend entirely upon gravity.
The uentilnt,ing machine is operated i n connection with the heating plant and in fact forms a part of the same complete system which is known as the Smead system and was put i n by the American Warming and Ven,tilating Co. of Chicago.
The heating plant comprises four large fi~rnaces. The basis of the ventilating system is a large rotary fan which is operated by a 4-horsepou!er gas engin.e. This fan is nearly 6 feet i n diameter. 'The fresh air is drawn by the fan directly from out of doors and after being passed over the boilers that. it may be heated to the proper temperature is circulated through the building by means of air shafts and registers. This fresh air is admitted to the rooms at the top and the foul air forced out th.rough registers near the floors to the vent stack aboue referred to. This heating and ventila,ting system was tested severa,l days ago and found to war/; perfectly. Besides the engine and boiler moms the bmement contains the water closets which are fully equipped and build after the most approved manner.
I n the front portion of the basement and entirely separated from the rest of it are two rooms, floored with hard maple and finished exactly like the class rooms above. It is intended to use these rooms for the present, as play rooms; but they may in case of necessity be used as class rooms, for thqy are much better than some of the class room in other buildings.. Thus although the Nelson was built as an eight-room building, it has a capacity o f I 0 rooms.
Of the two floors above the basement there a m eight rooms, four on each floor. These rooms are, os regards size and all general characteristics, exactly alike. They are 34x24 feet and so arranged riiith reference to the windows that the light is all admitted from the left side as the pupils will sit. The floors
The East One-Halfof Chl~rchi l l , ,\'elsor~ 82 Slu~~glrter's:lddilior~
through the building are of Jfaple an(1 the trimmings and casements o f Georgia pine.
The ceilings are all so high and the windous so plerrtifu,l as to furnish an abundance o f light and air. A11 of the rooms have slate black-boards on three walls, the other in each case being taken up ent.irely by the windows. Each room has bcside it. a spacious u~arcirobe, the full length of the room. These wardrobes have doors at either end, one opening into the rear portion o f the class rooms and the other opening into the halls.
On the second floor the front ba?. window furnishes a spacio~cs and light room which ui l l be ristd as the principal's office. The bay window at the rear roil1 be used as a library. One each floor, located in the hall is a st.ationar3 ~uash bo~cil with running water and the building has been plumbed thro~~ghout for gas.
The building was erected upon the site of th,e old A'elson , school, which was named in honor o f Socrates Nelson, long since
deceased, but once a prominenf citizen o f Stillwater. The old Nelson school, which uias simply a one-story frame strr~cture of Lwo rooms, was torn down lmL Moy after twelve years of service to make room for its more elaborate successor and namesake.
The architects ruere Orf f and .Joralemon of hfinneapolis whose plan was a modification o f the Colonial style of architecture.
Ground was first broken for the new building about June last and the structure as now completed has cost in round numbers $15,500. The building contract was let to O.H. Olson, the original contract price being $12,664. Owing hou~et'er to additions to the first plans and specifications, this figure was increased about $200. The total cost of the heating and ventilating plant was $2,020, ~ilhich is remarkably low as one of the bids for identically the same appamtus was $3,700. The cost o f plumbing for the gas and tuater pipes ~ u a s about $200 and the gmding and other minor expenses amounted to about $350.
One still further item o f expense ulhich cannot yet be definitely estimated is the cost of extending the sewer to the school.63
Nelson School was abandoned a s an elementary school in the late 1950's. I t was later converted into administrative offices by the consolidated school District 834. The District used it for that purpose until 1976 when the new central services building was constructed. In April of 1977, the City of Stillwater took possession (again) of the school for $1.00.
63 The City of Stillwater Building Permit #931 also has some interesting details.
39
...~ - --
T t ~ e Ens
L
One-Half of Churchill, Nelson R- S l o ~ l g t ~ t e r ' s Addit ion
Over the course of the next year, several proposals for the property were initiated; most of them called for reusing the school in some way. The City Council, however, by a three to two majority, chose a proposal tha t called for the demolition of the school, and replacing i t with two new houses. River Town Restoration, a local preservation group, obtained several injunctions against the demolition claiming the building was an historic resource. In early 1979, t.he case ended up in comt, and Judge Esther Tomljanovich rendered the decision that all "reasonabIe and prutlent" steps must be taken to preserve the old building.
Present. in cou1.t that day was Stillwater Mayor, David (Choc) Junker who remonstrated with the judge saying: "I think there mcrst be a misunderstanding. kbu aren't listening to the stor?, the u!a,y ii. really is." Later, Mayor Junliel. was quoted in t.he press as saying 'TI isn't fair. i f% ore supposed io spend moncj pr.t.ser.uing arL old school brrilding loher?. u e can't. rL1cn afford indoor toilets for our Lily lake arena."
Stillwa ter City Attorney. David Magnuson, defending the City Council's decision, said t,hat if the Nelson School qucWies as a "historic resource," it may set a far-reaching precedent. "St i l l~ 'ater ," he explained. "is one of the oldest cities in Minnesota. It has all kinds of buildings built before 1890. It could br argued that all of them are historic resourres." "I f that is true, it will be difficl~lt to remove or model any of the btrildings," he warned. "I feel," Magnuson told the judge, "that this judicial interference is l~nwarranbecf and unreasonable. I submit that 'historical reso~irces' are not man-made things like build in;^, but rather tlzings like fossils, bones and abandoned graueyarcls." The attorney said he knew of no significant event.5 a t the Nelson School. "It has been wed for 1h.e education of children," he added. "Brit that's sometizing we do ever?, day. No famous people ever attended the school. S o I certainly see no basis for it being a historical resource. '54
In the spring of 1980, the property was purchased by a group of local businessmen known a s the Nelson School Partners. The three men involved were Jeffrey Zoller. Robert Hagstrom, and John Larson. Although they originally intended the building to be converted to condominiums, i t was instead renovated into eight modern two and three bedroom apartments. Wherever possibIe. elements from the original building were reused and reconditioned. Since 1980, the apartments have been converted into condominiums.6~
64 Quoted in the St. Paul Dispatch, January 30. 1979. Page 2(Ej. The St. Croix Collection a t the Stillwater Public Library has an extensive file on the
Nelson School.
The East One-Half of Ch~trchill , A'elson & S l n ~ ~ g h t e r ' s .Addilion
In many respects, the Nelson School building was the b e $ m i n g of historic preservation in Stillwater. Today, Stillwater has an ordinance that prohibit.^ the demolition of an old builhng if t.here is a viable alternative.
South Second Street
Lawson Dailey bought Lot 1, Block 3 from Betsy Nelson on a Bond for Deed - sirmlar to o m Contract for Deed - in September of 1874. Three years later, the tax assessor places a value of $1100 on the lot. in&cat.ing a good sized home, which took the number 704 S o u t h Second S t r ee t , had been built. Dailey worked for a time as a planer in one of the m a s : later he took up fence building. The Dailey family Lived in the house past the turn of the century. According to two building permits, Lawson Dady took up the sale of stoves &om his budding a t 704 South Second Street. The first. permit,, on March 30, 1901, was apparently for a $150 addition, 18 feet by 30 feet. one-and-a-half stories high tha t would provide "More room c% shop for sloves." The second permit in August. of 1901 was for a $450 building two stories in height, 20 feet, by 52 feet, with a veneer of iron, and unfinished ceilings. The purpose was for 3 "stove store and shop." Both buildings were built by Lawson and his son, Russell, who lived nest door a t 708 South Second Street. A third permit taken out. in 1903 adds on a $300 store room and notes that the "Building is sheathed up with nice lumber papered and sided iciith steel. Roof is fire proof roof felt paper." The 1906-07 Stdlwater City Directory also h t s Daily as selling ranges.66
Lawson Dailey who btult his house next door a t 704 South Second St. sold par t of Lots 2 & 3 to George D, Hall for $1650 in June of 1880. That high a price indicates a home a t 708 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t on the property, but as late a s 1879, the tax assessor's records indicate no value beyond that. of the lot.. The logical conclusion is tha t Lawson Dailey either built a house on the lot in 1880] or George Hall held an unrecorded contract that allowed him the build the house. The latter might make more sense because the following year, Hall sold to John Icarst for $378 plus the assumption of a $1400 mortgage.67
66 S.4M 7, Roll 6; E Bonds 250; 1877 & 1887 Stillwater C ~ t y IJiirectories; City of stillwater Building permits $1026 & 1032, 1132. 61 SAM 7;Roll 8; 5 Deeds 529; 8 Deeds 66;
The East O ~ I P - l l a l f o f Chrirchill, .\'elson ' S l a r ~ g l ~ t ~ r ' s :lddition
Seymour, Sabin & Company purchasetl Lot 28, Block 2, in 1872. Seymour. Sabin was primarily a manufacturing company using the prison labor on a contract basis," but they also built houses on speculation. This tneclium sized house, which t,oday has the number, 709 S. S e c o n d S t r e e t , \\.as one of those. Within three years, the house had been sold to John F. Conklin, for many years, the Street Commissioner (somewhat. equivalent to the head of Public Works) for the City of Stillwat.er.'j9
\V. H. Harris purchased L'ots 4 & 5. Block 3, from Betsey Nelson on a Bond for Deed in September 1873. Within a year, Harris had begun the construction of a house on these lots; bu t alas, he clid not seem to have the necessary cash or credit. Seymour, Sabin & Co, a local manufacturing and lumber company, and I\~lcKusick. Anderson, another lumber company, each filed a lien against Harris in 1874 for $236.10 and $216.38 for lumber and materials used "lo constrlict o du~cllilzg." Harris aj~parently could not keep up his payments to Nelson for she took back the property and sold i t to Fred Pennington. From the tax assessor's records, it. appears the iwo lumber companies reclaimed their materials for there does not appear to be a house on the property by 1877. Two years later, under the ownership of Pennington, the value of the lots and improvements jumped from $600 to %1900. In the fall of 1888, Pennington took out a building permit to allow the Northey Brothers, local contractors, to add two wings to the original house as a cost of $1,000. Tha t same permit notes t h a t the original house was t.wo- stories, 22 feet by 32 feet. Pennington was a lumberman with Sauntry, Tozer, & Pennington. This house had the number, 712 S o u t h Second S t r e e t . The story is that Dr. Demeter & Alice Icalinoff bought. this house, and found tha t i t would cost almost as much to install electricity and plumbing as it would to build a new house. Therefore they detnolished 'the original house, and in 1913, they had Frank Linner (pronounced Lin-near) & Co. build a new house on the original foundat,ion.. According to the building permit, the house was to cost $5,000, b e 30 feet by 31 feet., two story with a hip roof.70
In May of 1868, three years after the end of the American Civil War, Edmund G. Butts, a Stillwater attorney and real es ta te dealer, sold Augustus and Carolme Godfkey, Lot 26, Block 2. The following month the Godfreys began the building of a house which today has the number, 713 S. S e c o n d St. Unfortunately they were not able to pay the contractor, Thomas Sinclair. for his work, and he fded a lien against the property in December of 1869. I t
--
+"or more information on Seymour, Sabin & Co. see nly "A f i s t o w of the South Half of the - -
Carli & SC-" Cktober 2001. "SAM 7, h l l 5; 5 Deeds 194. 195; 1877 & 1881.82 Stillwater City Directory.
E Bonds 50; A h e n s 112, 114; SAM 7, Roll 8; SAM 7, Roll 6; 1887 Stillwater City Directory; City of St,illwater Building Pernut #'s 373, 154s.
The Easl One-Nnl fo f C l ~ r ~ r c h i l I . , V ~ l s o n &- Slnirghler ' s i lddi f ion
read, in part: " . ~ Z L ~ ~ L S L ~ L S C. Godfrey and Caroline Godfrey in n / c [account] with Thomns Sinclnir June 1868 for lumber for building house on lot No. 26.,.June 28, 1869, excooating & fi~rnislziizg materials a i d building rellar and cistern on same premises ... three days hnuling nznterials at @$5 ...f f~rnislzing cement. and p lmto ing cisterx." The total money owed Sinclair: $254.45. 'The tax assessor placed a value of $300 on the structure. 'l'hs is one of the oldest houses in Churchd: Nelson, Slaughter's Addition. In 1894, according to a building permit application, an addition - or a new house - was built on Lots 26 & 27. According to the permit, the structure was to be 26 feet by 28 feet deep, one-antl-a-half st,ories in height, and cost $900. The owner a t this time was L3'illiam Heffernam and the contractor was the Stillwater Manufacturing Company."
Eclmund G. Butts, a St.illwater lawyer and real es ta te dealer, soId Lot, 25 5.0 William W. Gilbert in February, 1871; Gilbert sold the same Lot to Hubert Hall, who in turn sold i t to Wdliam Patner in May of 1872. The tax assessor's records for the follo\\ing year list a s m d $200 structure on the property. Patner (or Patrew) continued to own the lot for well over a decade, but, because h e is never listed in the S tdn 'a te r City Direct,ory, i t does not appear h e lived here. In the fall of 1888, a Frank Chartrand applied for a building permit to build a dwelling on this lot. The house was to two-stories in height., 24 feet by 28 feet, with a cost of $900. Chartrand lists himself as both the owner and builder of this home which took the number, 717 S. S e c o n d Street.. 72
720 S o u t h S e c o n d Street occu~ ie s Lots 6.7. & 8. Block 3. In his , ,
annual valuation of properties in Stillwater, the t a s assessor made a note for 1872 that. the value of Lot 7 included a $350 house, and the name "U'atson" was added in pencil. The following year, the note "Watson's house" was added again in pencil. However, the actual Warranty Deed transferring the property from Elizabeth Churchill t o George Watson was in March of 1873, followed by Uratson's mortgage in 1874. Two years later, in the fall of 1876, Watson sold the property to Edward O'Brien, a liquor dealer on North Main Street. In the summer of 1889, t.he Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company made a $250 "Addition to Main House & Porch reshingling roof and slight changes inside."73
Edmund G. Butts, a Stillwater attorney and real estate dealer, sold Lot 23 to James H. Griffen, a s aw blade sharpener, in September of 1873. He
71 In the SWlwntp, M3rsenger a l J - ~ ~ ' l . 1811 Thcmii Sm&uirr~.dar . f S h l l ~ ~ ~ ~ . ' ~ ho.lieb7dlldorr, S.aMi.Roil2, s need; 419
A Lm-r 66, C ~ i y a1 S h U - m r Budmng pen~f134
72 78. Roll 9; T Deeds 454; X Deeds 15; City of Stillwater Building Permit #345. 73 SAM 7, Roll 3; SAM 78, Roll 9; Z Deeds 53; K Mtgs 75; 1 Deeds 223; City of Stillwater Building Permit #426.
The Ens1 One-IInlf of Chtrrrhill, Nelson & Slu~rghter's Addi l ion
must have immetliately begun construction of a house a t 723 S. S e c o n d S t r e e t , because the tax assessor's record notes a $200 house on the lot followed by the penciled notation: "Griffith's House." The following year, in June 1874, Griffen bought Lot 24, completing the p r ~ p e r t y . " ~
John Glaspie, a local real estate dealer who Lived a t 719 S. 'I'hircl St. , ant1 his nfie, Kate, purchased Lots 9, 10, & 11 from the Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company for $900 in May. 1889. In turn. they qoltl part of Lots 9 & 10 to Jam'es and Ellen Dmyer in July of 1890. Either the Glaspies or the Dwyers built the house at 806 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t between 1889 and 1891.76
G e ~ r g e Low and his \%fie, Ossina, who lived a t 808 South First. Street, were prominent, people in this early neighborhood. She was a florist. with a greenhouse on their Iots, and owned extensive property in her own name. George Low was a carpent.er and Iat,er t.he general manager of the St,illwater Construction and Furnishing Company which built several houses in this area. The 1887 Stdlwater Cit.y Directory has a brief description of the company:
Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company This company uias organized March 20, 1887, with a joint stock of
$3,000 and with the following officers. F.E. Joy, president; H.V. Quockenb~~sh, secretary and treasurer, George Loto, general manager. Their business consists i n the construction of any class of buildings ,.equired, i n furnishing material and in general contract u~ork. The: haue built the nezv Ascension Episcopal church and other structures. They employ twenty men and furnish anything requfred from the foundation stone to the parlor ornament of a building.
George and Ossina Low bought Lots 20 and 21, Block 2 @ehind their own residence) and in the period between the fall of 1888 and the spring of 1889, they moved the old Stillwater train depot &om downtown Stillwater (the new Union Depot had just been completed) to these lots, took out two mortgages of $800 and $1,000, with the Stillwater Building Association, had the old one-story depot (22 feet by 52 feet) which, they claimed on a building permit, had been 50% damaged by decay and moving, transformed by the Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company into a dwelling a t 807 S o u t h Second S t r e e t , which they then sold to the Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company in March of 1889. The transformed house ended up in the possession of the Lewis W. Clarke family. He was the city engineer
l 4 Z Deeds 407, 465; SAM 78, Roll 9; 1887 Stillwater City Directory. l5 31 Deeds 148; 1894 Stillwater City Directorq..
44
Thr Enst One-Hal f of Ch~rrc l t i l l . ~ Y c l s o n & Slnrrgllter's .4ddilion
for many years, and also worlictl in the construction of houses in the neighborhood.7F
In May 1889, John Glaspie, a local real estate dealer \$rho lived a t 719 S. 'l'hird St. and his \ d e , Kate, bought Lots 9,10, & 11 from the Stdlwater Construction and Furnishing Company for $000. The Glaspies must have had the home built a t 808 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t , for when they sold one-half the property to Frank and Augusta Grace in January of 1891, the price for the property had increased to $1525; moreover the sale was subject to a lease ~ i t h Horace LV. Davis who \\.as phying $15 a monrh rent..77
MTilliam McPherson bought Lots 12 anrl 13, Block 3, in October of 1874. ' h e tax assessor's record for that. same year lists a value of $1400 for the lot and improvements - indicating a mechum size house, which took the numher, 814 S o u t h S e c o n d Street. McPherson worked for E.L. Hospes & Co, a hardware dealer in downtown Stlllwater. In April of 1888, George Walters, a policeman anrl owner of the house took out. a building permit to repair t.he original house. Accortling to the permit, the original house was onektory, 22 feet wide by 38 feet deep. The proposed repairs were necessary because of "decav,' and would cost $00. They included a new roof and "repoiring of outside of Building." In the winter of 1909, a new $150 fkont porch was added t.o the h0use .~8
Mary and Patrick PvlcGoldrick owned Lots 16, 17, 18, 19, and i t appears they built a home whch took the number 815 S. Second S t r ee t , in the early 1870's. In the 1877 Stillwat er City Directory, Patrick McGol&icli is 1ist.ed as living on the corner of Second and Churchill Streets. What happened to this Fis t house is uncertain, bu t John and Kate Glaspie purchased Lots 18 & 19, Block 2, in 1891. John was, a t this time, engaged in real estate dealing working out of his house a t 719 South Third Street. Less than two years Iater, John &ed unexpectedly at age 49. Perhaps a i t h the insurance money, Kate Glaspie had this $1,200, two-story house, 28 feet by 40 feet, built by the Stillwater Manufacturing Company in 1896. In 1910, the home's third owner, Daniel Doyle, added on a $400 front porch, and in 1919, a sleeping porch was added.
This is a fancy version of a turn of the century house in the Midwest - the kind of old house seen in Walt Disney movies. The front porch has capitals on the porch columns, dentils, fish scale shingles, brackets, stone pillars supporting the porch, recessed panels in the porch, and touches of gingerbread. The leaded glass sidelights on the front door and the six sided
.- 7 - 7 .
@ C.1t.y of St.11lwater Euilrling Permr Ti38R(Ei; 28 Deeds 219; XMt,gs 90,91 " 31 Deeds 456; 27 Deeds 575; 1894 Stillwater City Directory. "SAM 7. Roll 4; Y Deeds 256; 1877 Bi 1887 Stillwater City Directory; City of Stillwater Euild~ng Permit. g's 273, 1371..
The Emst One-Half of Ctrtrrct~ill, .%f,lson R. Slarigl~ler's :lddition
door knobs; the spacious front hallway with fireplace; the newell post, stair rail spintlles, and the radiators with ears are all typical of this period. The hark stairs, second floor sleeping porches, and walk-up attic all indicate a typical Queen Anne style house of the 1890's. The owner has decorated the house in period colors and wallpapers, and furnished the house with furniture appropriate to its age. This house was used as a movie se t for the movie The Cure made in 1991. I t is easy to see why the movie makers, who specialize in dlusion, were anxious t,o use this house to recreate a sense of the past in their movie.19
Samuel C. Norton purchased Lots 16 8; 17 in August of 1850, and a month later, he took out a mortgage with the Stillwater Building Associarion which i t appears he used to build t.he house at 819 S. Second S t r e e t . No sooner was it built then h e sold it. to Thomas Shattuck, a Stillwater policeman. who lived there for a number of years. I l l e n Shattuck bought the propert; and house, it was valued by the tax assessor at $1100."'
'
The home at 822 S o u t h Second S t r e e t appears to be the second house built on Lots 14 & 15. The 1873 Tax Assessor's record indicates a house valued a t $250 on Lot 15, along with a note the assessor penciled in "Weldon's house." The follonlng year, the two lots are valued at. $1000 with the name, "James Anderson", penciled in. Neither of these names are recorded in the deed books, indicating perhaps, that both were buyers with unrecorded contracts. In 1876. Christine &; Charles Holcombe purchased t.he property and the house. In 1880, Charles Holcombe was elected Sheriff. and the family moved into the sheriffs residence of the Courthouse. But in 1892. the St. Croix Lumber Company of South Stdlwater [Bayport] filed a lien against Charles Holcombe in the amount. of $1155.58 regarcling the fact they had "deliuered to one Charles P. Holcombe ... between Oct 3 and Dec 15, 1891 ... lumber, sash, doors, and other building materials ... which said materials mere used by said Holcombe in and about the erection and construction of a dwelling house ..." A City of Stillwater Building Permit #611 taken out on October 15, 1891 confirms the building of this house. The Permit lists the size as 32 feet by 32 feet, one-and-one-half stories high, costing $1,500. The btulder was Sven Berg1und.s'
The house a t 903 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t has a very simple history. John Stdlivan purchasetl Lot 28, Block 15 from Elizabeth Churchill in July of 1872. The tax assessor's record of 1873 lists a $250 house with the owner as
-
l5 Sh~lwatel. City Directories 1852.1894; City of Stillwater Building Permits r's 501, 1382. 1751; 48 Deeds 309; 58 Deeds 572. 80 SAM 78, Roll 1 I , Roll 13; 5 Deeds 606; P Mtgs 219; 1887 Stillwater City Directory
SAhf 78, Roll 9; SrZE4 7, Roll 4; 1 Deeds 273; A Liens 705.
The E a y l One-Hnlfof Chrrrcl~ill, .Telson 63 S l n ~ r g h t ~ r ' s Add i t i on
John Stthvan. Sullivan is list,etl again in the 1887 Stillwater City Directory as a laborer, resicling a t 903 S. Srcond St.82
In the spring o i 18'72. LYatson IIaU, a painter, bought Lot 1. Block 14, from hlortimer Webster, a local real estate speculator and developer. During the summer he had b u i l ~ his $100 house tha t later took the number, 904 S o u t h Second S t r ee t . IIo\vever he clid not pay his carpenters, R. G. Blanchartl and Dan Robinson, antl they f l e d a lien against. Hall and his property. The tot.al of the lien was $31.74. reckoned a s a little over 10 days of skilled labor at S3.00 a day. In October: 1894. Herman Drews applied for a bui lchg permit t.o have \l:illiam Reiging build him a house on the south side of Cht~rchdl between Secontl antl Thirtl- on Block 14, Lot 1. The house was to be two-story, 26 feet \bide by 46 feet tleep, and costing $1,700. Vhis house apl,eared.to have had the number 117 E. C h u r c h i l l S t r ee t . ) On a December afternoon in 1904. there was a large fire in the house: the estimate of damage was $2.24 1.32. The owner at. the time was J. F. Thoreen. A building permit confiirnetl the cost of repairing the damage a t $600. In 1909, Thoreen spent $250 ant1 hat1 indoor plumbing installed: a toilet, sinlr and bath tub. Three years later; he spent $1:000 remodeling t.he house.83
John Sullivan pu~chased Lot 27, Block 15 in the spring of 1882 for $200. Four years lat.er, h e sold it to his brother (?), Timothy Sullivan for t he same $200. Timothy built the house that remains today a t 905 S o u t h Second Stl.eet.8'
John Blake, listed as a laborer. appears to have built. the house at. 910 S o u t h Second S t r e e t , arountl 1875 before h e actually obtained a Warranty Deed from Edmund Butts, Rn attorney and real estate speculator active in the neighborhood. The tax assessor pu t the value of the structure a t about $200, a small value even for those days. By 1877. Blake is listed i n t he Stlllwater City Directory a s living on "Pd S. Churchill." In 1882, the property passed to Fred Scott, the proprietor of the North S t a r Pharmacy. In t h e spring of 1910, a building permit was taken out for $2,100 worth of work, among the items was to raise the ell and build porches. On a winter morning, shortly after the Christmas of 1917, there was a fire in the home; t he loss was estimated a t $808.1 1.85
SAM 78. Roll 9; X Deeds 30. 6 V V Deeds 160: A Liens 52; SAM 75. Roll 9; 1877 Still\vater City Directory; Fire Department records; City of Stillwater Building Permit it's 828, 1199, 1362, 1501. " 7 Deeds 496; 19 Deeds 229. ' 5 1 Deeds 400; 8 Deeds 613; SAM 7. Roll 5; 1877, 1884 Stillwater City Directories; Fire Department records; City of Stillwater Building Permit X1525.
The East One-Half of Thrtrcl~il l , .\'elson R- S l a ~ r g h t e r ' ~ Addit ion
Patrick & Retsey b1cCart.h~ purchased five lots: 22-26 from Emma blush in July of 1877, taking back a mortgage from her. He immediately built a good sized house which we Itnow today as 911 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t . Patrick is listed ;IS a "laborer." Seven years later, he sold off Lots 22,23,24 to Robert S i e b e ~ t . ~ ~
The house at 914 S o u t h Second S t r e e t has an interesting early history. 'The S-112 of Lot 1 and all of Lot 5 , Block 14, was sold by A.M. Dodd, an attorney and real estate speculator in the neighborhood, to Lindsley C. Everitt in November of 1874. I n the spring of 1876, D. L. Burlingham, a house painter, filed a lien against A.L. Booth on this property for "...furnishing material axd painling ... 100 yards with two coots at . I 7 cts ..." The total ~f the lien was $17.00. But who was Booth; his name never shows up in the records. The lien itself makes the situation clear: Booth was in possession of the small house "under a Contract to purchase the same, and said hot~sc is situate tr.pnn land owned by L.C. Euerelt." .Mas, i t seems t.hat Booth was never able to f u m his Contract for his name does not appe~w in any subsequent. land records.87
In November of 1884, Robert & Catherine Siebert purchased Lots 22, 23, 24 for $700 from their neighbor to be, Patrick McCarthy. According to a budding permit taken out in April of 1886, Robert Siebert, a carpent,er, built them a rather lavish home costing $1800 a t 015 S o u t h Second S t r ee t . The house was two stories in height, 22 feet by 32 feet, with a 15-foot by 20-foot addition and a seven-and-one-half foot deep cellar that was 16 by 17 feet. The house was probably financed with the aid of a mortgage they took out. from the St. Croix Savings & Loan.@
Nelson Foster purchased Lots 6 & 7 on a Bond for Deed [Contract for Deed] in January of 1880. Two years later, he took out a mortgage and b ~ u l t the house that has the number today, 920 S o u t h Second S t r e e t . In the fall of 1886, Foster took out a building permit to make an addition to the house. The builders were the Northey Brothers, busy local contractors. The addition was listed as 18 feet by 24 feet deep, one-and-a-half-stories; the cost was $800. The "architect" was listed as Mrs. D. F. Brown of Fort Madison, 10wa?~9
Mortimer Webster sold Lots 20 & 2 1 to Michael S. Mockler in May of 1875, taking back a mortgage hom \lrebster. The tax assessor's record for
"€ M h4tgs 208, 15 Deeds 133, 141; 1877 Shllnrater City Directory; SAI\I 7, Roll 6. SAM 7 , Roll 5; Z Deeds 171; -4 Liens la.
RV15 Deeds 141; XMtgs 8; 1887 Stillwater City Directory: City of St,illwat.er Building Permit $9 " F Fonds 258; Q hltgs 36; City of St~l lmater Building Permit #143.
that year has a notat.ioi1 penciled in: "$600 adder1 for house." This house would later, when numbers were assigned, become 1001 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r ee t . Lf'hei~ Mockler (her1 in 1881, his heirs soltl the property back to [Vebsrer for $2.000.90
The house a t 1004 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t occupies Lots 8 S: 9, Blmk 11. Rlortimer Webster, a real estate dealer and developer, purchased the two lots for $900 in May of 1875. That is a lugh price for two lots in this area, nnrl may indicate a house on one of the lots. A pear anrl a half later, in December 1876, Webster sold one of the lots, Lot 9, t.o John Simmons for $1500, surely indicating a house on the lot. Simmons sold the lot back to LVebster, who in turn sold Lot 9 to A m i n a Kellogg in June of 1878 for $1550. The follokblng. year, ,4lmina p~~rchase t l Lot 8 from Elizabeth Churchill. M e n was this house built? The t.ax assessor's records indicate the value of Lot. 9 jumped from $100 t.o $1100 between 1875 ant1 1877.91
. The present house a t 1007 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t is apparently the secant[ house a t this adchess. There is a record of a fire in 1912 a t this atldress: a f ~ e that started a t 4:00 in the morning, and caused $1,800 in damage. The present house was, according to the building permit, built in 1922 by a local carpenter, Henry hlohr, according to plans provided by the Bluff Cit.y Lumber Company. The $4,500 one-and-a-half story house was 26 feet by 32 feet with cedar shingles on the roof and s t u c ~ o on the outside walls. The owner a t the time was J im S e t t l e m e ~ e r . ~ ~
The present house a t 1008 S o u t h S e c o n d Street is, surprising.ly, the third house to have tlus atldress. The f n s t house was btult about. 18'76 by a man named Merit Smith, and according to a building permit taken out in April of 1887, the original house was one-story, 22 feet. by 22 feet, with a hip roof, and kitchen addition on the rear. The second house was b ~ u l t in 1890 by local contractors, Bieging & Schmidt for $700. I t too was a small house: one- story, 32 feet by 30 feet. The owner was most likely Merit Smith whose name appears on the building permit as "architect." The third - and present - house was built. in 1915 by a carpenter named John Pet,ers for the owner. M. C. Mosier. Like its predecessors, i t was a small house: one-story, 26 feet by 40 feet, with a peaked roof and maple stairs.g"
Y" I Deeds 28; K Mtgs 288; S Deeds 476; SAM 7 , Roll 4. I ! 1 Deeds 27. 279. 584; 5 Deeds 524; SAM 7, Roll 5; SAM 7, Roll 6. '"City of Stillwater Building Permit #1912; Stillwater Fire Deyt records. Y3 City of Stillwater Building Permits #'s 198, 49.1. 1684; 12 Deeds 556; Yearly tax ass~ssors rerords for the 1870's.
I t IS not clear from t,he existing recorck exactly who built the home a t 1012 S o u t h Second S t ree t . From the tax assessor's recortls, it. woultl appear that this house on the S-1/2 of Lot 11 and Lot 12 was b ~ u l t about 1882. \Ve also find a \Irarranty Deed dated August, 1882 in which \Vinfield & A t h e a Rloore buy the S-112 of Lot 11 and the 8-314 of Lot 1 2 f ~ o m Samuel Packard for $1.575, a value surely indicating a house on the property. I t does not appear eit.her Packard, who, was a bridge t.ender, nor the Moores ever lived in the house. 4 building addition permit taken out in September of 1886 by the then owner of the house, Mathew Butler, a mail carrier, notes that the original t.nro-story house cost about $600. Butler was spending $200 to atld "porcl"n front - slight changes in the interior of house & genera.1 repairs." 7"c builder is listed as L. Mr. Clarke. who appears to have dabbled in construction when not. occupied with his job as city engineer. In t.he spring of 1913. when Andrew Hanson was the owner, a $1.000 worth of remodelinr was clone, inclurhng a new kitchen.94
Mort.imer Webster, a local debeloper ant{ real estate specolator sold Frederick & Thelila Kern Lot 17 and the S-112 of Lot. 18: Block 15 in August of 1879 for $1.400-a price that. would indicate there was a house on the lot. The Kerns, in t.urn, sold the property to Joseph Pecha for $1,300 in September of 1880. The 1881 Tax Assessor's record notes a house on the lot. Today that. house has the number, 1013 S o u t h Second S t ~ e e t . ~ "
Edmund Butts, a local attorney and real estate dealer, sold Lots 15 Pi 16 to Thomas Organ on a Bond for Deed in June of 1873, receiving a Warranty Deed about nine months later. There is no indication he built upon his lots, but in 1882 he sold the property to Margaret Organ who \ulthin the year built the house that remains a t 1017 S o u t h Second S t r e e t . In the summer of 1886, a $225 one-and-a-half story stable, 20 feet by 24 feet was built on the property.9"
For $560 Samuel Packard sold the S-314 of Lot 13 ant1 all of Lot 14, Blmk 14, to Frederick Wilman on a Warranty Deed in September of 1883. The following month, LVilrnan, a jeweler, received a mortgage from the Stillwater Builcling Association. He had the house at 1018 S o u t h S e c o n d S t r e e t built, andlived there (happily?) for years.97
" 10 Deeds 445> 505; SAbI 78, Roll 13; City of Stillwater Building Permit # I24 Y5 5 Deeds 307; 8 Deeds 247; SAM 78, Roll 11. '" Bonds 21; Z Deeds 71; 10 Deeds 91; Stillrvater Bldg Permit #87. 97 12 Deeds 270; F3Mt.g~ 521
The Errst One-ffolf of Chrrrchill, h'plson & Slor~ghter's Addition
Sixth Avenue South
Lots 1 to 4; Block 1, were part of an $1800 package sold by Elizabeth Churchill to Henry Mroodruff on a Cont,ract for Deed. Woodruff, a Stdln~ater resident and one-time owner of the newspaper, the Stillwater Messenger, assigned the Contract. to hls brother, Willis Woodruff. who, in t.urn, sold the lots to Edmund C . Rutts, an attorney and land speculator. In May of 1887, Butts sold the four lots to An&e.\v Pi Wilhelmina Quinn. In the spring of 1888, t,he Quinns had the Stillwater Construction and Furnishing Company build them a house on Lots 1 & 2 tha t was one-and-one-half st.ories high, 32 feet wide by 42 feet deep, costing $1,760 - a house taking the number, 704 Sixth Avenue S.. The following yea., neighborhood carpenter, Thomas Sutherland added a $100 barn to the pr0pert.y. But apparently somet,hing happened t.o Anclrew, a plumber, for by 1892, Ci'ilhelmina is living by herself a t another atltlress, and the follo\ving. year she moved to Chicago.93
A second house a t 712 Sixth Avenue S. was built on Lots 3 & 4 in 1975.99
In 1882. Elizabeth Church111 sold Lots 5, 6, 7 To Charles 8. Jack, a Stillwater attorney. Within the next year, he had built a $700 house that took the number, 718 Sixth Ave. S. on his Lot 5. Two ye'ars later. in April of 1884, he sold Lots 5 & 6 to Mary Jewell, a housekeeper who lived and worked a t the most famous hotel in donntown Stillwater, The Sanyer House."JU
808 Sixth Ave. S. was b ~ u l t in 1960.
Lots 11 & 12, Block 1, were first sold to George Chase of Rhode Island by Hilary Hancock as part of a $500 package in September of 1857. By 1880, they were in the hands of Edrnund G. Butts, a Stillwater attorney and land speculator, In July of 1882, he sold Lot 11 to Addison Drake, a barber, and his wife, Sarah. They had a house built that took the number, 812 Sixth Ave. S. on the lot within the next pear or so. Butts sold Lot 12 to George H. Diamond, in May 1880; Diamond sold to Frederick Gad, in November 1887: and Gail sold the N112 of Lot 12 to Sarah Drake in Dec 1885, thus completing the parcel tha t remains today. 10'
" D Bonds 497; Z Deeds 339: 19 Deeds 521, 522.Stillwater City Directories 1887.1894; City of Stillwater Building Permits #278(B) &X447. " Tax .4ssessor's Office loo 7 Deeds 122: 12 Deeds 526, SAM 78, Roll 13; 1887.1894 Stillwater City Directories. "'I SAM 78, KoIl 13; I Deeds 4.35: 8 Deeds 320; 24 Deeds 210, 288; 1877 Stillwater City Directory.
The property along n i th the home a t 816 Sixth Avenue S. (the south '/? of Lot 12 and all of Lot 13) passed through the hands of several speculators, inclutling George Chase of Rhode Island and Edmund Butts of Stillwater before being purchased by Nicholas Tost in July of 1885. Yost, a wallpaper hanger, promptly t,ook out a mortgage and h ~ u l t a substantial $1.000 home.lo2
In August of 1872, ~ e o r ~ r Chase of Rhode Island, who, 15 years earlier had purchased Lots 10. 1.t. 15, Block 1 from Hilary Hancock as a land spcculotion, sold the three lots to Etlrnund G. Butts, a StlUwater attorney and a land speculator himself. Eight years later. Butts sold the South half of Lot. 14 and all of Lot 15 t.o Wdliam H. Fellows, a clerk a t the Post Office and real estate dealer. Fellows took out a mortgage with the St~Uwater Ruilcling Association but i t does not appear he built on these lots. Instead, in March of 1885. Fellows sold to Albert Drews who, in t w n , also took out. a mortgage with the Stlllurater Building Association and b ld t the house which today has t,he number, 822 Sout,h S ix th Avenue. In the spring of 1688, Drews took out a building permit to allow local contractor and b ~ d d e r , Ednrard Olson. add a $200, o n e - s h y , 14 foot by 18 foot kitchen to the original house. The size of the original house was noted as a t,wo-story, 18 feet, wide anti 26 feet. deep. Albert and Herman Drews were brothers in a flour and feed mill at the foot. of Chest.nut Street.103
Ida Butts, the wife of Edmund Butts. a local attorney and real estate dealer, sold Lots 3 Si 4, Block 16 to Augusta Lippert in .4ugust of 1885. In the summer of 1888. she took out a buildmg permit to allow Sven Berglund, a local contractor, to build her a one-story house a t 910 S o u t h S ix th Avenue that was 22 feet by 30 feet. The cost was estimated at $875.1°4
The Canadian-born John Keefe, who is listed in the Stillwater City Directories as a cook, and his wife, Catherine, bought. Lot 5 from Eclm~lnd Butts, a local attorney and real estate dealer, in June of 18'73. The tax assessor's records indicate he built his house - which later took the number, 916 S o u t h S ix th Avenue - about 1877. He added Lot 6 a t a later date. There were four children in his household in 1880.106
', W Deeds 220; 10 Deeds 182; 1 5 Deeds 352; 1894 Stillwater City Directory: SXTvI 78, Roll 13 ln3 SAM 78, Roll 15; W Deeds 220: 10 Deeds 182; P Mtgs 497; G Deeds 482; S Mtgs 567; 15 Deeds 380; 1894 Stillwater C~ty Directory; City of Stillwater Building Permit. 8282. lo' 7 Deeds 380; City of Stillwater Building Permit "28.
X Deeds 336; SAhl 7, Roll 6; 1880 Federal Census for Stillwater, Family $310.
Charles lirone, an agent for the Siuger Setling 1l:lchine Company, Bought Lot 8, Block 16. from his next tloor neighbor to be. Francis \Vard. in ()c(ober 18% for $250. That same month, he took out a builhng permit for a one-and-a-half-sto1.v house. 16 feet by 24 feet. which would cost $200. The carpenter nras Frank Prterson. The house took the number. 924 S o u t h S ix th Avenue. In 1910, a $400 barn. one-st,ory in heizht, 16 feet. wide and 24 f e ~ t d~el , . \vas adcletl to the property.'"6
In .April of 1883. Francis byart1 bought Lots S P; 9. Block 16 from ELizabeth Churchill. Two months later, J. S. ..\nderson Qi CO. a lumber company, filed a Lien against James and Francis LI.'artl for lumber delivered "fiir the ~ r e r i i o n of n d~l ie l l i i~g house" in April & Map of 1883. The unpaid bill was $132 93. This !louse later tooli the number. 928 S o u t h Sixth -4venrle. Three vears l a t ~ r . byart1 sold Lot 8 to Charles h o n e for $2.50. lUi
John & Emma hlcRae bought. Lots 10 & 11 from E h a b e t h Churchdl in >lay of 1683, taliing back a mortgage. L1;ithn the next couple of years, they hat1 their house a t 1002 S o u t h S i x t h Avenue built, for they appear first in the 1887 Stillwater Cit.y Directory. John was a su r~eyor . ' "~
1010 S o u t h S ix th Ave. built 1945.
The Suiss-born Fred Hefty, a laborer: ant1 lus wife, Bethany pmrchased Lot. 14 . R l d i 16, from Elizabeth Churchill in &:larch. 1877. bVit.hin a year, he hat1 begun construction of a house at 1016 S o u t h Sixth Avenue. Bl- 1880, they had three children as par t of their househoId.lo9
South Third Street
Discontent. at living out. near Lily Lake, far from downtown. the Irish born John & hlary O'Shaughnessy, aged 31 and 29, purchased Lots 28, 29, 30, Block 3 on a Warranty Deed for 2500 in June of 1870, taking back a mortgage from the seller. \Irithin a year. the tax assessor records a substantial $800 house on Lot 29 taking the number. 703 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t . By 1880, there were two parents, eight children, two boarders, ant1 a servant. living in the house. John O'Shaughnessy was a prosperous dealer in boots and shoes. He was also, a t one time, an agent for the new Singer Sening Machine company, the Cascatle Clothes Washer and the Cunard Mail
19 Deeds 224; City of Stil lwater Eullding Permit 5's 1 4 @ 1405. '"' i Deeds 17.1. 19 Ileedi: 214; A L ~ e n s 3:3G; 1667 Stillwater City Dl re t tog . "I* 7 Deeds 212 : T Mtgs 266.
Z Deeds 4.30; 1881 -83 & 1884 Stilln-ater C:it:~ 111rrr.tories 1880 Federal il'ensi~c fo~. St,illwater. Family t30S
TJle East One-Huif of C l r~ i rch i l l , A'elson R- SIocrpl~ier's Addition
Line Steamship Company. A small note in the Stillwater newspaper. Tile Republican, dated November 3 . 1870 reads r J O'Si~nughnessy is this week moving into his neiu house out on Third Strecl. It is quite a tastefully built residence. lVe notice quite a number. of nelo ilouses i n tho! neighborJ~ood. The suburbs are building r ~ p rapidly." The family lived there over 50 years. In 1926, James O'Shaughnessy spent $3,600 t.o rearrange the interior of the house. The 13th child of this family, Ignatius Aloysius O'Shaughnessy, was to make his fortune in oil, and become a leading philanthropist of Minnesota some 75 years lat.er.lI0
David and Margaret Tozer bought Lots 1, 2 gi 3. Block 4, from Edmund and Augwta Butts in April of 1868 for $300. Da\id was age 45 a t this time, a ~xosperous lumberman who believed in owning real estate. As the careful reader will note, Tozer was an early invest,or in the South Hillk: buying a number of lots in this immediate area in the late 1860's before the Courthouse and Central School were built. On most of h s lots he built rental. property, but on these particular 1ot.s he built his own rather (for the day) sumptuous brick house in 1874. a house valued about $2,500 by the tax assessor. In the fall of 1888, Tozer t.ook out a building permit to allow Sven Bergluntl, a local carpenter and contractor, to build a $1,000, one-story 18 foot by 29 foot. addition (with a porch in front) to the house to serve a s a Library. Llke the original house, this acldition would be brick veneer. The size of the original house is noted in the permit as being two-story, 28 feet by 30 feet with a hip roof. This estate, which came to include lots 27-30 belund the house, took the number 704 S o u t h T h i r d S t r ee t . In 1936. in the midst of the great depression, David's daughter, Olive Waltlref, paid local contractor Edwin Olsen, almost $11,000 for " complete remodeling o f present building both inside & exlerior, addition of 9x10 to main building arzd a 20s20garuge, also new." David Tozer was born in New Brunswick; his d e ' s family was from Scotlantl by way of Canada. In 1580, they had four children living in the house with them: David, J r . , 16; Ford, 9; Julia. 6; and Olive, 3. There were in addition two servants: Amelia Gaudiere, 19 and John Parant, 22."'
George 8: Sarah Rooney bought. Lots 4 to 7, Block 4 on a Warranty Deed in June 1868. In September and October of 1875, they hired Oliver Belisle a t $2.75 per day (skilled c a r p e n t ~ y cost $2.75-$3.00 a day) to help him build a house that later took the number, 712 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t . Belisle worked 9-114 days for 25.43. The tax assessor's value of $1680 on the lots and
.~ ~ -
'I' T Deeds 237; I Mtgs 15; SAM 78, Roll 8; History of Holconlhe's Additions Residential Area by Donald Ernpeon, p.97; 1877 Stillwater City Directory; 1880 Federal Census for Stillwater. family #103; Cit.y of Stillwater Building Permit #2101. ' ' I S Deeds 377; SAM 7, Roll 4: 1887 Stillwvater City Directory; 1880 Federal Census of Stillwater, fanuly g126; Cit,y of Stillwater Building Permit S's 371, 2436. 2444.
The Eusl One-llalfof Churclrill, i\'elson R- Sln~rglr ier 's .4ddi l io~~
house woultl certainly indicate a good sized home. George is listctl in the 1877 City Directory as a teamster. The 18SO Census lists the Canadiail-born George a s one of three famllies living in a single residence; with him a re his claughters, l rma and Florence, and his sons, George and Lee. James Brotherton. a boarder, is also sharing the household. \!'hat happened to this first house on the lot is uncertain, bu t in the summer of 1911, Robert McCany, who had been living in the old house, contracted ni th local contractor, Frank Linner & Co. to build a new house on the lot. According to the building permit., the $4,000 house was to be two-story, 30 feet by 32 feet, with a cement basement..""
There was a house on Lots 26 & 27. Block 3, as early as 1872 when the tax assessor noted a $300 improvement, with the word "house" penciled in. John McCarthy, one-time Postmaster of Stlllwater, Livetl in this house, which took the number 713 S. Third Street, for over t,aro tlecacles. Today t,he two lots are occupied by a newer house built in 1939 that takes t.he number 715 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t . Emil Johnson was the owner, and apparently the builder of this newer house, which, accorhng to the building permit, cost $3,500. The original house was a small house, 22 feet by 31 feet, one-story, with oak flooring.fl3
The history of this house is uncertain. Lots 4 to 7 were in the hands of George Bz Sarah Rooney (see 712 South T h d Street) until the 1880's. The early tax assessor's record for 1870 indicates there is a $500 house on Lot 7; today the house occupying Lots 6 & 7 is 718 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t . I t coldd be the Rooney's built this house iirst, then rented it while they built. 712 South Third Street. In the spring of 1897, there were, according to a building permit, substantial changes made to this house. The ell part was moveil from the south side to end of the building, and a new porch was added in front and a smal l porch in the rear.114
The 1872 Stillwater Tax Assessor's record indicates a $200 improvement on Lots 24 & 25, Block 3, with the word "house" penciled in. Allen & Martha Arnold were the owners of the property, bu t two years later. in August of 1874, they sold the property to a single man, Charles McIienzie for $800. The 1877 Stillwater City Directory lists Charles McKenzie, a laborer, hying on the corner of 3rd Bz Locust streets, while Daniel hlcKenzie, a mill hand, was living on the east side of 3d, south of Gooclwood [W*itlard] which would fit the number 719 S. T h i r d Street. In July of 1888, Charles
! I ? S Deeds 351; A Liens 127; 8 Deeds 42; SAM 7, Koll 4; 1880 Federal Census of St~llwat,er, fanlily #228.3; Cit.y of Stillwater Building Permit "569. : I 3 SAM 5. Roll 2; 8 Deeds 325; 1887 Stillwater City Director).; City of Stillwater Building Perrmt 112567. "" Deeds 451; SAlil 7 . Koll 2 , City of Stillwater Building Permit.$928.
blclienzie, still single ant1 living in Duluth, sold the property to John & Iiate Glaspie for $1625. a price tha t inhca tes there was a house on the two lots. However, what house there may have been \\.as demolishetl, for a b~~i l t l ing permit taken out, in September of 1888 details a new house being constructed for John Glaspie on these two lots. This nenr house, which remains today, was two stories in height. 35 feet by 48 feet, and valued a t $5.000. a very espensive house for the time. At the same time. Claspie also had a $1.000
'
one-and-a-half story barn, 22 feet by 27 feet, constructed as well as a S200 ~vood shed. The contractor for all three was Thomas Siltherland, who lived only a short. clistance away a t 1009 S. Fourth St.reet. Sut.herlantl built. several other houses in the neighborhood. (see index). In 19211, local carpenter, Emil Rieging was paid $350 to put hardwood floors on t.he f r s t floor. ""
In 1878, David Tozer, a lumberman whose lived down the block a t 701 S. Third, bought L0t.s 21, 22, 23, Block 3 for $100 per lot, or $300 total. In 1880. he built. moderate s u e rental houses at 801 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t , 805 ~ o u ' t h T h i r d S t r e e t , 807 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t , one on each lot. The propert.ies remained in his possession until after the turn of the cent1u.y. On New Year's Day, 1905, at. 2:20 in the morning, a major f r e severely damaged the house a t 801 South Third Street. Michael Welsh was the t.enant a t that. time, and t.he damage was estimated at, $1.244.40. I t took the fire department one-and-one-half hours to put out. t.he blaze."6
J.M. Knight secured a Warranty Deed to Lots 8?9, ei 10, Block 4 from Elizabeth Ch~wchill in May of 1873 for $375, the price of the lots alone. The 1871 Stdlwater Gazette, in listing the improvements in the city, noted a residence worth $1,600 had been built. on Third St,reet by J. M. Knight. Five years later, iWmot -4. Hursey bought those same three lots and the house at.
to a 804 S o u t h T h i r d Street for $1400. In the summer of 1902, accordin, budding permit, Adolph Sprich, a local carpenter, increased the size of the house with a $1,500 " t w o addi t ion by build to the old Building also a new Roof to be constructet and the second floor have entirely new iValls o n the Outside." Late in the evening of May 14, 1909, when John J. Kilty owned the property, a barn on the lots burned with a Ioss of $921."l
The house a t 808 South Third Street is mostly on Lot 10, Block 4. Tha t lot was variously in the hands of J.M. Knight and Wilmot. Hursey who budt and occupied the home a t 804 South Third Street. In May of 1889,
S.4M 5, Roll 3; Z Deeds 307; 24 Deeds 554; City of Stillnrat,er Building Permit r ' s 355, 367, 368, 1620. ! I 8 SAM 78, Roll 11: 1 Deeds 619; 60 Deeds 478: fire depart.ment records. 'I' St,illuvater Gazet,te, November 14, 1871; X Deeds 315: 1 Deeds 466: Fire Dept. records; City of Stillwat,er Building permit 41072
Wilmot B; Mary Htusey applied for a permit to have the Northe)- Brothers, local contractors, build him a house a t 808 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t . ' h e house was quite expensive: $1,600; i t was 2 stories, 26 feet wide and 46 feet deep. The cellar was to be seven feet deep, 14 feet by 14 feet. I t was not until 1593 tha t the exact dimensions of the present. property were pieced together, when Mary Hursey sold Lot 10 to W A a m Chalmers. ant1 Chr is~ ine Jackson sold the north 5 feet of Lot 11 to Willlam Chalmers.118
In August of 1872. ~ d h u n d Butts, n real estate (ledel. in the neighborhood, soltl Ly&a and George Gaslin, Lor 20, Block 3, for $100. The following year, the tax assessor noted an $500 house, which 1at.e~ took the number 811 S o u t h T h i r d St. on t.he lot., inhcat ing a good sized home. However,. an article in the Stillurarer Gazette, November 14. 1871, on improvements throughout the city notes, on Third Street, the "Geo Gaslin. residence .J1,000" 711e Gaslins oanetl the property for the nest clecade, but they are not listed in the Stdlwater City Directories of that period suggesting t.he house was rental property. That house was appwent .1~ either demolished or moved, for a building permit t.aken out in November of 1902 details a new house on t.his lot built by contractor Eugene Schmidt. for the owner. James \\I. Foley who lived next ctoor. The house was to be built 30 feet wide and 4.1 feet deep a t a cost of $7,500. The cellar was to be under the entire house.llY
The article in the Stillwater Gazette, November 14. 1851 on impr0vement.s in the city also notes, after listing all t he improvements, "We understand that a very large number of buildings iclill be erected next season - possible a. larger number than this season. In looking up our building statistics for the season just closing, we find in ~ l ~ m b e r l e s s instances only cellars dug and in some cases, foundations laid, with or7 ell erecled, sufficient for the temporary accommodation of the family, the inlention being, i n nearly every case lo complete the buildings next. year. In this respect there ujill be more money expended in buildings and permanent improvements next season than this. "
In April of 1896. William Chalmers sold Lot 19. Block 3 to James W. Foley on a Warranty Deed for $350, a price which indicates there was no building on the lot. Foley, a bookkeeper, b d t h u home at 813 S o u t h T h i r d Street on the lot the same year. According to the building permit, the contractors were Adolph Sprich and Eugene Schmidt: the cost of the house was estimated a t $1,650 I t was to be two stories high, and approximately 30 feet by 35 feet.120
' I " 3 5 Deeds 521, 558; ";'SAM 78. Roll 9: X Deeds 83; Washineton County Tax Assessor's office: City of Stillwater Euilding Pe rn i t d1088. '" 46 Deeds 9; 1905 Stillwater Cit.y 1 ) i r e c t o ~ ; City of Stillwater Building Pernut. #ES9.
The Ensr One-I-lnlf of C I ~ ~ ~ r c h i l l . A'elson R- Slarrghter's Addit ior ,
'['he Swetlish-born i i u g ~ ~ s t PE Christine Jackson bought Lot 11, Block 4 in July of 1876, and Lot. 12, Block 4, two years later in August of 1878. Jackson. who \vas born in 1850, was a carpent.er and contractor, and it. is quite hkely that he personally built this home at. 814 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t in 1877. By 1880, they had five children under the age of six, as well as a boarder, Living in the house with them. In the spring of 1886, Jackson built a $200 one-and-a-half story stable. 26 feet by 18 feet deep on his propert.y.121
The f i s t home a t 821 S o u t h T h i r d S t r ee t . originally had the house number, 743 South Third Street. Wdham Foran. a raftsman. and la ter , a foreman for Isaac Staples, purchased Lots 16.17.18, 19 for t.he astounding price of $2400, which includecl an $850 house on Lot 16. Tha t high price for rhese lots is reflected in subsequent annual tax assessor's records. In any case, Foran lived in a house a t the address, 743 South Thircl Street in the 1880's. In the summer of 1895, this house was moved south to Rlocli 1, Lot. 20 bf Marsh's Aclclition. (Today this is t.he 1ocat.ion of a newer house built in 195.5 a t 11 17 Fifth Street South). In its place, William Chalmers, president of the St. Croix Lumber Companv, had a $3.500 house built by local cont,ractors Adolph Sprich and Eugene Schmidt.. Accorcling to the building permit. t.he house was to be 28 feet by 42 feet, 2 stories, with a cellar floor of concrete.lz"
The original house a t 822 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t was built around 1870, but the iirst person to own the house for any length of time was Mary Capron. The present builtling is a conglomeration, but i t appears most of, the elements (turret, dentils. brackets. ~ o r c h ~ e d i m e n t ) da te from the turn of the century. Whether a second house was built, or the present building dates from 1870. 1 cannot. say
In a shuffle of buildings in the summer of 1912, Walter Johnson, who had a fancy grocery store a t 1003 South Third Street, moved the house on the corner, 903 South Third Street, one lot. south where the house took the new house number, 905 South Third Street. On the now vacant corner lot, he had a store built,, which took the number, 901 S o u t h T h i r d S t r ee t . Voday i t is the Stillwater Apostolic Church). Accorcling to the building permit, the concrete block structure was to cost $3,000, be two-story, 30 feet by 60 feet, with a flat tar gravel roof. Over the years, i t has had many uses, b u t i t s
!" I Deeds 20:3, 5 Deeds 52; 1877 And 1887 Stlllrs-ater City Di rec to~ les ; 1880 Federal Census of Stil lwater, family #123; City of Sti l lwater B u i l d ~ n g P e r n u t #22. '" SAM 78, Roll 9: X Deeds 103; 1877 & 1883 Stillrvater Cit.y Directories: City of Stillb7at,er Bulldin; Permits $854 R; 859.
The Ens1 One-Half of C h ~ i r c h i l l , .Vrlson cP. Slnrrglrfer'silddifiorl
initial use was as the grotery store of \\'alter Johnson \vho tool; up residence next tloor a t 905 South ' h i r d Street.""
David Tozer, a lumberman ant1 real estate speculat.or, who built. a number of houses in this neighborhood - and Livetl for many years at 701 South Third Street - purchased Lots 1 & 2, Block 13 in August of 1873. Within a year, he had built a cubetl l tal ianate house with its typical hip roof that was to take the number, 904 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t . The Tax Assessor. making his rounds in 187-1, pen&Ietl in a note "$1000 odrlded for 1,olrse." But. i t appears the house was enlarg.etl (or finished) shortly t.herenfter for in May of 1875, Tozer leased the property "together urith llze d~oelling lzofrse thereon" to Frank and Mary Joy. The couple were both Yzrnkees from Maine, then in their early '30's. The rent on the house was $20.00 per month, however, the lease stipulated, Joy could p ~ ~ r c h a s e the house for $2,400 any time within two years - less the amoullt of rent already paid. Joy also got permission to build a stable on the two lots. But it was March of 1878 before Joy received t.he,Warranty Deetl on his piwchase. By 1880, t.he couple hat1 comfortably settled in with no children. but a 20-year-old lrish servant, Katie M0arit.y. looketl after them. In the la te 1680's Frank Joy was presitlent. of the Stillwat.er Construction Pr Furnishing Company, who clid a gootl deal of business in this immeha te ne ighborhoo~l .~~"
D.L.. B ~ ~ r l i n g h a m purchased Lot 27 Pr 1 8 in June of 1871 from J.M. 8;
Sarah Knight.. He paid the very large s u m of $1:065 for the two 1ot.s. The 1872 t.ax assessor's record notes a $800 house on the two lots. The Stillivater Gazett.e, in a list of improvement. printed in its November 11, 1871 issue, notes a new residence by D. L. Burlingham on T h c l Street. The value is given as $1,200. The key to the large sale price may be that Burlingham took back a mortgage for the amount of the sale from the Knights, in ot.her words, the Knights perhaps provided the financing for a house which lat.er t.ook the number, 905 S o u t h T h i r d Street on the lots. Burlingham was a t t.his time, a house painter; later he went int.0 the business of selling books. stationery. and news magazines. But just as in a mystery novel, when you think you have solved the issue, a new clue comes up. A building permit taken out in June of 1912, records t ha t Walter Johnson, who had a fancy grocery store a t 1003 South Third Street , moved the house that. was on Lot 28 (today t.he sit.e of t.he Stillwater Apostolic Church) - which had the number, 903 So11t.h Third Street - to Lot 27 where i t took the new number 905 South Third Street, and became the new residence of Walter Johnson. Thus it would appear the present house a t 905 South Third Street is the second house on
l z 3 City of Stillwater B u i l l n g Permit $1504: see also e n t p a t 905 Sout.h Third Street. Iz4X Deeds 382; 1 Deeds 510; E Bonds 243; S .W 7, Koll 4; 1875, 1887 Stillwater City Directories; 1880 Federal Census of Stillwater, family #129.
that lot, and its history would be that of the house previously a t $03 South 'Third - a house that bvas also built by D.1,. Burlingham in the 187O'q.l"~
Edward St.ewart,, a lumberman, obt.ained the Warranty Deed for Lots 3 & .1, Block 13, in the spring of 1 8 7 ~ 1 ~ anti! the tax assessor's record indicates. b t d t a home soon aft.erwards. When house numbers were assigned a decatle later, this house toolc the number, 910 South Third Street.. The present house on these two lots, 906 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t , was built in 1906 by Frank Linner & Co. for Mrs. Ida'Johnson. The house cost $3:000. was 30 feet. by 40 feet wit.h a mansard roof. I t also had indoor plumbing: two water closets, two byash basins, one enameled iron sink and a ba th tub.""
While there are a l ~ a y s some old houses that are Mficult to tlocument, the house a t 907 S o u t h T h i r d Street is not one of them. Thanks to two liens filed against the home, we get an extraordinary \ision of building a house in Stillwater in the 1870's. .After passing through several owners. Harlow McIntyre purchased Lots 25 & 26: Block 14 in September 1877 for $400. Six months later, he took out a mortgage, $1,000 a t 6"o, from the S t . d l ~ a t e r Building Association. It is uncertain where h e spent. his mortgage money, but apparent.ly i t did not go to those who built. his house. William May, a contractor ant1 builder living on Sixth and Pine Streets, filed a lien for $239.75 against the property. This amount, which is itemized, represents May's labor a t the skilled ra te of $3.00 a day, ant1 his cre~u's labor a t the ra te of eit.her $2.25 or $2.50 a (lay. May and his crew worked to build this house from J u n e 20 to July 16, 1878. It took '35 manlwork days to build thls house over a period of 35 calendar (lays for a labor cost. of $239.76. In November of 1878, Seymour & Sabin Company, a local lumber dealer and manufacturing company also f l ed a lien against the property for "Lumber and m food en ware, Doors, Sash 0.rl.d Blinds" which is a detailed list of i tems sold between April 24 and Sept. 28, 1877 and furnished for the house. Among the many items hsted, some are partic~ilarly interesting: flight of stairs $18.00, front door frame and transom $3.00, 5 windows for bay windows, 12x36 $12.50, 2 w h d o ~ v frames for privy $1.50, 32 feet cove molding .96, laying chimneys $37.50, 1040 ywds of plaster $156.00, 18 fence posts $2.25, 1 pair folding doors 7'6" x 8'6" $12.00, £rant door 4'8" x 7'6" glass panel $13.00. The total amount. of the materials was $1,253.17. If you add t,ogether the labor and materials, you can see the total bdl for construct.ing this house was in excess of $1,500, making i t a substantial house for i ts day. In May of 1886. Judd
;'jT Deeds 694; SAii4 7, F b l l 3: 1877, 1887 Stillwater City Directory City of Stillwater Building Permit #1503. IS" Deeds 559: Z Deeds 379; S.01 7, Roll 4; 1687 Stillwater City Directory. Cit,)~ of Stillwater Building permit #'s 1269, 1271.
Orff, the current owner, ;itlded n large one-and-a-half story ctable to the 10ts.'2~
James Gillespie purchased the N-112 of Lot 23, and all of 1,or 24 from .Vfred Marcel in September of 1880. Slx years later, he took out a mortgage w ~ t h which i t appears he bullt hi5 house at 913 S o u t h T h i r d Street. (For a time, this house had the number. 915 South Third Street )123
In the 187.1 Tax ~ s s e s s o ~ s recortl. there is a penciled note on Lot 5. Block 13: "$300 odded for house." Henry Prince, a real est.at.e dealer. purchased Lots 5, 6, & 7 in April of 1872. I t appears he atlded a small structure, or perhaps a partial house to Lot 5 before he sold t.he lot to Isadore Belisle in the fall of 1875 for $400. (Or perhaps BelisIe had an unrecorded Contract under which he built the house.) Two years later. BelisIe sold the property to Francis Revoir, a laborer: \\rho is Listed in the 1877 Stlllwater City Directory as living. a t this location. The 1880 Federd Census for Stillwater (family # I l l ) lists Francis, age 60, and his nife, Mary, age 58; both of them weie born in Canada. They had a son, Prosper. age 20, and a daughter. Mary, age 16, living n i th them. Totlay that house has the number, 916 S o u t h T h i r d Street.129
Francis Revoir owned Lot G as well as Lot 5 (see 916 South Third Street above). In 1887, he sold thls lot to Lawson Dailey; in 1905 Dailey sold it to James C. Sullivan. Somewhere bet.ween these three owners. 918 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t was b ~ u l t . I 3 ~
Michael Gillespie bought his property in October of 1879; the following June he took out a mortgage with the Stillwater Building Association and built his home a t 919 S o u t h T h i r d Street . . In his later years, Gitlespie was a dealer in wood andcoal.131
The m a r d f a d y built this home a t 920 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t around 1880.132
From all appearance, i t . appears 1001 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t was b ~ d t about 1880. I t was in the Rivard f a d y .
12' 1 Deeds 394; N Mtgc 228; -4 Liens 195, 221; Stillwater Bldg Permit $35 ! z 6 5 Deeds 559; XMtgs 344; 1887 Stillwater City Directory. !'9X Deetls 212; Y Deeds 636; 1 Deeds 449; SAM 7, Roll 4.
19 Deeds 472; 60 Deeds 418. !9' 5 Ileeds 253; P Mtgs 118; 1881.2. 1887 Stillivater City Director~eo. I" 25 Deeds 258; SAM 78, Roll 11.
.John Cierict purchnsetl Lots 8 cP- 9, Block 13) in June of 18'76, and he built a substantial house - which later rook the number, 1002 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t - \\ithin n year. ;Ippare~lt.lg his resitlence was in question. for in 1877, he filed a homestead declaration on his property. John ran a "saloon arid billiards" on the corner of Main antl Chestnut Streets.13:
iicc.ording to a bui lhng permit application dated in December of 1891, Prosper N. Hivartl wished to atld to his original butilcling at 1003 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t - \\.hich urns one-story. 15 feet. ~ i t l e and 26 feet deep - a $75 one-story atltlition 12 feet by 16 feel. This adhtion was to be w e d as a store. In hlnrch 1901. he spen1 5400 for more living and store space in an I 8 foot by 20 foot, two stor!) atltlit.ion. The first floor ceding was to be of iron. In 1912, this was-the store of Walter Johnson nho subsequently moiretl to 901 South Third St.reet. Lots 20. 21. 22 were owned by Hivard f a n ~ i l y . . ' ~ ~
Thomas Sutherland. a Canadian-born contractor and builder, along with his \>fie, Susan, purchasetl this property in the fall of 1881, antl built a house ar 1006 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t soon afterwartl. Satherland lived for a time behind this house a t 1009 South Fourth Street. He aIso lived at other adtlresses in t,his immediate neighborhootl. In 1894. Sutherland moved to Hutchinson, klinnesota. The house was pl~rchased by Frederick Swenson who hued a local contractor, B a u d & Johnson, to raise the roof of the house and add a second story on for a cost of
Lawson D.dy, a carpenter, purchased Lots 18 &: 19 in July of 1881. It appears he built the h o u s ~ s a 1007 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t ant1 1009 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t soon after his purchase. Dadey, who lived a t 704 South Second Street. apparently built these as rental houses. In 1920. Frank Linner & Co.. local contractors. did $3,000 woth or remodeling on 1009 South Third Street, including a 10 x 16 foot addition in the rear, and new floors inside.'36
Henry Prince, a local real estate speculator, sold Lot 11, Block 13 to Louis Rilloou in the spring of 1876. At the end of the summer, Louis took out a mortgage with the St. Croix Lumber Company and built a small house that has the number. 1010 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t t0day.13~
In November of 1883, Lawson Dailey bought Lot 17, Block 14, from Alice E. Castle. He built the house a t 1013 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t within a
133 1 Deeds 191; E Bond? 496; SAhiI 7, Roll 6: 1877 Stillwater City Directory. City of Stillwater Building Permits $636, $1025
'35 0 Deeds 413; SAM 78, Roll 13; 1@94 Stillwater City Directory; 1680 Federal Census for Stillwater. Family #137; City of Stillwater Building permit M06. lS"AM 78, Koll 11; H Deeds 72; City of Stillwater Building Permit :l795. j3' I Deeds 179; hI Mtgs 5; 1884 Stillwater Cit,y Directory
Tl~r, Enst One-l lolf of Chr~rcl i i l l , .Yt,lson & S l r r r ~ g l ~ t ~ r ' s Addit ion
year. 1,ike 1007 antl 1009 South 'I'hirtl Street, this \\.as another of his rental houses.133
Edmuntl But.t.s, an attorney antl local real estate speculator, sold Lot 12, Block 13, to ,-Uexander Durocher in September, 1877. Durocher, a carpenter, musL have built. his house - which took the number. 1014 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t - almost immetliately for he is Listed in the IS77 Stlllxvater City Directorv a t that location.13~
The histor? of the house a t 1019-1021 S o u t h T h i r d S t r e e t (Lots 15 cP: IF, Blvck 14) is difficult to decipher. The 1873 T a s ~4ssessor's record h a s a penciled note added to Lots 11-17, Block 14: "Pages House." The valne of t he house is given as $150. The foUoninE year. the value of just Lot. 16 is given at $1280 with a penciletl note: ..$I100 adtled for house." The owner is given as Alortirner NTebster. a real estate speculator in the neighborhootl. By 1877, the value of these two lots is noted by the tax assessor as $2200 -indicating a quite large house - and the owner is Listed as Amanda Paige. However the first. recorded deed on this property is in June of 1879 when Elizabeth Churchill sold t.he lots to Louise and Sturgess Selleck who took up residence there. Stwgess antl Louise were from the East; he from Connecticut, she from Ohio. The 1880 Censns lists him as being 55; she as 52. They have a daughter and a grandson living with them a s well as (a sign of prosperity perhaps) two servants. Most hkely the earlier transactions were in the form of unrecordetl contracts or bonds for deed. Churchill often had trouble paying the taxes on her lots, and it is not possible to record a deed if there are unpaid tnses. Louise S e l l ~ l i sold the property to Alice E. Castle in October of 1882. An 1899 b u i l b ~ g permit notes that the owners were spenhng about $700 on a new adttition and repairs to the main b ~ d t t i n g . . ~ ~ ~
Daniel O'Neil purchased Lots 13 8; 14 from attorney antl real es ta te speculator, Edmund Butts in hlay of 1875. In August of the same year, he took a mortgage from Seymour, Sabin & Co., a lumber dealer and manufacturing concern in Stillwater. Two years later, in 1877, the tax assessor placed a value of 51050 on Lot 14 indicating a substantial house on this property. \+'hen house numbers were assigned in the mid-1S80's, this house took the number, 1022 S o u t h T h i r d Street.141
---
I 3 S A M 78, Roll 13. 12 Deeds 35: !" 1 D e d s -1-34 lJ" 5 Deeds 419. 10 1)erds 480: 1881.82 St,illi\-at,er City Directo~y; SAM 78, Roll 9; SAM 7. Roll 4, S.a.1 7 , Roll G ; 1880 Frderal Census for St,illwater, family a1 12; Stillwater Bldg Perm11 a983
1 Deeds 26. K XItgs ,357; 1877 Still\vater City Director?-.
South Fourth Street
Lots 26-28, Block 4, were purchasetl by David Tozer in November of 1868 for 3200. He built. two rental homes of the lots that. took the numbers 713 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t and 715 S o u t h F o u r t h Street . . Tozer, a successful lumberman, lived in the neighborhood a t 704 South Third Street. He built several rental houses in t.he area; they remained in his ownership until after the turn of the century.'<
John Sinclair, a logger, bought Lots 21 L9i 25 in October, 1874. By 1877, the t.ax assessor's value of the lots had risen from $480 1.0 $1150. indicating a home of the property. This house a t 719 S o u t h F o u r t h Street was home to James .4. Sinclair and Tdhe Sinclair, as well as Mr. & Mrs. John S i n ~ l a i r . ' ~ ~
. Anna Maloy obtained a Warranty Deed on Lots 22 & 23 in May of 1873 from Elizabeth Churchill. bu t it appears she had ah-eady built a house on the lots. The Stillbvater Gazette in its listing of improvements in the city, not,ed a house built in Nelson's Field (as the South Hill tvas then called) by Mrs. h4aloy worth $900. The tax assessor's record, less enthusiastic, has t.he note, "$300 house" penciled in. When house numbers were later assigned in t.he 1880's, this house took the number, 801 S o u t h F o u r t h Street. By the time, the house number was assigned, the house was in t.he possession of the Patrick Barron farnily who lived there for quite a ~ 1 h i l e . l ~ ~
For the historian, lists of improvements like that. in the Stflurater Gazette are invaluable in determining the dates of these very old houses. We have to thank the Editor who cLid not regard compiling this listing as an easy task:
"This task of collecting and arranging t1.1is mass of statistics has occu,pied the greoterpart of our time during the p a l two weeks, and the perplexities a n d annoyances attending it is known. only to one u!ho has tried it. I n many cases, we have encountered ignorant pr0pert.y owners, cautious and mulish who smelt trues in the dim future and much smooth talk and explanation were necessary to convince them that our object was only to show to the public a careful exhibit of the permarlent growth a n d prosperit? of our city, and that in no
1" s Deeds j$'7- S, s . 0 1 7, f i l l 5
I" 1 Deeds 64; SAM 7. Koll 6; SAM 7. Roll 6; 1884 Stil lwater City Directory. '" SAM 7. Roll 3; Z Deeds 259; 1884 Stlllwater City Directory; Stillwater (Gazette, No-,!o:.entber 14, 1871
case u,oulil oiir j i31~1 .c~ be used as a basis of irrriltion. E ~ , c n then, i c e hace frr.ytcc.ritl~ been compelled to resort to esiimates ~i:liich, in all cascs, nrr illc nzost careful obtainable."
The Irish-born couple, ?'imot,hy ant1 tlbbie M t y , bought Lot,s 20 Si 21: I<lock 4, in September 1871. His new house is notetl in a h t of improvement publishetl in the S i i l i~ i~a ier Gazette or November 14, 1871. The 24 foot b y 26 foot house was located in Nelson's Field (as t,he South Hill was then called) and worth $800. The tax assessor's record for 1873 specifies a house worth $400 on Lot 21. Thr IS77 Stdlwvater City Directory lists: "Timoihy Icilty, laborer, res. 4th nr. Ch/irrhill.". By 1880. they had t,en children living in the house with them, ranging Tram age 25 to age 6. There was also one boarder. M'hen house numbers were assigned. this house took the number, 807 S o u t h F o u r t h S t ree t . . 11 City of Stlllwater Building Permit #32 talien out on April 29. 1886 gives us some adtlitional information on this house. The Permit says the house was built about 1873 by a J. Powers a t a cost of $700. The oriGnal house, according to the Permit., was one-antl-one-half stories high, 18 feet wide and 26 feet (lee11 1Lit.h a 16-foot by 16-foot cellar. To this original struct.lu-e had bern added a kitchen in the rear. The reason for this 1886 Permit was to allow this older kitchen addition to be removed ant1 replaced with a new $2.5 kitchen adhtion. The owner was Timothy 1hlt.y (who signed ~ i t h an "X"); the "architect' was Listetl as L.W. Clarke, (he \\:as the city engineer) and the builder as Michael Carroll, a carpenter who was living in the neighborhood a t 924 South Fourth Street.145
'This house a t 815 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t was b d t about. 1883 by a member of the Ihlty family. Without. a Iiilt,y family genealogy, it is cldficult to sort out the various family members and their relationships. The first name appearing on t,his property is Patrick Iiilty.146
This is another IWty house. Timot,hy and Patrick Iiilty bought Lot 18 in May of 1883, and t,hey built a house a t 817 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t on i t soon after."'
823 S o u t h F o u r t h Street was built as a gasoline service station in 1923 by the Stillwater Oil Company and i ts proprietor, J. J. IGlty. The contractor was W. E. Meier who lived nearby a t 915 South Fourth Street. According to the building permit, the cost was $2,500; the size of the building
'", LJ D ~ r d . ; 764; City or St.lllwater Ruilding Permit $32; S.4M 78. Roll 9; 1880 Census I" SAM 78. Roll 13 !" ?: Deeds 173; SAM 75. Roll 15.
T I I P East O ~ P - I - l o / / o / C h r r r c h i l l , .Velson & Slarrgl l ter 's . l d d i l i o ~ ~
\\.as 75 feet \vide and G7.5 feet deep. It was to be heated with a stove and have mptal ceihngs.14a
Before there was a hleister's Ea r a t 901 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t , there was first a house. James &; Ellen Welch purchased Lot 28, Block 13 from Elizabeth Churchdl in April of 1875; they cook out a mortgage to b d d a house at 117 West Churchill the folloning year. James is Listed in the 1877 and 1887 Stillwater City Directories a s a laborer. In the summer of 1901, local carpenter, Adolph Sprich bdilt a store and house on Lot 28. The 52,000 building was two story. 38 feet \vide and 40 feet deep. 'The cellar was seven feet deep, 34 feet. by 36 feet. u l th a cement floor. The first floor was hardwood: the second floor was clear pine. The owners were Charles and Carrie Glaser and they operated a bakery (YO1 Sout,h Fourth St.) and home (903 South Fourth St.) out of the builcling.149
Thomas and Elsie Ward bought Lots 26 & 27. Block 13. from Elizabeth Chu~chLU in September of 187 1. According to the Stillwater Gazette's listing of improvements in its issue of November 14, 1871, Tom Ward had built. a 24 foot by 26 foot home in Kelson's Field (as the South Hill was then called) that was worth $800. The tax assessor was not so sanguine, giving the house a value of $350 in 1873. That house nras later to take the number, 909 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t . Ward was a lumbermanl and the family lived there for ~ 1 e c a d e s . l ~ ~
James McGee bought Lot 25, Rlock 13 in April of 1881, and by 1884, Edward blcGee, a farmer, is listetl as the resident of 913 S o u t h F o u r t h Street.151
John and Mary Gillispie purchased Lot 24, Block 12 from Elizabeth Churchill in August of 1873, but i t does not appear he built on the Lot. Instead the first house on this property, 915 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r ee t , was built in 1895 when Mary McGrath took out a mortgage the Stillwater Fire Department Relief A s s o c i a t i ~ n . ~ ~ ~
Henry C. U'hite, a lumberman, and his wife; Mary, obtained a Warrant.y Deed for Lot 23. Block 13 from Elizabeth ChurchiU in June of 1877. The couple was born in Maine: h e in 1844; she in 1851. By 1880, they had two daughters in the house: Florence, 9; Alice, 2; and one son, Henry, 4. However, it appears he had a $100 improvement (a small or partial house?)
' 4 e City of St,illwater Building Permi t #2011. Z Deerls 240: M Mtgs 120; City of Sti l lwater Building P e r n i t C1028.
'"I SAhI 18, Roll 9; X Deeds 393; 1817 a n d 1887 Stil lwater City Directories. 15' Z k e d s 1.34; 8 Deeds 140; 1884 and 1887 St i l lwater City Directories. 1 % ZIZeeds 633; 7 hl tgs 96:
:IS earl:- ;IS 1873 a t ror t l i~~g to t h ~ !.ax a s s e s ~ o l . ' ~ records. By the time house nurnhers n-r1.p ;rssi~netl in the 1880's. I-lenry lfhite was lisced at 919 S o u t h Foul.th C:treet.lE,?
I t was not nnusual to built1 a houw in st;~;.es in the 1870's and 80's. ;\ brief norc. in the ,5liii11.:alo~ Gcl:c/lc explains:
" I i ' 111111cr.sl.or:ii l l i~l t a cicr:v lar,oe rr~imher 01' b ls i ld in~s iiiill 1 cr,i.i*t:~c% I I C X I . scosiirr -1 yossi11Ly a Lar~cr 1 : l~n~ber t lmn 11iis s(ic7..qo~r. 111. lr,r,lcirlg i t our buihiirig ~ f ~ l t i s l i c s for I I L I ? season jtisI. clusillg, ic;c fi'nd irr rir~mber,lcss ir:.ston~-cs iinly c c l l ~ r s dug and ill. soni,i, rases, /hrordrl/iorrs loicl', ruifh ilrr e l r-.r.eried, strfficienf for 111!, / . c n z / ~ o r a ~ accommr,daliori. of /he {antil:\!, /.lie inlerltior~ hcirig, irr r~.enr.ly el1rr:v rose lo complete the bl~ildirlgs r7.r.xt year,. "'$4
'J'i~nothy antl Catherine (:rowley obtained a lyarranty Deed from Elizabeth Churchill for Lot 22, Block 15: in hlarch of 1873. But. i t appears the'home he built, a t 921 S o u t h Foul.th S t r e e t preceded the LVarrant,y Deed. The Still~octer. C;rlzel.!c in Listing improvements made in the city notes. untler [.he location 'iYelsori's F i e l d (as tbe South Hdl ivas then called). "Tim Criiri!lf~y,t~es.IK.r?d ....., $250.'' Ey 1,887, the home \\as in the name. of James Crow1e.y. 155
. U e r going through several owners, John Conklin, a \-dower, bought Lots 20 & nl: Block 13 in January of 1881. In the fall he took out a mortgage mit,h the St.. Croir Valley Savings Bank, ant1 soon after built the home a t 1001 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r ee t . The 1883 T a r Assessor's record lists the value of the property at. $1,400.156
Around Christmas in 1881. Thomas Sutherlantl obtained the deed to Lots 18 & 19, Block 13 from Etlmuntl & Ida Eut ts . However, it appears that Sutherland, a contractor and builder, actually constructed the house a t 1009 S o u t h F o u r t h Street. in 1873. A b~ultling permit for repairs taken out, in April of 1886, notes that. a $700- 16 foot by 25 foot one-story dwelling house with a 16 foot by 22 foot ell antl two chimneys, was buult on there two lots in 1 7 The permit also notes an unusual fact: that, the foundation walls were seven feet. deep and 18 inches thick, t,hus creating a fudl basement under the house. Sut.herlantl later moved to Hutchinson. Minnesota. L4round mitlnight
l r " l U IJeeds 01. Sa.1 78. Koll 5; 1887 Stillwater City 1)irec.toq. '"-' Stlilwater Gazette. Kovelnher 1.1; 1871. "-' Stlli\vat.er Gazette. Noventher 14, 1871; Z Deeds 25.3; 1877, 1882. 1887 Stillwater City LJil .rct~x~es: IS80 Federal Census for Stillwater. Fanllly 3139. I " S [Iced'; 79: F Rltgs x3; S.&ki 78. Roll i3.
The East OIIC-Half of Churchill, .\'elson R- Slrr~cghler-'s .iddition
on a spring evening in1932, Albert Iheuger suffered n loss of $2,400 when garages on his property a t this address b ~ r n e d . 1 ~ ~
1015 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t is today, a new house built in 1986, but this is the secontl house on these two lots. The first one was built as e a l p as 1873.
Daniel F. Day purchased the lots occupied by the house a t 1019 S o u t h F o u r t h S t r e e t in September of 1871 from Edmuntl and Ida Rutts. Butts was an attorney who dealt exi.ensively in real est,at,e. Within two years, Day had put up a home on the property. We know this for certain because h e (lid not pay the contractor. ant1 a lien was f l e d in May 1873 against the owner and the property. This particuIar lien is very interesting because i t gives us an idea of how families determined the style of t.heb houses.
"[John Green, dealer in liardu'are stoves and tinware] "agrees lo f i~inish ~ 1 1 the materials and erect and b ~ ~ i l d a dtc~elling home ... said dluelliizg house to be o f zoood also of' good merchantable lumber all thi? luork 1.0 be done in o good substantative and u!orkmandikc. manner; in size to be 20 by 28 feet two stories in height uii1.h 20 foot. posts [studs]. The loindou!s to be 14 in number - n11.nzber 6 on first. story and tzr~mber 7 oil second and one i n lofl to be of same sire and pat.t.ern as t.hose itz the duielling house of' J.M. Knight [6O4 Svuth Third Street] in Stillwater and glazed ... The lower floors to be doubled ancl thc upper- floor single 0.11 to be well laid ... The sides and ends o j said l~olrse to be covered with rough boards and the boarcls ~c'ith tar paper and sided uiith good siding ... the cornice 1.0 be of the same style and finish as that on the dwelling hollse of '4le.r b-ridercclood in said city. Gutters of tin to be put on the rough steps at the outside doors."
The total of the lien, the cost of this house: was $880.44. The 18'74 Tax Assessor's record notes the value of the house and lots a t $1,080. Day is listed in the City Directories as a laborer.158
15' 8 Deeds 540: SAM 78. Roll 13; 1887, 1894 Stillwater City Directory: Fire Dept, records; City of Stillwater Building Permit #25. Is@ A Liens 89; S.4M 7, Roll 4; T Deeds 619; 1877, 188: St,illwater City Directories.
East Willard Street
S. Blair klcReath. an attorney and manager of the collection department for the Sorthwest Thresher Company. contractetl with local contractor. Franl; Linner (~lronouncecl Linenr) 93 Co in the summer of 1911 to bt~ild him n S-i.000 two-story house. 30 feet by 32 feet with a hip roof. This n(tract.ive house took the nuqber 203 East Willard Street.. From all evidence. chis seems ro replace :In earlier house on these lots that was built by Michael CI'Rrien ahout. 1871. The h o ~ ~ s e number of that earlier house appears to have been 219 E. \ Y l l l a ~ t l . ~ ~ ~
! 5 2 City of Still\vater Buildine F e r m t 51.163 1806-7 Stillwater Citl- Directory; T Uerds 740: 1884 Stillwater City Di rec tov
G9
Tlre Erist One-Half of Clrr~rchill, .Velson R S l u ~ i g l ~ t v r ' s . lddit ion
Appendix A
Building dates (SORTED BY D.\TE)
T he fouoning is a listing of the h o u s ~ s in the neighborhootl by the date they were built. ,For over six months. I have researchetl these
houses ant1 their builtling tlates. I have used the i,ecords of the yearly \-isits by the t a s assessor which a re now in the Minn~sota State .+chives: I have uuetl the City of St.illnparer Building Permits; 1 have used the deeds ant1 mortgages found in the LVashingt.on County Recorder's Office; in short. I have thorough& researchetl the tlates that I present. 1,c-iow. In many cases. particularly for those homes built !)efore 1900. m y buil[ling dates in bold will 1)r different than the dntes (in parenthesis) you hnvc for your house. This tlifTerence in tlates is generally the result. of a real estate agent. using the (in parenthesis) building date for~ntl in the Assessor's Office n-hen h t i n g the home for sale. Before 1991). these (in parenthesis) tlates in the Assessor's Office are generall:. inaccurat,e, and only meant to serve as a general guideline.
First 920
Thirtl 718
First 80s -
Second i13
Secontl 807
Third 703
Fourth 713
Fourth 716
Third 905
First 711
Third 80-1
Fourth 807
Secontl 720
Churchill 317
Fourth 801
Four \ 11 $12 1
Sri-ontl 722
F o l ~ ~ t h 909
E'olu~h 1009
Fourth 919
Seconrl 90'3 ,
Thutl 1021
Fou~.t.h 1019 '
Fourth 815
Thirtl 704
Third $104
Thkd 916
Swontl 814
Setonc! 709
Second 1001
Second 1004
Thktl 1010
Sixth Ave. 916
S~cont l ! J 1 1
Thirtl 1002
'I'hirtl 1014
Third 814
Third 1022
Fou~ th 719
Swontl 704
Secontl 91 1
Sixth Avt.. 1016
Third 907
Secontl 1013
First 802
Second 910
The East Or~e-ffol /o /Chrrr .r l~i l l , .Velson & Slarrghter's Addition
1880's (1875)
1880's (1901)
1880 (18G4)
1880 (1864)
1880 (1870)
1880 (1885)
1880 (1888)
1880 (1895)
1880's (1875)
I881 (18?5)
1881 (1875)
1881 (1880)
l8& (1865)
1882 ( I 850)
1882 (1880)
1882 (1880)
1882 (1890)
1882 (1890)
1883 pone giver
1883 (1870)
1883 (1872)
1883 (1874)
1883 (1875)
1883 (1875)
1883 (1875)
1883 (1876)
1883 (1880)
1883 (1880)
1883 (1880)
1883 (1885)
1883? (1875)
First 1009
Thirtl 1001
Third 801
Third 919
Third 807
Third 920
Third 805
Second 708
Third 918
First 712
Second 819
First 805
Second 1017
Second 920 Third 1006
Third 1009
Second 1012
Third 1007
I) Fourth 817
First 720
Churchill 303
Sixth Ave. 928
First 1007
Fourth 1001
S~xth Ave. 8 12
Fourth 913
First 801
Second 1018
Sixth Ave. 7 18
First 923
Churchill 215
The Errst 0 1 1 ~ - H a l f of C'l~urclcill, ,.ielso~z & S l n f r g h f e ~ ' ~ . I d d i l i o ~ ~
1 88R? (1880) First 1017
1884 (1894) First. 912
1884 (l87G) Thud I013
1884 (1880) First 1002
1884 (1884) Thud 1003
1885 (1872) Sixth -4ve. 816,
1885 (1S6i) Sixth Ave. 1002
1885 (1670) First 709
1885 (1879) Sixt.h Xve. 822
1885 (18SO) First 7 1 7
1885 (1580) First 1013
1886 (1872) Second 916
1886 (1875) First 917
1886 (1580) Chul-chill 218
1886 (1880) First 919
1886 (1882) Sixth Are. 92.4
1886 (1890) Third 913
1886? (1880) Second 905
1888 (1872) Sixth .4ve. 910
1888 (1874) Fust 9 1.5
1888 (1875) Third 719
1888 (1881)) Second 715
1888 (1880) Sixth Ave. 704
1889 (1876) Thud 808
1890's (None given) Third 822
1890 (1890) Second 806
1890 (1890) Second 508
1891 (1888) Second 822
1892 (1850) First 915
1894 (1889) Second 904
1895? 1876) First 100G
I 895 (1890) First 704
I895 (1893) 'rhirtl 8'31
1895 (18%) Fo~i r th 91.5
1896 (1870) L;econtl 815
1896 (1692) 'I'hird 8 1 :I
1897 (189;) First 1018 ,
1901 (h'one ~ i v e n ) Fourth 901
1902 (190'2) Thil-tl 8 11
1906 (1906) Third 90G
191 1 (1911) \Tlllard 203
19 12 (None given) Thud 90 1
1913 (1913) Second 51'3
1914 (1914) 'I'hud 710
1915 (1915) Churchill 11-1
1918 (1913) Secontl 1008
1921 (1921) First 703
1922 (1920) Second 1007
1923 (Xone g i v ~ n ) Fourth 823
1939 (1939) Thirtl 715
1946 Churchill 30.1
1946 First 817
1947 Sixth Ave. 1010
1960 Sixt.h Ave. 808
1964 Churchill 307
1975 Sixth Ave. 7 12
1986 Fourth 1015
Appendix B
Building Dates (SOWED L?Y .~LUURI.:SS)
T he folloning is il listing of t.hr houses in the neighborhoot1 by t h i ~ atldwss ant1 date rhe? were bu~ l r . For over six n1ont.h~. 1 have researchetl these
houses an(\ t h r u building dates. I have used [he ~,ecords of t.he )-earl!- \.isits by the tax assessor which are no\\. in the hfinnesota State .4rchives: 1 have c~setl the -Cit.\. of Stlllwater Builchng Permirs: I have used the tleeds anc! mortgages found in the Washington County Recortler's Office: in short. I have thoroughly researchetl the dates that I present below. In many cases. particularly for those homes built b ~ f o r e 1900. my l~uiltling dates in bold w d 1 be tlifferent than the dates (in yo11 have for your house. Thb thfference in dater; is generally the result of a real estate agent using the ( ~ n parenthesis) builtling date fount1 in the :lsscssor's Office \\,hen listinz the home for sale. Before 1900. these (in parenthesis) dates in t.be Assessor's Office are generally inacciwate, and only meant to serve as a general guideline.
Churchill
Churchill
(3hurchill
Churchdl
Churchill
Churchdl
Churchill
First S.
First S.
First S.
First. S.
First S.
First S.
First S.
First
Flrst
Fu.st
First
F k t
First
First
F iF t
First
F k t . S.
Firs t S.
First S.
First S.
First S.
First S.
FirsL S.
First S.
First S.
F&t S.
Fourth s. Fourth S.
Fourth S.
Fourth S.
Fourth S.
Fourth S .
Fowth S.
Fourth S.
Fourth S.
F o u ~ t h S.
Fourth S.
Fourth S.
1886 (1880)
???? (1870)
1883 (1885)
I884 (1880)
1895? (1876)
1883 (1875)
1880's (1875)
1885 (1880)
1883? (1880)
1897 (1897)
1870's 11875)
1870's (1875)
1877 (1890)
1872 (1872)
1872 (1878)
1873? (1830)
1883 (none given)
1923 (none given)
1901 (None given)
1872 (1880)
1883 (1876)
1895 (1895)
Fourth
Fourth
Fourih
Fourth
Fourth
Fourth
Swontl
Second
Seconcl
Second
Secontl
Srcond
Swontl
Second
Secontl
Swoncl
Second
Second
Second
Second
Second
Secontl
Second
Second
Second
Second
Second
Second
Second
Second
Second
Sr(,ontl S.
S c ~ o n d S.
St>c.und S.
Sccc~ncl S.
Srcontl S.
Srcontl S.
Sixth .A\:e.
Sisth Ave.
Sixth ilve.
Sixth Ave.
Sixth ,L\ve.
Sixth Ave.
Sisth -4ve.
Sixth Ilve.
Sixth .-\ve.
Sixth Ave.
Sixth Ave.
Sixth Avr.
Sixth Avr.
Sixth Ave.
Third s. Thixtl S.
Third S.
Third S.
Thirtl S.
' l ' h d S.
'l'hird S.
Third S.
Third S.
Thud S.
Thud S.
'Third S.
Third S.
'I'hirtl S.
' h . t l S.
Thirtl S.
Third S.
Thirtl S.
Thirtl S.
'hut1 S.
Thirtl S.
Third S.
I S.
'rhir,l S.
Thirtl S.
Thirtl S.
Third S.
Third S.
Thixtl S.
Thirtf S .
Thirtl S.
Third S.
Thirtl S.
Thirtl S.
Third S.
Thud S .
' I S.
~ i l l a r d E.
1902 (1902)
I896 (1892)
1877 (lS74)
1895 (1893)
1880's (None yivrn)
1912 (none +en)
1874 (IS77)
1871 (1873)
1906 (19rr~)
1878 (1878)
1886 (1890)
1874 (1880)
1880's (1375)
1880 (186-0
1880 (1885)
1880's (190 1)
1876 (1SSI))
1834 (1884)
I882 (ISSO)
1882 (1890)
1882 (ISSO)
1876 (18'75)
1884 (1876)
1877 (1873)
1873 (1876)
1877 (1877)
1911 (1911)
The East Onc-Half of ~ I ~ r r r c h i l l , .Velson 6; Sla~rghtcr 's . Idd i l i on
Appendix C
T hese are the names, adtlrcsses ant1 mupa t ions for t,his neighborhood From the 1894-1895 R.L. P o k and Co. City
Dirtrtory. If you had lived in this area a century ago, these would have been your neighbors, the people vou knew. The first adchess is the home address; a secr~ntl address (\\hen given) wol~ld be the address of their work place.
These Directories are not always complete. and they have their share of misinformation. Despite the mistakes. however, 1 think this is a good intlic:rtion of nrho lived in the neig.hborhooc1 and what thev (lid for n Liting. &. means generally the home owner: &. means a boarder, oft,en an adult. child of the home owner.
Churchdl E. 315, McDonough, John, laborer, bds. Churchill E. 218. McDonough, Miles. lumberman. bds. Churchill E. 21.5, McDonough. Peter, tlrayman. res. Churchdl E. 218, Nichol, James 4 . lumberman, res. Churchill E. 303: S h a l ~ n e s s ~ . Daniel, laborer, bds. Churchill E. 303. Shaunessy, James P. (Nordstrom & Shaunessy), bdq. Churcllill E. 303, Shauncssy, Mary (wid. John), res. Churchill E. 303, Shaunessy. Mary. m i l h e r . bds. ChtrrchiU W. 117, tt'alsh, James TV., lumberman, res.
First S. 0709, Moorheact, James 11.: yes. First S. 0709, \Wton, Isabel (wid John). l.es. First S. 071 1, I<uhn. John M. photographer 109 S. blain, res. First S. 0711. Kuhn, Louis J. photographer J. M. Kuhn. bds. F i s t , S. 0711, Seymour; Lewis W., cashier h h n Mercantile Co, btls. Fu.st S. 0717. MiUer, Annie, dressmkr, bds. First S. 0717, Miller, Elizabeth, milliner Mrs. L. Seeba, bds. First. S. 0717. Miller, John A,, clerk, bds. First S. 0717, h w e r , John L., house mover, res. First. S. 0717, Miller, Lawrence, c k , bhnn Thresher Mnfg. Co, bds. First S. 0717, Miller, Rose, milliner Mrs. L. Seeba, bds. First S. 0717. Miller, Tracy, ashier L. Albenberg. bds. First S. 0717. Seeba, Mrs. Lena, milliner 211 E. Chestnut, res. First S. tl801, Prince, Henry B., Ins. Agts, Real Estate and Loans, res. First S. 0802, Gat.es; Charles D., carpenter, res. First S. 0805, Cowles, Wm. C.. btls. First S. 0805, C o ~ l e s . Wm. E., reporter Stillwater Messenger, res. First. S. 0912. Ryan, John A,, laborer, res.
Fust S . 1 0 1 h i s t t i e r . I;~burer. East Side Lbr. Co. res Firs( S. 0!115. Gast. llermnn. laborer. htls. Fkst S. O!i16. Gist., klermnn. Iahorc~~~. bcls. F i r S . 09 17. :i~chib;~ltl. Jutlritrn. lurnber,m;~n. res. Fixsr S. (IDIS. Ries, Charles F;.. clk J o s ~ p h [Volf, res. Firs( S. (I iI lS. I(lrrnl,. ,Annie. tlon~esric. Firsr S. OFil!l. CarroU, 5linnie. tlomectic. First S. 0919. (I:lynn. Patricli. rnf1i.r. res. First S. O!)lI). 1,yons. Henry J , laborel.. yes. b'irst S. II!JLI3. Hlanlienhorn, 1,ouis. Inl)or~~r. (1;. H . Atwood, 1)cis. Fust S. 0!)23. E(lan1;enhorn. Frrtlcricn. (\.\ic\. Ph&p), re.;. Fust S. l(113" \\-olf. Lo~lis, hartrntler '102 S. Main. res. Fusi S . 1007, hle\rr . \V&arn J.. harnec:,~nl;r G , florron.mnn. res. Firsr S. I(Io:). Zieg~r. Louis F'.. 1;tborer E'lorenct~ MLU tlo. res. I S. 1 1 \Voj:jhn. :Iug~lsl. carpenter, res. First S. 1017. Doyle. .Austin. 1nbor.r~. bcls. FUSI S. l ! I o l . Er lmi~n~l \V.. teamster. btls. i t . i I . lloylr~. Stc~~lhen. lumhermnu, res.
Fourrh S. 07 i t l . Schmitl. Stel)ht,n. janitor. St.. Michael's Church, res. Fourth S. (J702. L\:nseschi. Clzir8 (\\-id Anton) res. Fourth S . 0703. Sachi. Anton. composiror. St. Clrois Post, res. F o u r ~ h S. 0713. Barter. Ernest, rafrer, hlusser Mnfg. Co, bds. Fourth S . 071!J. Etl\vards. George F., painter, res. Fourth S. 0719. &looney, Charles. teamster, res. Fourth S. 080 1. Baryon. Ernest <I . . laborer. bcls. Fourth S. 0801. Barron. Janlcs P.. laborer, bds. Fourth S. 08(J1, Harron. Thomas F.. iaborer. bds. Fourth S. 0801. Hnrron. Patrick; laborer, res. Fo~rrth S. 0807. Curtis. Frank. clri~er'r.C. Kilt). bds. Fourth S. 0807. liilty. James D., clerk, bds. Fourth S. 0807. 'l'imothy. res. Fourth S. 0810. \Volf. Clara. domestic. Fourth S. 0816. L l t , v , John J . , m n g ~ T . C . lult.y, 313 E. Chestnut.. res. F o u ~ t h S. 0817 ~ o h n s o n , Julda, c!omestic. Fourth S. 0817, Kelly, James. bds. Fourth S i l R i i . IGlty, Timoth? i'.. Conmussion Wmd &Coal. 913 E. Chestnut. res Fourth S. 0817. XIeagher. Sarah, rlressm1;r. res. Fourth S . 0909. Snyder. Bernice. clomestic Fourth S. 0909, Ward. James 14.. grocer 522 S. Fourrh. res. Foul.rh S. 0913, SlcGee, Etlnrard. mason, res. Fourth S . OlJl5. \\'alsh. Theresa C.. a i ,~isr . bds. Fourth S. I ! (:ochr:ln. \ l i i .hn~l. !:>borer. res. F'ourrl-, S. i!9!!i. \:hitc. henry. lirmberrn;~n. res. ICourrh 5 . 05121. C'ronrley, James. raft.er. bds.
7'11~ East O r l ~ llil If of ('111iich i l l , . Y ~ l s o r ~ cC- S l o i r g l ~ t r r . ' ~ d d d i t i o n
170r~r.rh S, 0921, ( 'ronl~w. John. rafter, btls. E'0urt.h S. 092 I . (:ronlev. 'I'ilncithy, lumberman. res Yoiti,th S. 100 1. Rug??. Etl\\.;u.rl. teamster. res. l<'oul.th S. 1001. Iieen I:r;~nl;. lumberman. res. Foul.th S. 1019. Ylorissr\-. Ellcn. thessmkr. res. Forlrth S. 1111$l, hlo~,rissc.v. Thornas. res.
Secontl S. 0704. Dailev. Laa.son \!.. res. Sect)ntl S. 07111. Doe. F1.etlc?icl; P.. clerl; ,%.I<. Doe. bds. Seconti S . 1170.1. Nelson. Christine, domestic. Second S. 07OS. I<nrst. John (Eagle Hartlww,are (30.) ITS.
Secontl S. 050S. Ste\w.art, Etl\\:artl, lumberman, btls. Sccontl S.. 07 12: Bron-er. h'osr. tlomrstic, Secontl S . 0712. P e n n i n ~ ~ o n . Fretl (Sa~inrrv. Penningron & Co. logs, res. Secontl S. i1713. Rlaiqtlcll. E ~ h c l , student. Stillwater Business Col.. res. St%-oi~tl S. 071:;. Blaistl~II. Rlrs. h.Iary. res. S~con t l S . 0717. Lt~picln. Emrna D. t l~essmkr A. C. Sch~~t t inger , btls. Secontl S. 07 17. Lul~ien. Joseph (Lupien & hlichautl) ises. S ~ o n c \ S. 07'23. Griffin. Edith, bool;lieel~er P.N. Peterson. btls. Swontl S. 0523. Griffin. Frank H.. laboer G.H. A~.wootl, btls. Secontl S. 0723. Griffin, James H. carpenter Josiah Ratcheltler, res. Secontl S. 0723. Grzfin, Victor, wks C i . H. .4twootl, btls. Secontl S. 0806. Dwx.ve~, James \9'., sa\\Ter St. Crois L Co., res. Srcontl S. OSOS. CGrace. Frank L. (F.L. (::race & CO). res. Sccontl S . 0809. Bo\vman, George 31.. cashier, CYI &; St. P R Y , res. Secontl S. OS1-L. hslarp :A. Ma~,sh (wvitl. Michael) res. Sec;~nil S i:ISl,l. Thoyn., 'l'homos A,. Agt C M & St. P Ry, \Vater nr. Ilhestnut, rss Second S. 08111. Shartuck, Francis, l t~mbrrman, btls. Secontl S. 0819. Shat t t~ck. 'Thomas, policeman. res. Second S. 0903. Suhvan. ELiza. dressmakel*, bds. Second S. 0903. Sullivan, John, lumberman, res. Secontl S. 0005> Kelson, Alexander. ~ , d t e r , res. Secontl S. 0905: Suhvan, Timothy, laborer. res. Secontl S. 0910, Scott, Bessie, seamstress. bds. Second S. 0910! Scott, Fred, Drugyjst 202 E. Chestnut & S. Stfl\xrater: res. Secontl S. 091 1. Carlson. ,4Jfred F.. res. Secontl S. 091 1: CarIson, Sophia, (wid. John), bds. Second S. 0911. Orff, Frank J.. teamster, res. Secontl S. 0912, Gust, Bertha (witl. \Vm) res. Secontl S. 0914, Phalen. James W.. policeman. res. Secontl S. 0916. Lovre. George E.. eng. C St.. P RI. 9: 0. Ry, res. Second S. OY 16. Seihert., Catherine (wid. Jacob), res. Second S. 0920. Kelm. Atlolph, oiler Florence Mill Co. btk. Second S. 0920, lielm. Ferilinand. lah. Florence Mill Co.. bds. Secontl S. 0920. Iielm: Gustav, machinist. btls.
Sirwnrl S. 0!120. I ie ln~. I i r r n ~ a n (IHlllsliotter & Icelm) res. Secontl S. 0920. I d m . 1le1,man. Jr . . cooper. btk. Secontl S. 1001. .lrsanault. Znrhariaq. r e . Secontl S. 1001. .\l,sanault.. L)ell~hina. thessmkr. res. Seconll S. 1001. ;bsanr?l~lt . Isaac E . . clk J. C)'Shoughness~. btls. Srl.und S. 1001. .,\rsanaul(. I?a;~c. laborer. r rs .
Scrontl S 1001. .;\rsanault. J o h n , laborer. btls. Secontl S. 100 I . .-lrsanault. 'Thomas. laborer. C;. 1-1. Arwootl. btls. Second S. 1001. Floudage. Peter. Inborer, btls. Secontl S. 1001. Bugle. Peter. rafter. I.=.
Srcontl S. 1001. :\la~.tinent~. .hmino. laborer. I~tls. Scrontl S. 1001, Smith . Daniei. raftsman, bds. Secontl S. 1002. Ylaggie !\lcA'lahon. chessmkr. btls. Srcontl S . 100-1. I<ellogg. L)elber~.. laborer, btls. Secontl S. 1001. Iiellogg. Lurnan T.. res. Secontl S. 1(.)0-1, liellogp. Lt'rn. M.. lab. (:. T. i::oodrich, btls. Scrontl S. 1007. Crocker. Richard. raftsman. rrs. Swontl S . Ioil;, 1-litltle: Milhe. sewer T. Miller, btls. Secontl S. 1008, Rallard, Sytlney. ]lainter, btls. Srcontl S . 11108. Smith. Merritt. popcorn. res. S~ron t l S. 1012, Belisle, Joseph. Wootl. cal.gets. parquet flooring . . . . res. Secontl S . 1012 (:+rant. Etlw;1~.tl. foreman Durant & Wheeler. res. Secontl S . 1013. Lee, Orris E.. la\vyer. 11 Torinus b a . res. Secontl S. 1017, h'lasterman. Joseph P. clerk County .A.utlit.or. res. Secontl S . 1018, Hansen. Anc.hen; E.. travel agent, res. Srcontl S . 1018. MTillman, Fretlerick. jeweler 201 S. Main. re.;. Second S. 1102, Sullivan. f i c e , teacher. bds. Second S. 110%. StLUivan. Catherine. teacher Central School, bcls. Seconcl S. 1102. SuUlvan, Daniel J. travel agent, res. Secontl S. 1102. Sullivan. Elizabeth. teacher. bcls. Secontl S. 1102. Sullivan: John M.. res.
Sist.h Ave. S. 0718, Jack, Charles R.. lav.?er, 12 Mower bllc, res. Sisth :ive. S. 0808. Walsh. Robert, laborer G H Atwood, res. Sixth Xve. S. 0812, Drake, -4ddison H.. barber. res. S h t h Ave. S. 0816. Strudwick, Joseph. tinner H Heisel & Co.. bcls. Sixt.h Are. S. 0816, Ii'halen: Ednard, lumberman, res. Sixt.h Ave. S. 0816. Yost, Nicholas. Painter & Paperhanper, res. Sisth Ave. S. 0822. Drews, Leo H.. clerk. bds. Sixth .Ave. S . 0904, C:oUopv. John E.: wagonmaker. res. Sisth Ave. S. 0910, Stache, Richard, laborer. res. Sixth .4ve. S. OY 10. Stocker. Rjchartl. Iaborer. res. Sisth Ave. S. 002.1. !)'Rourl;e. John F.. guard, Minn State Prison. 1.es. S ix th Ave. S. 0!12s. M:ard. James E.. laborer. res.
Sisih .\ye. S . 1002. .\s.icls. 'Thomas. laborer.res. Sixt.h .Aye. S. 10i02. !LlcRae. John. I ~ ~ m b e r m a n . res. Sixth . \vp. S. 1002. Tozier. \\.alter. laborer, res. Siur.h Ave. S . 1002. \I-agnr>r, Hannah. tlonlsric. Sixth .Jive. S. 1010. Ilohi-rty. Pntricli, laborer, res. Sixtll Aye. S. 1 Greeder. (jottlieb, reamster. res
'I'hirtl S. 0702. (~ 'Sha l~ghnessy John. Boots S: Shoes, 224 E. Chestnut. res. 'l'hi~tl S. 070~1. Tozer. Davitl Jr.. s1;pt. David Tozer, btls. Thirtl S . 0704. 'Tozer. Dav~tl, F'res. St.illwat.er Lumber C h . . res. 'Thirtl S. 070:l. Toze~ . F:.c,tl R!.. booklieepcr Da\.itl Tozer. hds. 'Thirtl S. 07 12, lirrger. Rrrtha. tlomestic. Thud S. 0.713. C u l b r ~ ~ s o n . .\lnr)-. tlomeslic 'l'hirtl S. 0713. h~lcCarrhy. Daniel J.. clerk klinn Thresher hlnfg. (30, btls. 'I'hi~.tl S. 07 13, PVIcCnr~,hy. John B. res. 'Thu.tl S. 07 18. Dwvr\-. Frnnl; hl . . farmer. btls. Third S. 0718. De\\,ex. John J.. machinist, yes. 7'hk;l S. 07 18. Dewey. hlrs, May, tlressmalier. res. Thirtl S. 0718. Doe, N l ~ h e u s E.. l a \ \ ~ e r . 12 Rloner b k . res. Thirtl S. 07 19. Barthol. Mar>-, tlomescic l 'hud S. 07 19, Gillespie, Catherine (nlt l John). res. Third 1;. 05 I!). Laafler. Michael, explorer. btls. 'Ilhkd S. 080 1. G a t e s \ViUlam R.. compositor. S tdwa te r Gazette, res. 'Third S. 080-1. kIurse!-, .hthul. LV., btls. 'Third S. 0804; El~rrsey. E tta I,.. stutlent. St iun~ater Business College. brls. 'Thirtl S. 0804. 1-1111.se.v. \Vilmot A.. oil dealer, res. Third S. 0805. Rice, Renjamen F, harnessmlir 209 N. 2 n n , res. Thircl S. 0808. Davis. t-lorace LV.. bkpr Musser Mnfg. Co. res. Third S. 0808. Fishw, 51artha. domestic. 'Thirrl S. 08n9. Christianson. lnga. (wid. Daniel). bds. Thlrd S. 0814. Goggin. Mary (wid. Wm) btls. Third S. (J8l.i. Jos. Oscar L., foreman. hlusser SLL 6; Nnfg. Co, res. T'hird S. 0821, Reier, Rose, domestic. Third S. 0822, Capron, Mary E.. (wid. Wm Ril.), res. Third S. 0903, B u r h g h n m , Daniel L., Burlingham 6; Lyilson, res. Third S. 0903. C)berg! Louisa, domestic. Thirtl S. 0904, Johnson, hfat.ilrla, domestic. Third S. 0904. Joy. Frank E.. Chief. Stillwater Fire Depr. res. Thirtl S. 0907, Foley. James I,\T.; bookkeeper Mulvey & Carmichael. res. Third S. 0907. Gleeson. Timot.hy P. m n v Singer Mnfg. Co, res. Third S. 0907. S\vanson. Anna: tlomestic. Third S. 0908. Antlerson. Adolph. thi\.er. X.C. Schuttinger,btls. Thutl S. 0910, Hintz. 3lary, domestic. Tlurd S. 0910 Schuttll~grr, A u g ~ s t C;.. General hlerchmrhse P; L,nilies Enznx, 214-218 S . k h n , ree l'hirtl S. 0910. Spencer. Etln M.. clerk A.C. Schuttinger. b t l ~ .
7 ' 1 1 ~ CCSI Oric-llnlf ofC'liirrchi!l, .Yr,lson R- Slolrghter.'~ Addit ion
'Thirrl S . 0915, D~nrtlorff. (:h;i~,les L.. collecror .4.\V. Pattpe. res. . . I hirtl S. 0915. Gillespie. James. rook. res. l 'hutl S. 09 16. Burns. Dnniel. laborer. res. 'I'hirtl S. 0!)16. Clone\-. .-Imbrose. cook. bds. Thirtl S , O!llG, (I:lonq. Ellen, &essmlir. 11tls. 'Thu.tl S. 09 1i;. i ' l on~? . Mary, l,tls. 'I'hirtl S. !I!JlG. C:lon~y. Slichael. lumberman, \>cis. Thirtl S, ill) 16 . illoney. Richartl .A, cook, bds. 'I'hird S. o!)16, Cloney. Richard, 11;rnberm;ln. res. 'I'hirtl S . i)Olci. Clonq. Sylvester. lumberman, btls. 'Thutl S. 0916. ('lone). Thomas kl.. cook, btls. 'Thirtl S. (I!) 18, iuntl . Itla. tlomestic. 'Third S . 0918, hIasterman. Joseph, btls. 'I'hirtl S. 0918. hlasrerman. L%'ellingt.on C.. ins. agc. 18 Torinus blk. res. 'I'hircl S. (1919. \lacrhe\vs. John. res. 'I'hirtl S. 0920, :\Uord, l1rnrv, clk. A. Rohrbach. btls. 'l'hu.tl S . 01120. Allortl. J o s ~ p h ~ n,lis, G . H. il!\\.ootl. YPS.
Thutl S. 1001. Glvnn, Jeremiah. rafrer. bds. Thirtl S. 1001. C;lynn. John. lutnberman. res. Thirtl S. 101)l. 1.efler. Anne. tlomestir. Thirtl S. 1001. Flivard. ;itlelaitlr (nit1 Frnnli) btls. 'Third S. 1001. Rivard. Prospel N. grocer 1003 S. 3d. res. Thutl S. 1001. Vincent. Victor, clerk P.N. Rivartl, bds. Thirtl S. 1002. ICeyes. Patrick, guard blinn State Prison. rms. Thirtl S. 1002. Smith. Granvlll LV., Chief of Police. Cit. Hall, res Third S. 100(i. 1,nmmers. Louisa A,. clerk Register of Deeds. bds. Thirtl S. 100G, Ponarh. hlartha. domestic. . . Ihncl S. 100i3, Swanscn, Froderlck P., booklinnper Rl~~sser-S L L & Mnfg Cu, res Third S. 1907. Iiolliner, Jacob R , clerli !,. Likenberg & Co, res. Thud S. 1007. Lindahl. Amy. tlomestic T h i d S. 1009, Heisel. Henry (H. Heisel S; Co.) res. Third S. 1009. Hink. Lena. domestic. ThhtI S. 1009. \\raters. Bernard A,. contIuct.or C St. P M & 0 Ry, res. Thirtl S. 1010. Rrennan. Dennis, foreman, .Ann River L. CO., res. Thirtl S. 1012, Arsanault. .i\ntoince, laborer, res. Third S. 1013. Dison, Nancy E.. (wid. Robert H.), res. Third S. 1013. Gail. Frederick !Ir.. Lawyer 12-13 Torinus blk. res. Third S. 10 1.1. Desautell. Henrv. res. Thirtl S. 1014. Longen, Emily. (~iitl. Nicholas), res. Thud S. 10 18, Lillia. ilmanda. domestic. Thirtl S. 1019, Rohrbach. Abraham, clothing 126 S. Main. yes. Third S. 1022. RoyIe. Dennis. logs and pine lantls, 6 klower Rk, res Thirtl S. 1025. Johnson. Anne, tlomestic.
Contexts
T h c r e mere rwo conrests appropriate ro this survey. The h s r consext was the stntenitle historic contest.: St . Croiu Valley Tr inngle L u m b e r i n g (1843-1914).
T h P chief economy in Stillwater in the 11JCh Cent.111-y v.as that. of the lumbering intl~~;:.rx: gathering the timber, moving t.he timber to rhe Stillwarel. sawmills, antl then delivering the finished lumber to the markets. n 4 1 1 n . i . 1 have Listetl the occupations of all the residents of the ERST, One-Half of Churchill, Nelson PE Slaughter's Atltlition in 1894. The majority \\,ere eml~loyetl in some waJT in the lumber tratle. or in some industrs connectetl with the lumber trade.
The second context, which comes from the Stillwatcr historic context stutly (Vogel 1!)93) was: Deve lopmen t of Resident ia l Neighborhoods in St i l l \vater , 1850's-1940's.
The East One-Half of Churchill. Nelson & Slaught,er's ;Itltlition is perhaps the most homogenous of all the neighbo~~hoods 1 have surveyed. There are working men and merchants: slillled artisans antl lumber barons: midnifes and doctors: tlomestics and at,torneys.
This homogeneity is reflected in the mixture of homes. There is a commercial strip on South Fourth St.reet as well as a movie theatre. The t.opogaphp is! for Stillwater, fairly level. In many ways, one coultl say this is the most typical representative neighborhood in Stillwater.
Bibliography
Birds Eye \'ien:s of S t i l l ~ a t e r . 1570 and 1879. Draam bv .Albert. Rugel. Originals i n the \Yashington County Historical Society. Wartlen's House bluseum. antl the l\linnesot,a Hisrorical Society. Rrprints available from Empson Akrhivrs . P.O. Ros 791. Still\vater, >,IN 65082.
Paul (:npla;.i. L.nl~ubhshetl manuscript. .April. 19 44
The Charter antl 01,:tLiLices of the _Cit\- of Stillwater. Cornpilctl1~~- C. F. Gregory, City Attorney. Std\vater , 1,umberman Steam Print.ing Co. 1881
Fifty >-ears in [.he hor th~ves t , by LV. H. C. Folsom. Pioneer Press Company. 188s.
Historv of the St. Crois Valley. edited by :-\ugustus B. Easton. Chicago. H.C. CJooper J r . & Co., 1909
H i c t o ~ o f the Lt7lite Pine l n r l u s t r v ~ &Iinnes- by Agnes XI. 1,arson. ---
Llniversity of Minnesota Press. 1949.
Flistorv of M'ashincton County nntl The St. Crois Valley, Sort,h Star -- Publishing Company. Minneapolis. 1881.
Ilomes in the Heart1and;~Balloon Frame Farmhoiises of the Lipi~erklitlu~est: 1850-1020.Frecl M;. Peterson. ITniversity Press of Icansas. 1992.
Joier>h R. R r o \ v n ~ d v e n t u r e r on the Minnesota Frontier. 1820-1819 b>- Nancy & Robert Goodman, Lone Oak Press. [1996].
Minnesota. Census of M;ashin@on County. 1885
Minnesota B i o n a p ~ e s . 1555-1912, Collections of the Minnesota Hist.orica1 Society, Volume SIV.
Sanborn Insurance hl- 1884, 1891. 1898, 1904. 1910,1924
St. Croix Citaiun [newspaper, Stlllnater, hf~nnesota]
Sectional Map of t,he City of Stdlnater, [1878]. There is a copy of this map hanging in the \f:ashingt,on County Recorder's Office.
Sli l lui~ter. Fire Dcpl. R L L ~ S by Addrc:ss, 189G-19 06 [t,ypescri[~t]
St,iUwar,er FIistoric Contests: -4 C,ompr.eh~mi\:e PIannine .Apl>roach. St.ill\vater: Stdlwater Heritaze Preservation Commission. Ju ly 1119.3.
StiU\vater Public Library Still\\nter Euiltling Permits [on microfilm]
Still\vat.elt Public Library. St,. Crois Collpction
Lrnitecl States. Census of hlinnesota Territory. LVashington County Stillwater.
Linited States. Census of 1860, lt55?0:.1J_0. Washington County: Stlllwater.
LYashington County Probate Court File5
Washington Co~unty Recorder's Offlce: Rooks of Deecls, Roolis of Mortgages, Books of Bonds. Rooks of Plats.
Washington County Tax Assessor's records for 1861-1900. Minnesota S ta te Archives. Microfilm copies can be found a t the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Stillwater Public Library.
7 ' 1 ~ Eosl O I I P - l l n l j ' o ~ C l ~ ~ r r c l r i l l . .Velson 62 S l o t r g l ~ t ~ r 's .4rldilior1
Reconmendations
T he folIo\ving are my recommendations for the East One-Half of Churchlll. Yelson 8: Slaughter's Xtltlition. They are baset! on the
;assuml~tion it is desirable to maintain and prom0r.e the hisroric chai,acter of [his neighborhootl. I t is mv belief that the long term ~ ~ r o s l ~ e r i t y ant1 value of Churcl~dl; Yelson S: Slaught,er's Atltlition and Stdl\vater'% other older n~ighborhoods lies in preserving their old fashionetl character. This is what tlistinguishes Stillwater from the myriad of other suburban developmenrs s~~ri~ount l ing t.he Twin Cities, 2nd makes Stdln-ater a l i n i q ~ ~ e place to live.
Lo'r SIZE REQIIIREMENTS
Church~U, Yelson & Slaughrer's .idclition is almost e rc l~~s i re ly older houses - many on tivo or even three lots. This nei~hborhootl is remarliable becnuse it has so little infdl housing of a later dare. Hot\-ever tha t coi~ld change soon.
As the pressure to build uithin Srdlnater continues. r.he empty 1ot.s \\ill become a s e a t e r ant1 greater source of temptation to tlevelol~ers and real ?state sj~eculators. Under (.he present city orclinances. any lot of 7.500 square feet is a buildable lot..
Jf present. trends continue. more and more of these now-unbuilt lots {YLU be built. upon. I t is quite possible that. in 20-30 vears. the density of Churchill Nelson Si Slaughter's Addition could could increase b!- 25fA or more.
Because there are presently no design building restrictions in Stdlwater residential neighborhoods, these nen. houses uill not on1:- increase the density of the area - lhus destroying some of its appeal - they \dl also add further to the architectural jumble, and obliterate what. historic streerscape remains today. Because no one builds small houses any more. (and t,he cit.y has no design guidelines for blentling into a neighborhood) these newer houses of 2,000-4.000 square feet. t i l l overwhelm the small 7 ; 5 0 0 square foot biiilding lots. and destroy the scale of the srreetscape rhat is one basis, albeit subtle. of Stillwat,er's attraction. Spacious yards ant1 open spaces are a characteristic of Nineteenth Uenrul.!- neighborhoods.
I recommentl t h r (lit? of Stilln-atri change the, minimum l~uiltlnhle lot 5ize from 7.5(lO square feet ro a rninimu~n of 1O.000 .square feet. 1 also rr~trmmentl the City rsplore the ~ ~ o s s i b i l i t ~ of tleqign guitl~tines for the older p :~r t s of Still\rnter.
111 this sur\.e?-. as in previous surveys, I hnvr t r i e~ l to itlentif!. homes that are sign~fic:ant or unique: homes that. are typical of a long forgot ten time; or homes that arc- particularly representative of Still\vater. Rut these-sur\.eys of mine are soon forgotten. ant1 the signlficanc~ I have ascribed to a particular tl\velli~ig may be forgotten as soon as the nest o\\~iwr. I urge the ('it? of Stdlbt-ater antl the Heritage Preservation (I:ommittee to initiate a process of tlrsignating antl marking the historicafly significilnt houses in Sti l l \ \-at~r. 'This \\dl have the benefit of apprising the preyent owner tha t his home has value as a citl- la~i t lmark, ant1 it \\dl enable those intrrested in the history of the city to fintl the historical homes.
The (::it\; of S t , d \wte r shnriltl initiate its o\vn historic tlesignation for houses throughout. the city that arP a s ignscan t part of Stillv,.ater's history.
EDUCATION O N REMODELING OL.DER FIOMES
T h e city-or some local organization--sho~tld malie some efforts 1.0
provitle information to the pt~blic on maint.;lining and remodeling or repairing the older homes. In Std\vater , older homes that have maintained their original inteprit.? command a higher price than those hornes have been changed from their original appearance. B u t the average homeo\iner \\ho might be concerned about. preserving the integrit,? of his house is presently hard pressed to find goocl informat,ion on how to improve or uptlate his house without. d e s t r o ~ i n g it. historic value. ,4 simple brochure containing some basic guidelines to be clistributecl by realtors. neighborhood groups, ant1 the city could-over a period of years-- make a substantial clifference on the overall appearance of the city.
T H E DEMO~,ITION OF HOUSES
Every year, a felv more oltl homes i n St111water are tlemolishetl rlespite a cirp o~.tlinunce regulating ant1 c'scournging the process. In some cases. i t is a mat ter of business or ,.hurch espnnsion: in <om? cases i t is t h ~ o\vn?r< nishing to bl~iltl a new house on the same lot: ant1 in several cases lately, ir has been a matter of tlemolishing the oltl house to increase the value of the lot which can t.hen be used for a new more expensive house. 'I'his latter situation. has been particularl?: t rue of those lots n i th a river view. \f%ile this practice may be lucrative for the drveloper. 1 believe it tletracts from the community a s a ~vhole: the oltl houses are pnrt of a legacy, an inheritance. left for f i ~ t u r e generations, One of the atlcbtional steps the c i t - mighr take to encourage preservation noulrl be to have archit,ects ant1 builders on call that a r e sympathetic to repairing and restoring oltler houses. 'I'his might tliscourage on? of the most frcquent rationales-that the house is be\onrl repair-usetl to justify tlemolition.
