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Greeley Residential Area
CENTER STREET A History of the Greeley Residential Area Stillwater, Minnesota By Donald Empson MULBERRY STREET Funded in part by a grant from the National Park Service Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society And The Heritage Preservation Commission of the City of Stillwater HOLCOMBE STREET Reminders This is a log cabin playhouse at 233 N. Harriet Street. According to Alice (Kolliner) Columbo who grew up in the house at 415 W. Mulberry Street, this playhouse was constructed in the 1890's by Louis Bergeron (1220 N. Broadway Street) who built it for his daughters after being inspired by a 4th of July play and poem about Abraham Lincoln. After the turn of the century, Alice's mother, who was related to the Bergeon family, remembering her childhood days in the playhouse, purchased it and had it moved to the yard at 415 W. Mulberry Street. When the Kolliners sold that house, they had it moved to its present location. This is the cornerstone of what was known as the German School at 516 W. Myrtle Street. It was built in 1894 by Adolph Sprich of Stillwater at a cost of 53,080. The architects were Buech & Jacobson of St. Paul.. Use of the building as a school was discontinued during the anti -German sentiment of World War I. Of The Past This small simple house at 224 N. Martha Street is typical of what many of the homes in this neighborhood looked like around the turn of the century. This section of limestone curbing in front of 218 N. Martha Street has been raised to its original height and conveys a sense of the original streetscape. Details like this are important in preserving Sti lwater's sense of the past. MEMBERS OF THE STILLWATER HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION JEFF JOHNSON 309 S. FIFTH STREET STILLWATER ROBERT KIMBREL (CHAIR) 724 W. OAK STREET STILLWATER BRENT PETERSON 502 W. CHURCHILL STREET STILLWATER ROGER TOMTEN 718 S. FIFTH STREET STILLWATER JAY MICHELS 118 %2 N. MAIN STREET STILLWATER HOWARD LIEBERMAN 914 S. GREELEY STREET STILLWATER KATHERINE B. FRANCIS 9190 ST. CROIX TRAIL N. STILLWATER A History of the Greeley Residential Area STILLWATER, MINNESOTA Prepared by DONALD EMPSON EMPSON ARCHIVES P.O. Box 791 STILLWATER, MN 55082 (612) 351-0172 JULY, 1997 Funded in part by a Grant from the National Park Service Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society And The Heritage Preservation Commission of the City of Stillwater 1 F- W W I— LY ce W M CV 00 CU CU as N cu in s.0 cu 0 N (U N cu tU CLJ N cu cr cu N SN3AI Cy) o CI.•. CO 4- a-1r•.O A k CU N N N [U 0.I �i 01 d CU cri, cr) N N N N I— W W H 0 N Cr) N 4.4 NCO �0Oir In 4..... ..4 ON, d !litiON W U H O 1.41 LT6 16 XI it) In --4 tf) iU 4.1 � -y .`t,N --4 r. Sri 0 --1 in CN4.4_o '!, 4 4 -H -.. 0 -r } x ]Neirli 83RS t -tIMDN { N s0 - ni N N N ml � v CI) I` € in CU W c�J La CU3 4 N 3 3 - CU - _4 - s O --4 4,4 If) S t0 CU 0 'IS 1,0s Ors 209 019 9I9 229 929 0 829 a0L OIL IM taL ;-!421 8aL ►- 0T8 $T8 8T8 cu 3N21f18213HS C ..ad a -4 mR't --i ttJCt STET gut 0+ o - CU ls E History of the Greeley Neighborhood Introduction Research ..... Table of Contents Page 2 .Page 4 Part I: Hurrah For Stillwater... ..... . Page 6 Part II: A Goosling Dwelling ........................... Page 23 Part III: Porch Pleasures. Page 39 Recommendations............... ,........ ......... ..... . Page 47 Bibliography. ......................... .Page 51 Appendix A: Chronological Listing............ Page 54 1 2 History of the Greeley Neighborhood INTRODUCTION Between December 1, 1996, and June 1, 1997, Empson Archives conducted a National Register survey of the Greeley HPPA residential area of Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota. The project area lay entirely within the Southwest Quarter of Section 28, Township 30, Range 20. Included within the survey area are all twelve blocks of Greeley & Slaughter's Addition to Stillwater; all twelve blocks of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition to Stillwater; all of Thorne's Addition; Block One of Webster's Addition to Stillwater; Block One of Bernheimer's Addition to Stillwater; Blocks Three, Four, and Seven of Fullerton's Addition; a part of Auditor's Plat #2; and some unplatted land. The objective of the study was to conduct an intensive historical survey of the Greeley residential neighborhood bounded by, or on a line with, Center Street on the West; Holcombe Street on the East; Olive Street on the South; and Mulberry Street on the North. There are 242 structures within this survey area covering roughly 100 acres. The work was conducted between December 1st, 1996 and June 1A, 1997.by Donald Empson; Kathleen Vadnais; and Mat Hollinshead who took the photographs. Donald Empson was the principal investigator.. Many residents of the survey area contributed to the research for this project by answering questions about their homes and the neighborhood. I have acknowledged these individuals in the text and on the Inventory Forms regarding their particular homes. Especial thanks to Brent T. Peterson, a fellow historian, and. a Commissioner on the Stillwater Historic Preservation Commission, for his corrections to this manuscript, and for his bringing some historic house photographs ape s to my attention. Also many thanks to Sue Fitzgerald, coordinator to the Stillwater Historic Preservation. Commission, for her efforts in expediting the work of this survey. This effort is part of the on -going program of the Minnesota Historical Society's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) which began after passage of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The SHPO administers the National Register of Historic Places program in Minnesota. In the early years of this program, the SHPO concentrated on basic inventories of the 87 counties in Minnesota on a county -by -county basis. 2 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Stillwater established a Heritage Preservation Commission in 1973 and, in conjunction with a federal grant from the Minnesota SHPO, contracted for is first National Register survey of the downtown commercial area in 1988. This study led to the placing of Sti lwater's downtown commercial area on the National Register in 1991. In 1992-3, the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) received a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant and sponsored a study of historic contexts in the city, conducted by Robert C. Vogel and Associates. The final report, "Stillwater Historic Contexts: A Comprehensive Planning Approach," was completed in July 1993. The Stillwater HPC has divided the city's neighborhoods into Historic Preservation Planning Areas (HPPAs) and intends to proceed with systematic surveys of all Stillwater neighborhoods over the next decade. The current report summarizes the results of the third HPPA to be systemically surveyed. The two previous surveys were of the North Hill (Original Town) and the South Hill (Original Town). The activity that is the subject of this publication has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 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 of recommendation by the Department of the Interior. Local assistance for this report has been provided by the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission, which participates in the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program. The CLG program is a cost-effective local, state and federal partnership which provides technical assistance and small grants to local governments seeking to keep for future generations what is important and significant from their past. 3 History of the Greeley Neighborhood RESEARCH We have done a thorough study of the area, despite the considerable time and money constraints. We have used the yearly tax assessor's records collected in the State Archives and available on microfilm, 1861-1900, at the Stillwater Public Library --a gift 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 the 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 from that of a lot only to that of a lot with a building 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 that can be found in no other way. (The two previous surveys have used the date of the building found on the assessment card at the tax assessor's office. Before the turn of the century, these dates are notoriously inaccurate, an admission readily made by the tax assessor's office itself.) Rivertown Restoration recently paid to have the Stillwater building permit applications, 1886-1940, microfilmed. They, along with an index compiled by Kay Thueson, are available at the Stillwater Public Library. The applications give 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 are useful records available in the Water Department, the Fire Department, and the Public Works Department and in the Minutes of the Stillwater City Council that have never been used before. The Sanborn Insurance Maps were of of limited value because only the 1924 edition has much residential area pertinent to this survey. There are a number of unpublished manuscripts and some published reminiscences which contained useful information, but since they are often inaccurate, we only quoted them when we could verify their information from another source. In general, we used only original sources for our research. For visual aids, there are two Bird's Eye View Maps of Stillwater drawn in 1869, and again in 1879. With their accurate representations of each house and building, these were extremely useful, and we reproduced sections of the 1879 map in the text of this report. 4 History of the Greeley Neighborhood We talked to the residents of the area in cases where we had some uncertainties; when convenient we obtained copies of Property Abstracts. We also used the land records at the office of the Recorder of Deeds. We also used the Stillwater City Directories; consulted the local newspapers on microfilm at the Stillwater Public Library, and pursued other research materials that were useful. 5 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Part 1 Hurrah for Stillwater PREFACE In 1838 Martin Van Buren was President of the United States; The Declaration of Independence was 62 years old; and James J. Hill was born in Ontario, Canada. In the St. Croix Valley, the steamboat, Palmyra, freshly arrived from St. Louis, was anchored below the Falls of the St. Croix. On the bluffs above, startled Indians, unaccustomed to such an apparition, were struggling to roll rocks down upon the steamboat. This was the first American settlement in the St. Croix Valley.' In 1840, Joseph R. Brown, a fur trader and skillful politician, established the county seat of the newly formed St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory, at his town site, Dahkotah, at the head of Lake St. Croix. Brown made plans to erect a county courthouse in Dahkotah a little south of today's intersection of Highways 96 and 95. 2 Two years later, a carpenter, Jacob Fisher, was finishing the front of a store in St. Louis, Missouri, when his employer introduced him to a Mr. Hungerford who promptly hired him to come to the Falls of the St. Croix and work at his lumber mill. Upon arriving at the Falls, the outspoken Fisher found he could not comply with the terms of his contract, and that winter found him working on the county courthouse at Joseph R. Brown's Dahkotah. The following spring of 1843, Fisher made a land claim for the site of a sawmill that would be powered with water drained from a lake on the bluff above. Fisher's sawmill, constructed in 1844, was the beginning of Stillwater.3 One of the proprietors of this first saw mill was a 26-year-old Maine lumberman by the name of Elam Greeley. 1James Taylor Dunn. The St. Croix: Midwest Border River. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York. Page 68. 2Book A, Register of Deeds, St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory. Page 1-3. 3North Star Publishing Company. History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley. Minneapolis, 1881. Page 498-499. 6 History of the Greeley Neighborhood THE AREA OF THIS SURVEY The area of this historic survey lies entirely within the 160 acres of the Southwest Quarter of Section 28, Township 30, Range 20. The north boundary of this quarter section is on a line with Mulberry Street; the west line of the quarter section --which is also the west line of Section 28--lies along the line of Center Street. The south line of the quarter section is along Willard Street, and the east line of the quarter section is along Holcombe Street. (See Map 1) The survey area has the same north, west and east boundaries, but the southern boundary is Olive Street. The survey area is approximately 100 acres, and contains 242 houses. Center St. c 0 Survey Area Holcombe St. SW % SEC.28 US 2 Map 1. Survey area as a part of the SW 1/a Sec. 28 THE ST. PAUL ROAD On an overcast day in November, 1847, John Dunn, working for the United States Surveyor General's Office out of Dubuque, Iowa, walked and measured the line between Section 28 and Section 29, in Township 30, Range 20, of the Fourth Principal Meridian. As he strolled along, he made notes of the countryside: "land rolling, 2d rate timber," and "scattering W & B Oak." But his most significant note came 665 feet north of the Section corner: "Road to St. Paul West." This is the first recorded mention of our historic survey area. Before any of this land purchased from the Indians nine years earlier could be sold, it had to be surveyed. It was John Dunn's job to establish the Section lines 7 History of the Greeley Neighborhood for the United States Government Survey. He located the Section corner slightly south of (today's) Willard and Center streets; the Section line where he walked and made his notes ran north along the course of (today's) Center Street.4 This road. Dunn noted was one of a very few roads authorized by St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory. Although it already existed as an informal path between St. Paul and Stillwater (crossing today's Center Street just slightly south of today's Oak Street), the County ordered the road surveyed in April of 1847 -- two years before the creation of the Minnesota Territory. The road began in what is today downtown Stillwater "commencing at an Oak Tree near the foot of the hill on the South side of a Spring branch running near the dwelling of John E. Mower" and wandered southwest toward St. Paul to end "in front of the premises of L. Roberts" in St. Paul's landing.5 John E. Mower's house was on Second Street south of Myrtle.6 (See Map 2.) Map 2: Lily Lake in foreground. Center Street (today) heading due north from Lily Lake. St. Paul Road crosses Section Line (Center Street today) just north of Lily Lake. 1847 Map. By the time our survey area was platted in 1856, the St. Paul Road followed more or less what is today the course of Olive Street. Maps up through the turn of the 4 U.S. Government Survey, T 30, R20. Field notes, page 27. 5Book A, Register of Deeds, St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory. Page 90. The field notes are included. 6W. H. C. Folsom. Fifty Years in the Northwest. Pioneer Press Company, 1888, Page 33. 8 9 History of the Greeley Neighborhood century indicate the west part of Olive Street as the St. Paul Road,7and it was used as a standard address for homes in this area. MOB LAW Residence Torn Down On Saturday evening last, about 10 o'clock, a dwelling house belonging to Perry McLaughlin, was demolished by a crowd of indignant citizens —numbering between, twenty-five and fifty persons. The house was located near the St. Paul road, about one mile from the city. The cause for this high-handed act was the alleged fact that Perry had leased the place to a strange lady who intended to organize there a disreputable house. And the neighbors not wishing to await the slow process of law for its abatement took the matter into their own hands and leueled the establishment to the ground. The occupant, or occupants had received warning and very wisely evacuated the premises. Several shots were exchanged between Perry and the rioters —one of which, it is said, took effect upon one of the mob. Several missiles were thrown into the windows of McLaughlin's residence, near by, one of which, Perry avers, just missed the head of one of his little children. Perry says that he met the crowd at the door, and refused them admittance, assuring them that there was no one inside, and offering to allow one or two of their number to go in and search the interior, but this did not seem to satisfy the boys, and they proceeded to tear down the building. One daring individual ascended to the roof, cut a hole through and fastened a long line near the ridge, and then after cutting away the supports around the base, they all seized hold of the line, and down came the building. The crowd then, after giving one wild, victorious yell, departed their several ways. The house was a small one story building valued at about two hundred dollars. An L, or kitchen part, recently erected, was partially demolished, but not entirely torn down. As the participants in the affair are not known —at least to the public —we are able to give only one side of the story, namely, Perry's 7For example: Sectional Map of Stillwater Minn. from Accurate Surveys by Myron Shepard. [1878]. There is a copy of this map hanging in the Washington County Recorder's Office. 9 10 History of the Greeley Neighborhood version; but as a legal investigation will probably be had, we shall be able to give both sides of the story.8 Perry McLaughlin, a shoemaker, lived at what is today 125 South Owens Street. Before Myrtle Street was graded in the late 1860's, and Third Street opened to the South Hill in 1870, this St. Paul Road was the main thoroughfare between downtown Stillwater and our survey area. One of our recommendations is that, with the approval of the residents, the name of Olive Street, west of the original city plat (Fifth Street) be changed back to the St. Paul Road. This would commemorate one of the very few roads preceding Minnesota as a Territory.9 We should also point out that in the earliest days of the city, before Olive Street (the St. Paul Road) was graded and improved, the actual road --including the route the stagecoaches took --was down the ravine east of Greeley Street and just to the north of Olive Street. This ravine, which was called at various locations, the St. Paul Ravine, Olive Street Ravine, or Myrtle Street Ravine was used as a roadway. The ravine runs on the north side of Olive Street to Holcombe Street where it continues due south, crossing to the south side of Olive Street.10 One of these names was used as late as 1886, when the city, in an agreement with Hannah Greeley regarding her lot on the southeast corner of Myrtle and Greeley Streets, requested access to construct a 'well hole' (so called) of a culvert in the ravine known as 'St. Paul Ravine." 1-1 This survey is not the first document to call attention to the significance of this ravine. The Plan of Stillwater published in 1918 made this suggestion: Stillwater Gazette, October 29, 1872. 9Grover Singley. Tracing Minnesota's Old Government Roads.Minnesota Historical Society. 1974. Map opposite page 1. 1° Emma Glaser, "How Stillwater Came to Be," Page 204 Minnesota History 24:195-206 (September 1943) 11 H Bonds 296 10 History of the Greeley Neighborhood "The ravine beginning at the corner of Sixth Street and Myrtle Street and leading up to the corner of Greeley and Olive Streets, comprising the old St. Paul stage road, could feasibly be restored to its former character as an easy grade road by laying out a drive at the bottom of the ravine crossing under William Street through a subway and leading to the plaza on Greeley and Olive Streets." 12 It is our recommendation that the historical significance of this ravine be recognized in some way. THE FIRST OWNERS There were two men who purchased the 160 acres of the Southwest Quarter of Section 28 from the United States Government when the land was first put up for sale in 1849. Dr. Andrew Randall of Cincinnati bought the 80 acres in the SE 1/413 and the NE 1/414 while Sullivan L. Thayer bought the remaining 80 acres, the W 1/215. Willard St. Center St. Sullivan L. Thayer 80 Acres William St. Dr. Andrew Randall 80 Acres Holcombe St. Map 3. The first owners of SW '/4 Sec. 28. w 2 Andrew Randall makes an interesting story, and because his name appears on many of the property abstracts for this area, it is worth telling here. Randall first came to this area in the mid-1840's as an employee of the Geological Corps 12 Plan of Stillwater Prepared under the direction of The Park Board, MCMXVIII. Morel & Nichols, Landscape Architects & Engineers, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1311 Deeds 545 1418 Deeds 46 1514 Deeds 44 11 12 History of the Greeley Neighborhood engaged in a geological survey. Randall learned of the "Stillwater Convention" which, he surmised, would probably result in the formation of a Minnesota Territory. Reckoning that the new Territory would surely need a newspaper, and having been promised the support of the leading men of this area, Randall returned to his home in Cincinnati to purchase his printing press and return here in the fall of 1848. But winter set in early that year, and he was unable to return to Minnesota Territory. Impatient to begin, Randall set up his press in Cincinnati and, with the help of a partner, John P. Owens, printed in Cincinnati the first Minnesota newspaper, calling it the Minnesota Register. They printed the newspaper in early April, but dated the paper at St. Paul, April 27, 1849, figuring by the time the newspaper arrived in St. Paul it would be current! At this point, however, Randall "being a man of unsettled purpose and roving disposition, caught the California fever" and abandoned his newspaper business,16leaving Owens to find a new partner in this Minnesota newspaper. Both Randall and Thayer used military land warrants to buy their properties from the government. Soldiers were given as part of their pay, in lieu of cash, warrants for 160 acres of unsold government land anywhere on the frontier. Much to the consternation of the early Minnesota settlers, who dreaded wholesale land speculation, Congress had made these warrants assignable, meaning they could be sold. This allowed men with capital to buy up large tracts of property from ex - soldiers —who needed the money or had no intention of migrating west —at less than the General Land Office minimum price of $1.25 an acre. It was said that only one in 500 of the ex -soldiers actually claimed his land, and it was calculated that a solder received about 95 cents an acre when he sold his warrant.17 Almost all the land in Stillwater was purchased with these military land warrants. Thayer soon sold his 80 acres to Stillwater attorney, Henry L. Moss, and Stillwater house carpenter, William Cove. Both men paid $50 for his 40 acres.18 (See Map 4.) Randall sold his acres later, but one year after he purchased them, he lost a court case to the Stillwater real estate firm of Levi Churchill and Socrates Nelson. Pursuant to obtaining satisfaction of a judgment, two local citizens, appointed by the Court, appraised Randall's 80 acres at $200.00.19 167. Fletcher Williams. A History of the City of St. Paul to 1875. [reprint] Minnesota Historical Society. 1983. Page 208. 17 Agnes Larson. History of the White Pine Industry in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, 1949. Page 56. 1813 Deeds 65; B Deeds 43 19A Mortgages 59 12 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Map 4 cwt. St Henry Moss 40 Acres William Cove 40 Acres William St. Dr. Andrew Randall Holcombe S[ THE FEVER Stillwater began with a sawmill in 1844. Five years later, when Minnesota became a Territory, the population was estimated at 609.20 A year later the population had jumped to 1052. Most of the residents lived in what is the downtown 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, and doubled again. The Territory was struck with the fever of land speculation. 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. Speculation in land prices peaked in the years 1855 to 1857, when, it is estimated, that in Minnesota, at least 700 towns were platted into more than 300,000 lots --enough for 1,500,000 people.21 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. gave $600 for a lot [which] last week sold for $3000 to 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 prone that the lot will increase as rapidly in ZOTheodore C. Blegen. Minnesota A History of the State. U. of Minnesota Press. 1963. Page 159. 21William Watts Folwell. A History of Minnesota. St. Paul, The Minnesota Historical Society, 1956. Vol. 1, page 362. 13 History of the Greeley Neighborhood value, in the next two years, as it has done in the two just passed." Mr. Dodge has already been offered $500 advance on what he gave. Our faith in Stillwater is unbounded.22 On another occasion, the editor struck back at any who might doubt the future. "Less than two years ago they sneered at Stillwater's being anything outside the Basin, or Original Limits [of the city]. Lots [outside of downtown] which, when we located there [two years ago] could be had for $25 cannot now be purchased for less than a hundred dollars. Lots...have been enhanced in value four -fold within the past two years, and the way we read the signs of the times, they lack much of having reached their maximum.23 THE ADDITIONS Anticipating quick profits in the land, Stillwater entrepreneurs did what others throughout the settled portions of Minnesota Territory were doing: they platted Additions. The trick was, they reasoned, buy the land by the acre and sell it by the foot. "STILLWATER FOREVER Another Addition to Stillwater Additions to Stillwater are all the rage now. Within a few days past, Jocob Maerty has sold to Joshua B. Carter and Gov. Ramsey, 140 acres of land lying west of Stillwater and adjoining Holcombe's Addition, for $7000. It is soon to be surveyed into town lots. We rejoice to see this movement. There are now three heavy St. Paul capitalists and speculators deeply interested in Stillwater; viz: R. F. Slaughter, Col H M'Kenty, and Gov. Ramsey. We are glad to know that St. Paul speculators are vitally interested here, because it argues that they now see what we saw nearly three years ago; that is, that Stillwater is destined inevitably to be a great place. They now see that Stillwater is not a 'one-horse town, chucked down among the hills in the sand.' They now see that Stillwater has unrivaled advantages --that she has much capital --that a Rail -Road is to come here probably before one runs to St. 22 St. Croix Union, August 6, 1856 23 St. Croix Union, December 5, 1856. 14 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Paul, and that Stillwater is rapidly advancing in all that contributes to material prosperity and greatness. 24 HURRAH FOR STILLWATER" In July and August of 1856, there were seven additions made to the city of Stillwater, more in that year than any time before or since. Of these seven, two additions encompass much of our survey area: Greeley and Slaughter's Addition and Thompson, Parker, and Mower's Second Addition. Center St. Greeley & Slaughter's Add'n 12 blocks William St. Thompson, Parker & Mowers 2nd Add'n 12 blocks Holcombe St. The 12 square blocks of Greeley & Slaughter's Addition were platted in July of 1856 by Hannah P. Greeley.25 The name of Slaughter refers to Robert F. Slaughter, a St. Paul investor who dealt extensively in Stillwater real estate. It is very interesting to see how the price of land within our survey area increased in one dramatic seven-year period. In 1849, William Cove bought this 40 acre parcel for $1.25 an acre.26 Three months later, Cove sold it to Sylvanus Trask for $1.50 an acre.27 After holding it for three years, Trask sold this same 40 acres to Samuel Burkleo for $5.00 an acre.28 Four years later, in 1856, Greeley purchased the tract for 230 acres of pine lands and $1,000 in cash29 and platted it into 154 lots while reserving one square block for his own residence. Greeley immediately sold over 50 of his lots to Robert F. Slaughter at about $60 a lot.30 There were approximately 4.2 lots per acre, so Slaughter's price was about $252 an acre. Slaughter, truly a consummate real estate salesman, sold almost all these lots, plus many more from his other additions, within a matter of days. On August 8th, 1856, he sold Hiram Bangs of 24St. Croix Union, December 12, 1856. 25A Plats 72 in the Washington County Recorder's Office. 26 B Deeds 43 27 B Deeds 110 28 D Deeds 92 29 St. Croix Union, July 11, 1856. 30 6 Deeds 226 15 History of the Greeley Neighborhood St. Paul eight lots for $600;31 on August 9th, he sold four lots to Mary Devereux of Evansville, Indiana, for $280;32 within the next four days, he sold James Hand of Philadelphia three lots for $225.33 Westly Hunt of Trenton, N.J. bought 17 lots for $1275;34 Samuel Walker of St. Paul purchased. 17 lots for $1200;35 and Ann Smith of St. Paul bought one lot for $100.36 With these prices per lot, (at 4.2 lots per acre) the price per acre had escalated to $378 per acre —an astounding increase over the $1.00 per acre paid only seven years earlier by Sullivan Thayer. Of course, all these latest buyers were themselves speculators; they were anticipating the same kind of profits realized by the previous owners. It is very unlikely that any of these speculators actually intended to live on this Stillwater property. Levi E. Thompson, Theodore E. Parker, and William H. Mower combined to plat the 12 square blocks of Thompson, Parker, & Mower's Second Addition.37 Levi Thompson and Parker were Stillwater law partners; William Mower was listed as a merchant in the 1857 Census. All three were young men in their 20's. The three partners paid Andrew Randall (who was still in California) $2,550 for the 23 acres included within their addition, plus another 8 acres located elsewhere -- approximately $82 an acre. 38 Randall had purchased the land on a military land warrant seven years earlier for less than $1.00 an acre. Lots in this addition was expected to sell for around $100 apiece. Blocks 3, 4, & 7 of Fullerton's Addition,39 also platted in July of 1856, was the creation of Thomas M. Fullerton, a Stillwater resident who once worked for the Land Office, but later served as a minister. His prominent house can be seen on the 1870 Bird's Eye View of Stillwater at the end of Willard Street on Block 1 of his Addition. Besides these first plats, there were several smaller plats made later. In 1873, William Thorne, a Stillwater businessman, reconfigured a part of Thompson, Parker & Mower's Second Addition into Thorne's Addition.4° In May of 1869, the Webster brothers of Stillwater, Mortimer and William, platted Webster's Addition.41 of which Block 1 is within the survey area. Louis Bernheimer of New York City platted land his father, Isaac, had purchased before the Civil War into Bernheimer's 31 G Deeds 210 32 G Deeds 210 33 G Deeds 211 34 G Deeds 212 35 G Deeds 213 36 G Deeds 200 37A Plats 79 38 F Deeds 99 39A Plats 71 40A Plats 90 41A Plats 176 16 17 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Center St. F ullerton's Add'n William St. Bernheimer's Add'n Martha St. Webster's Add'n Holcombe St. Addition42 in July of 1886. Block 1 is within the survey area. Block 22 of Sabin's Addition platted in 188243 lies in the northeast corner of this survey area. There are also four houses within Auditor's Plat #2, and five houses on the northeast and northwest corner of Olive and Greeley Streets that sit on unplatted land. 0 It is interesting to note that none of these plats incorporated any public or park land. It appears that the proprietors wanted to $ achieve the maximum profit from their investment. William St. Thorne'sAdd'n Martha St. An understanding of these plats is crucial to a thorough investigation of the land itself and the structures that have been built upon it. Then, as now, people often identified themselves, and were identified by the subdivision within which they lived. The old newspapers would report a fire in Greeley's Addition, or an assault in Holcombe's Addition, just as today the newspapers report a robbery in Oak Glen or a rash of vandalism in Croixwood. THE STREET NAMES Streets are almost always named by the developers of the property who must lay out the streets to provide access to their lots.. They are named, usually, for the developer, his wife, his children, or a business partner. A number of streets were first named by the developers within our survey area and then, at a later date, the street names were extended throughout the city.44 Center Street is so named because it is the center line between Section 28 and Section 29. North Street is so called because it is the north side of the plat of Thorne's Addition, 42B Plats 31 43B Plats 15 440rdinance No. 54. The Charter and Ordinances of the City of Stillwater. Compiled by C.P. .Gregory, City Attorney. Stillwater. Lumberman Steam Printing Co, 1881. 17 History of the Greeley Neighborhood William Street was named by and for William H. Mower, one of the developers of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition in which this street name first appears. He was born in Maine about 1828, and came to Stillwater in the 1850's to join his brothers, Martin and John Mower (for whom Mower County is named). He was active in the affairs of the city45, but he moved to Bayfield, Wisconsin, in the 1860's, and died there August 19th, 1870.46 Harriet Street was named by and for the wife of William H. Mower. She was born in Massachusetts about 1826, came to Stillwater with her husband, and accompanied him to Bayfield, Wisconsin, where she died August 12, 1873.47 Greeley Street was named as part of the Greeley and Slaughter Addition. It was named by and for Elam and Hannah Greeley, the developers of that addition. Elam and his wife were true pioneers of Stillwater, and if any name is to be associated with the history of this survey area, it should be their name. Elam Greeley was born in New Hampshire in 1818, but moved, as a child, to Sebec Lake in Maine. In 1840, at the age of 22, he relocated to the new lumbermill settlement of St. Croix Falls. After working there for three years, he came to Stillwater where he held and improved the claim of the Stillwater Lumber Company while a partner, John McKusick, traveled to St. Louis to obtain the necessary equipment and supplies to furnish the water -powered lumber mill which began working in April of 1844.48 In December of that same year, he sold his share of the Lumber Company to John McKusick for an amount in excess of $2,500.49 With this money, he invested in downtown Stillwater, building with Edward Blake a store, boarding house, blacksmith shop, and livery stable.50 In 1850, he married Hannah Pope Hinman with whom he had five children. Until his death on September 14, 1883, Greeley worked primarily in the lumber business although he did serve in elected office during the Territorial period. Hannah resided in the family home until her death in 1906. The Stillwater Gazette rhapsodized in her obituary: "She ...seemed ever to move in a brightness of her own, making and leaving behind her the afterglow of a rich and sunny nature. "51 Martha Street was named for Martha G. Thompson, the wife of Levi E. Thompson, one of the developers of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition. She was born in Maine about 1837, accompanied her husband to Stillwater in the early 1850's, and died an unremarked death in Stillwater 45 Augustus B. Easton. History of the St. Croix Valley. H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. Chicago, 1909. Page 24. 46 Washington County Probate Court File #686. 47 Ibid 48 W. H. C. Folsom. Fifty Years in the Northwest. Pioneer Press Company, 1888. Page 57. 49 Book A, Register of Deeds Office, St. Croix County. Page 64. 5° Ibid. Page 58. 51 Stillwater Daily Gazette, August 24, 1906. 18 19 History of the Greeley Neighborhood November 8, 1909, leaving two daughters.52 She was the daughter of Albert Harris, a Stillwater carpenter. Everett Street is derived from the middle name of Levi E. Thompson, one of the partners in the development of Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition. Rice Street was probably named for Sarah Rice, the wife of Hollis Murdock, a local attorney who was very active in real estate, and platted a couple of additions of his own. He was witness to the plat of Greeley & Slaughter's Addition. John P. Owens (Owens Street) was a resident of St. Paul and editor of the first newspaper in Minnesota. He had close connections with several Stillwater speculators, and, as we have seen, was a partner to Andrew Randall, the first man to own property in this area.53 Owens was born in Ohio in 1818, attended college in Cincinnati, and served as a Quartermaster in the Civil War. He was very active in Whig and Republican politics and wrote a "Political History of Minnesota."54 Ramsey Street was named for Governor Alexander Ramsey, Minnesota's second Governor. The name was given, not to honor him, but because he had a financial stake in the property. Ramsey was an enthusiastic land speculator. Some of his contemporaries thought this enthusiasm was a guiding force in his treaty negotiations with the Indians regarding their lands. THE CRASH On the twenty-fourth of August, 1857, the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company of New York failed; its creditors were forced to default, and a calamitous chain of events began. Within two months, almost everybody in Minnesota was in debt; the Territory was literally emptied of cash. City lots became virtually worthless. Those who were formerly wealthy found themselves bankrupt. Stillwater boosters were in despair, and the city was never to fully recover its boundless optimism after this depression of 1857. 52 Washington County Probate File #3245 53J. Fletcher Williams. A History of the City of St. Paul to 1875. [reprint] Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1983. See index for several entries on Owens. 54 T. M. Newson. Pen Pictures of St. Paul Minnesota and Biographical Sketches of Old Settlers. by the Author, St. Paul, 1886. Page 116. 19 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Writing of St. Paul, Thomas Newson described what was also true of Stillwater: "And then came the terribly hard times. With no money, no values, no property, no business, little or no emigration, no banks, or banks with empty vaults, no courage, no hope, notes due, mortgages foreclosed, men heavily in debt, land depreciated from fifty to seventy- five per cent, no trade, indeed with nothing to trade, no foundation to build on, no one can imagine the frightful condition of affairs in St. Paul in the latter part of the year 1857 but he who passed through it all... "55 At the funeral of the Stillwater developer and lawyer, Levi Thompson, it was remarked that: "But with the [Civil] war his practice, like that of other attorneys in the northwest, went to pieces, while his fortune had been wrecked in the great panic of 1857."56 The Stillwater Democrat, on January 1, 1859 editorialized: "A Happy New Year to our Friends and Patrons. 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..." Some in Stillwater fared better than others. Thanks to Robert Slaughter, Greeley had sold most of his lots, and their loss in value was borne by other investors —many of them out of state. Levi Thompson, Theodore Parker, and William Mower were not so lucky. Unable to sell most of their lots at an asking price of about $100 apiece before the crash began, they were forced to dispose of most of their property in 1858, including 10 lots in their First Addition, 40 lots in their Second Addition, 40 acres of land in Section 15, two city lots, and other assorted property to St. Paul resident A.T.C. Pierson for $2,500.57 58 Parker and Mower moved from Stillwater soon after, but Levi Thompson remained in Stillwater until his death in 1887. 55 Ibid, Page 698. 56Stillwater Messenger, November 12, 1887. 57 K Deeds 328. 58 T. M. Newson. Pen Pictures of St. Paul, Minnesota and Biographical Sketches of Old Settlers. Published by the Author, St. Paul, 1886. Page 352. 20 History of the Greeley Neighborhood A DISTRESSING PICTURE Four years later, in 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, when we have the first detailed tax assessor's records of the survey area, we find a discouraging picture indeed. The largest property owner, by far, is the State of Minnesota. Almost half of all the lots in the survey area have been tax forfeited — returned to the state because their purchasers did not pay the property tax. The speculators had quickly realized there was no point in paying the taxes on worthless lots. Lots that had been selling for $90 to $100 four years earlier were now valued (but still unsold!) at prices ranging from $5 to $40 per lot. A. T. C. Pierson still retained his 40 lots in Thompson, Parker and Mower's Second Addition, and Hannah Greeley still controlled the family homestead on Block 9 of her addition as well as the 14 lots on Block 7. That consummate real estate salesman, Robert Slaughter, was listed as the owner of only one lot! In the whole area, there were only two residences. On Block 9 of his addition (the southwest corner of Myrtle and Greeley Streets), Elam Greeley had built his house in the boom year of 1856. The St. Croix Union recorded that: `Elam Greeley's dwelling house is progressing rapidly, and it looks well. It is the first brick building ever built in Stillwater."59 The tax assessor in 1861 valued the house at $3,000—indicating that it was in fact the "commodious and valuable dwelling" touted in a previous newspaper article.60 This house was painted by Stillwater artist, Jo Lutz Rollins in the 1940's and the painting now hangs in the fiction stack area of the Stillwater Public Library (#5). The Greeley family lived in the house at 103 S. Greeley well past the turn of the century. The second house in the area which, fortunately, remains to this day is on the northwest corner of Myrtle and Martha Streets. In October of 1856, Elisha Brown, a carpenter, contracted with Elam Greeley to buy four lots in Thompson, Parker, and Mower's Second Addition.61 He promised to (and did) pay $514 in August of 1859 plus 20% interest for those four lots.62 On this property, he erected a one and a half story gable end house —probably four rooms —which the tax assessor in 1861 valued at $200. Brown lived in this house at 604 Myrtle Street for for over 20 years. It is interesting to note that in 1866, nine years after the Crash, Brown purchased four tax -forfeit lots on this same block from the State of Minnesota for $107.49.63 59 St. Croix Union, September 12, 1856. 6o St. Croix Union, July 11, 1856. 61 G Deeds 268 62 J Deeds 407, C Bonds 18 63 Q Deeds 674 21 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1873 Survey of Elisha Brown's house In 1868, a working man in Stillwater would make about $2.00 per day; a modest, but quite adequate house would cost between $200 and $500. a building lot in the "suburbs" would cost $20-40; a good milk cow would sell for $65 to $80; a pound of butter would cost 30 cents, and a dozen eggs, 20 cents.s4 64 Stillwater Republican, June 30, 1868 and May 26, 1868. 22 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Part II A Goosling Dwelling Appendix B of this Survey contains a listing, chronological by building date, of most of the houses in the survey area. It also includes the name of the first owner, his occupation, some idea of the cost of the house, and any notes. It is upon this information that the following narrative is based. Documentation for individual houses can be found in the Inventory Forms which are submitted with this project. EARLY DEVELOPMENT: THE 1870'S The year 1870 was an auspicious beginning to the decade. According to the Stillwater Gazette, "...in comparison with former years, the growth of the place during this year just closing is unsurpassed by any preceding year." The compiled dollar value of buildings and improvements made during 1870 amounted to $256,975, including the erection of 88 new buildings.65 In 1871, the Stillwater Gazette announced another year of unprecedented growth with 115 new buildings erected and a total expenditure on improvements and buildings of $531,200. The editor predicted even greater growth for 1872.66 However, at the end of 1872, there was no corresponding compilation of statistics, nor was there any for subsequent years to trace the growth of Stillwater during the '70's. This omission was undoubtedly the result of the difficulty in compiling the figures, about which the editor wrote with some vehemence in 1871: "This task of collecting and arranging this mass of statistics has occupied the greater part of our time during the past two weeks, and the perplexities and annoyances attending it is known only to one who has tried it. In many cases, we have encountered ignorant property owners, cautious and mulish who smelt taxes 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 permanent growth and prosperity of our city, and that in no case would our figures be used as a basis of taxation. 65 Stillwater Gazette, December 13, 1870 66 Stillwater Gazette, November 14, 1871 23 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Even then, we have frequently been compelled to resort to estimates which, in all cases, are the most careful obtainable. "67 Within our survey area, there were 31 houses built in the 1870's; almost half of that number, 14, were built in 1873. In general, the homes constructed in the survey area during the 1870's were substantial homes; most were 1-1/2 to 2 stories in height; most had somewhere between four and eight rooms. These were certainly not lavish homes; they had little architectural style, but they were probably considered quite comfortable. In the following two decades, many more homes were built, but the quality and size of many of those houses was, in general, less than these 1870's homes. OLIVE STREET It was in the 1870's that the real development of this survey area began. Early growth was along Olive Street when two of the three partners in the house painting firm of Smith, Wright and Mosier built their houses on adjoining blocks in 1871. Addison Wright built his residence at 518 W. Olive at a price given by the newspaper as $800, while his partner, Bryan Mosier, constructed a somewhat lesser dwelling at a price given as $600 in the newspaper.68 While the editor of the Gazette was intent upon emphasizing the value of all the improvements made that year in the city, the tax assessor, in his first yearly assessment of these same two properties, put their value at $450 and $400 respectively; a figure that included both lot and house.69 These were, however, the first substantial houses along Olive Street --the old St. Paul Road. Thomas Roney, a carpenter, and one of Stillwater's most prolific home builders of the 19th Century, constructed a house at 626 Olive Street in the early 1870's. In its first year, 1870, the house was assessed at $250. Roney, (obviously plying his trade) added to the house to the extent that its assessed value five years later was $1, 560, indicating a large two-story house, probably with three or four bedrooms. (This house has since been replaced with a newer house built in 1960) Theodore Peterson constructed a dwelling at 504 W. Olive Street in 1871 at an assessed value of $300. Peterson later sold this house to John H. Holen, a retail grocer and one of the few merchants living in the area. Close by, George Evans, a baggage master for the Lake Superior and Minneapolis railroad, built a large $840 house at 510 W. Olive Street in 1873. (This house was subsequently demolished to 67 Stillwater Gazette, November 14, 1871 68 Ibid 69 Washington County Tax Assessors Records, Microfilm Roll, SAM 5, Roll 2. 24 History of the Greeley Neighborhood make room for a new structure in 1908.) George and Bridget Moore (he was a lumberman) built their $300 dwelling at 1018 W. Olive the same year. By 1875, the east end of Olive Street was well settled. Because Olive Street was a main thoroughfare, it is to be expected that it would be one of the first areas settled, following a pattern of residential development in Stillwater. The McComb house at 206 S. William St. 7U Speaking of this area of Stillwater in the 1870's, Paul Caplazi writes: "Greeley's [house] on the south east corner of Myrtle and Greeley McComb's [house] in the northeast corner of Olive and Greeley...and a few other houses on Olive west of Owen were about all there were in that part of Stillwater in the seventies. At that time Olive St. west of Greeley and Myrtle east of Greeley down through the ravine to down town was called the St. Paul road." At another part of his reminiscence, he writes: 'There was a small circus in ...McComb's Field about the Southwest corner of Olive and Greeley Streets."7' MYRTLE STREET The other main street in the survey area is Myrtle Street which was, until. the 1880's, named Spring Street west of the downtown. As platted, Myrtle Street went west from downtown rising up a sheer bluff in the area where it is intersected by Harriet Street. Grading a roadway through this hillside was a major public works project begun in the 1850's, and a useful roadway 7o Detail from the 1879 Birds Eye View of Stillwater by Albert Ruger. The house is no longer there. 71 Paul Caplazi. Unpublished Manuscript, 1944. Stillwater Public Library. 25 History of the Greeley Neighborhood was not finished until the late 1860's. At that time, it became a main thoroughfare west, and houses were first constructed. Besides the Elisha Brown house constructed before the Civil War, the first of these `70's houses along Myrtle Street was at 617 W. Myrtle, a $300 dwelling built by William Long, a lumberman. The same year, 1872, Alexander Simpson, a carpenter, erected his $600 home at 820 W. Myrtle. Next year, 603 W. Myrtle went up for $475 under the direction of John Kain, a lumberman who lived there for the 20 years. J.C. Gardner, a man of considerable wealth despite (or because of) his job as a prison guard, built a $1,500 home at 618 W. Myrtle. In the 1874 tax returns, Gardner is listed as possessing $2,000 in personal property —making him one of the wealthier men in Stillwater. This expensive house was later purchased by George H. Sullivan, an attorney, and is one of the only houses in the survey area which was not built and occupied by a blue collar worker. The following year, 1874, August Lilljegren, a rafter (manned the rafts of lumber floated down the river) built 517 W. Myrtle for $200. Like many others in the area, Lilljegren lived in this house for decades. EVERETT STREET The first two houses on Everett Street were built in 1873: 231 N. Everett, which today remains as a very attractive Gothic house, was constructed by Malinda Roney who remained in that same home for close to 50 years. A block south, 126 N. Everett Street was the dwelling of John Olson and first assessed at a value of $360. Hollis R. Murdock, a prominent Stillwater attorney and judge, built the first of several "investment' rental houses within the area. He constructed 219 N. Everett in 1876 at a cost of $700. The following year, 116 and 202 N. Everett Street were erected by James Fitzgerald and Charles J Peterson, at a cost of $200 and $250 respectively. Within two years, Fitzgerald, a horseshoer, had built another house on the other side of the block, at 115 N. William Street. HARRIET STREET On Harriet Street near its intersection with Myrtle, Gust Johnson, a carpenter, built 102 S. Harriet Street, and Andrew and John Olson, harnessmakers, constructed their dwelling at 105 S. Harriet Street on the edge of the ravine. In the ravine itself, Frank Peterson, a carpenter, erected a small home at 112 S. Harriet Street, while at the top of the bluff overlooking downtown, David Swain, a 26 History of the Greeley Neighborhood machinist and builder of steam engines, completed his residence at 116 N. Harriet Street. Swain was one of the most affluent residents of the area. In 1884, his personal property was listed at $4,375, and in 1894, he was the proud owner of three watches or clocks, one piano worth $100, household furniture valued at $80, and silverware assessed at $40. HOLCOMBE STREET Near the top of the ravine, near its eastern end, Joseph Weinschenk and Warner Hanitsch, the latter a shoemaker, built houses side by side at 128 and 132 S. Holcombe Street. WILLIAM STREET In 1873, near the intersection with Mulberry Street, Lucia Ahl constructed her $1,200 boarding house at 235 N. William. She not only owned the boarding house; she owned all of Block 4 in Thompson, Parkers and Mowers 2nd Addition, and it was not until after the turn of the century that the block was sold for building lots. Lucia was also a person of some wealth; in the 1874 personal property tax records, her worth is assessed at $436. In the late 1880's, the building was sold to Amanda Moffatt who continued it as a boarding house. In 1910, it was severely damaged by fire, and today it has been replaced with a newer structure. To the south, at 123 N. William Street, Andrew Nyberg, a mason, built the first of his several houses in the immediate neighborhood. It appears this home was built as a rental property in 1876. The following year, Andrew Anderson, one of many Scandinavians in the neighborhood, erected a $450 residence at 230 N. William Street. Two years later, James P. Fitzgerald erected a $500 home at 115 N. William Street. GREELEY STREET On Greeley Street, George Borrowman, a harnessmaker with two downtown business locations, began the construction of his long-term residence at 202 N. Greeley Street. The first 1879 tax assessment was $150; by 1882, the lot and house were assessed at $600. Five years later, a 12-foot-by-14-foot kitchen was added to the existing 18-foot-by-26-foot, 1-1/2 story home. The cost of the new kitchen was $200. This was a modest house for a successful businessman; Borrowman's personal property was listed at $610 in 1884. John Kelly, a lumberman, constructed his family homestead at 121 N. Greeley in 1871. It has the honor of being the oldest remaining house on Greeley 27 28 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Street —at least within this survey area. His neighbor, Thomas Carroll, a millwright, built an adjoining house at 117 N. Greeley five years later. Kelly and Carroll remained neighbors for more than 20 years. Other homes built in the area in the 1870's remain at 114 and 115 S. Martha Street, 121 S. Owens Street, and 118 S. Sherburne Street. Paul Caplazi, in his manuscript, notes the residents of the area: "The early residents of the west hill north of Myrtle was D.M.Swain [116 N. Harriet], Jim Fitzgerald [115 N. William], August Nyberg [120 N. William], Duncan [Malcolm Duncan, 216 N. William], Pat Sullivan, [Robert Sullivan, 218 N. Everett], Geo. Borrowman [202 N. Greeley], Geo Munkel. [106 N. Owens.}72 Bird's Eye View of area, 1879. North part of survey area. (See inside back cover for map details) The Bird's Eye View map of the north part of the survey area gives a detailed and accurate picture at the beginning of the 1880's boom years. It is easy to distinguish some of the houses remaining today, notably: 517, 603, 617, 618, 804?, and 82Q W. Myrtle (Spring) Street; 116 N. Harriet; and 231 N. Everett (before the wing was added). Also pictured, but no longer standing, is the large boarding house 72 Paul Caplazi. Unpublished manuscript, 1944. Page [9] 28 History of the Greeley Neighborhood of Lucia Ahl on the southeast corner of William and Everett Streets (235 N. William Street) Bird's Eye View of area, 1879. South part of survey area. (See inside back cover for map details) The Bird's Eye View of the southern part of the survey area (above) gives a detailed view of this area at the beginning of the 1880's boom years. Houses on this map that can still be readily distinguished are at 616 W. Olive Street and 109 S. Owens Street. You can see on the southeast corner of Myrtle (Spring) Street and Greeley Street, the Elam Greeley home at 103 S. Greeley and across Greeley, a second large home at 104 S. Greeley. Both houses no longer exist. 29 History of the Greeley Neighborhood BUILDING BOOM, THE 1880'S AND 1890'S At the beginning of this decade, Stillwater was a town filled with industry and trade. One company alone, Seymour, Sabin & Co. on the north end of town employed over 670 men for an annual production totaling over $1,000,000. The lumber industry employed almost 2,000 men. There were two railroads, two breweries, three wagon and carriage manufacturers, and three flour mills.73 There were 15 grocery stores, 10 hotels, 4 house and sign painters, 3 millinery shops, 6 physicians, and at least 23 saloons.74 Paul Caplazi wrote in his 1944 manuscript: "The eighties were happy days for Stillwater. It was a time between the Civil War and the Spanish American War, there were no wars, no strikes, no unemployment, no trouble of any kind, everybody was working and happy.75 In the 1880's, there were 87 houses built in our survey area, about 1/3 of the total number of homes. The greatest number of homes, 27, were built in 1881; there were 21 homes built in 1883. (Interestingly enough, the second year of greatest home building was 1950 when 26 new houses were built in the survey area.) This building boom was not unique to Stillwater. In his book on St. Paul in the 1880's, Frank C. Bliss writes: "Since 1880, there has been a constant, continued rise in the value of real estate, in every part of the city....It appeared like one continuous, legitimate boom, from the beginning to the close of the year, and was the product of honest, bona -fide transactions between the dealers and owners of property and the middle classes and others, who purchased mainly to improve the property in erecting blocks and stores and dwellings to rent to others, or for their own use. The wild, reckless spirit of speculations which was exhibited in 1857, and which appeared to be a mania that affected all classes from the highest to the lowest, is not the spirit of to -day. The country around was not then developed and built up; the city was young and in its infancy; and the numerous railroads now running from this great trade centre, and carrying our merchandise and products to thousands of towns and villages, and bringing in customers by the hundreds, were not then built. There was no foundation laid —no good basis for such a rise in values, and consequently the bubble burst."76 73 Stillwater Lumberman, December 20, 1878 74 Proyor & Co's Stillwater City Directory, 1876-77, Stillwater, 1876. 75 Paul Caplazi. Unpublished Manuscript, 1944. Page [17] 76 Frank C. Bliss. St. Paul, Its Past and Present. F.C. Bliss Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn. 1888, page 101-102. 30 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Bliss goes on to point out that in 1883, one of the years of greatest building in Stillwater, St. Paul was third on the list of the most new buildings in the U.S. surpassed only by New York and Chicago.77 The reasons for this spurt in building are many, and beyond the scope of this survey. They include better wages for the working man, the establishment of building and loan societies to finance houses, an abundance of relatively inexpensive building materials, and a general prosperity. It could also be said that in the 1880's, a moderate home was more affordable than a similar house would be today. It is also worth noting that a house then was little more than a shell with a stove. There were no appliances, no plumbing, no electric wiring, no insulation, no floor coverings, and no furnace. THE INVESTORS In the 1880's in our survey area, there were a number of "investment" houses built for rental. John McKusick, a pioneer of the city and one of its wealthiest men, built two such houses at 122 N. Harriet, and 121 N. Martha, both in 1880. J.H. Townshend, owner of the J.H. Townshend Roller Mills, built ten houses between 1880 and 1885 with values ranging from $100 to $700. Within ten years, all of these houses had been sold, several of them to millwrights. The houses were: 213, 214, and 225 N. Greeley Street; 817, and 905 W. Mulberry Street; 104, 106, and 221 N. Owens Street; and 104 and 114 N. Sherburne Street. Townshend himself lived at the Sawyer House, Stillwater's premiere hotel. In 1884, his personal property was valued at only $350, but his business property had the substantial assessment of $6,825. There were other individuals building an occasional house on speculation. John Palm, a carpenter, built 201 N. Martha Street in 1881; Royall Orff built a large house at 122 S. Greeley Street in which he never lived.; E.G. Butts, a Stillwater attorney, built the houses at 106 S. Sherburne Street and 122 N. Sherburne Street. Butts had many lots in the area, but he built few houses. Charles N. Nelson, a Stillwater bank president, owned many of the lots in the survey area, having lived briefly at 820 W. Myrtle, but he did not build any houses. 77Ibid. Page 115. 31 History of the Greeley Neighborhood The Best Flour In the World is !lade at Stillwater, BY THE Florence Mill Co. SILVER MEDAL NEW ENOLAND FAIR... . MEDAL WORLD'S FAIR CRICAOO.. . TOWNSHEND'S UTTERFLY el Insist on having this Brand of Flour, Townshend's Butterfly. J.H. Townshend invested in a number of rental/speculation houses in the survey area. 32 History of the Greeley Neighborhood THE CONTRACTORS In the 1880's and 90's, most of the homes in our survey area were built. Many of the building contractors who built those homes lived within the area. From the relatively few houses that are documented, we have to infer that the following men were the leading builders in our survey area. One of Stillwater's leading home builders of this era was Thomas Roney whom, we have seen, lived at 626 W. Olive Street. Among other houses, Roney made additions to 121 N. Greeley Street, 115 S. Sherburne Street and 106 N. Owens Street.78 He probably also built the home of Malinda Roney at 231 N. Everett Street. Thomas Roney was born in 1826 and came to Stillwater in 1866. He died in January of 1908.79 Letterhead and signature of Stillwater contractor, Thomas Roney 8a 78 City of Stillwater Building Permit #'s 173 ,183 and 895. 79 Obituary, Stillwater Weekly Gazette, January 22, 1908. 8° Washington County Probate Court File #966. 33 BAIRD & JOHNSON Contractors and CORNER OF 2d and Myrtle Sts. PLANS AND ESTIMATES FURNISHED ON APPLICATION, All Kinds of Cabinet Work and Repairing Promptly At- tended to. Alfred L Johnson was one the builders who lived and worked in the area. Thomas Roney's son, George Roney, was also working and living in the survey area. He resided for a time at 1013 W. Myrtle Street at which time he made a substantial addition to that house. He also built a barn for fellow businessman and brother-in-law, George Munkel, at 106 N. Owens Street.81 Perhaps more significantly, he worked as a carpenter for the Stillwater Manufacturing Company which, as we shall see, built a number of homes in the area.82 Alfred L. Johnson was another local builder and contractor. He built 126 N. Martha Street as well as 210 N. Martha Street where he was residing in 1892.83 That same year he is also —like fellow resident George Roney-- listed working as a carpenter for Stillwater Manufacturing Company which built many of the homes in Stillwater. A year later, in 1893, he built the house at 424 W. Myrtle Street where 81 City of Stillwater Building Permit #'s 629 and 387A. 82 Stillwater City Directory for 1892. 83 Stillwater City Directory for 1892. 34 History of the Greeley Neighborhood he lived for several years.84 It was at this time he was in business with John T. Baird of Houlton, Wisconsin. Edward Olson, another contractor and builder within our survey area, built 1011 W. Myrtle Street in 1881; a home he lived in for several years. He also built 108 S. Owens Street in 1883, 814 W. Olive Street in 1888, and he made a substantial addition to 210 N. Everett Street.85 R.G. Blanchard built a home at 121 S. Owens and made an addition to 919 W. Myrtle Street.86 Eugene 011iver, a contractor, built and lived at 917 W. Myrtle Street and Alex Simpson, another contractor, built and lived at 820 Myrtle Street. In going through the list of houses in Appendix B, and noting the number of carpenters who were the first occupants of their homes, we can only speculate that many of these carpenters either built or helped build their own homes. Unfortunately, most of the houses do not have a documented builder; the building permits did not begin until 1886—after many of the homes were built. Perhaps the most prolific builder of homes in the 1880's and `90's was the Stillwater Manufacturing Company under the leadership of Sven Berglund. Besides George Roney and Alfred L. Johnson, other carpenters in our survey area who worked for Berglund include: Otto Celeen (214 N. Greeley Street), Gustaf Swanson (207 N. Martha Street), Adam Johnson (209 N. Martha Street), David Lagerstedt (210 N. Martha Street), Sven Magnuson (202 N. Martha Street), Martin Martinson (618 W. Rice Street), Louis Werme (214 N. William Street), and Frank Lund (804 W. Olive Street). Houses that the Stillwater Manufacturing Company either built, or made additions to, include 202 N. Greeley Street, 504 W. Olive Street, 612 W. Rice Street, 810 W. Olive Street, 236 N. William Street, and one house no longer standing.87 In these days of corporate incentives it is of some interest that the Stillwater Manufacturing Company was given a bonus of $5,000 by the people of Stillwater on condition that it should start a plant employing at least 60 men. It began by actually employing 120 men.88 84 City of Stillwater Building Permit #740. 85 Ibid, #'s 329 and 338 86 Ibid # 191 87'bid #'s 193, 786, 721, 283, 441, and 819. 88 Stillwater Gazette, January 24, 1908. 35 History of the Greeley Neighborhood L. SARGENT. S. BERGLUND. The Stillwater Mfg. Co. STILLWATER, MINN. AH, DOORS, BuN, MvLI, ETC, SUPERIOR FACILITIES FOR PRODUCING ALL KINDS OF HOUSE FINISHING MATER/AL. Fine Interior Finish in All Kinds of Bloods a Specialty, ESTIMATES FURNISHED PROMPTLY ON APPLICATION. The Stillwater Manufacturing Company built many of the homes in our survey area. THE BUSINESSMEN This was very much a neighborhood of blue collar workers. Unlike, however, the North Hill or the South Hill, very few independent businessmen or business owners lived in this area. 36 History of the Greeley Neighborhood George Munkel, a butcher, had a long-term residence at 106 N. Owens Street. GEO. E. MUNKEL & CO., DEALERS IN Fresh gd. Smoked Meats, POULTRY AND GAME IN THEIR SEASON. 709 W. Linden Street, - Stillwater, Minn. Charles N. Nelson, President of the First National Bank, lived briefly at 820 W. Myrtle Street. Frank Ewing, an attorney, lived at 112 N. Greeley Street, and George Sullivan, another attorney, lived for a time at 618 W. Myrtle Street. George Borrowman, a harnessmaker with two stores downtown, lived at 202 N. Greeley Street. Two barbers lived in the area: Luke Doyle at 211 N. Greeley and Bartholomew McSweeney at 136 S. Holcombe Street. Besides his house, the 1894 tax return of Luke Doyle lists his personal property at $225, and notes that he owned one sewing machine, one clock or watch, $35 worth of household furniture, and $175 worth of furniture in his barber shop. Bryan Mosier at 616 W. Olive Street began in the neighborhood as a house painter, but by the end of his career, he was in the retail business downtown. Edward Barrett, a resident at 225 N. Martha Street, was also in the retail business; he operated the Eagle House Saloon at 508 W. Myrtle Street —a neighborhood establishment. Charles Erickson who resided for a time at 118 N. Greeley was also in the saloon business; his was at 208 S. Main Street. Anton Swanson, who built his home at 810 W. Olive, was also in the retail trade; he was a travel. agent. 37 History of the Greeley Neighborhood J. 0. HOLEN & CO., Wi*•sale•a Retail G RO C E RS, Grand Opera ilouse Block, STILLWATER, YINN, J. O. Holen lived at 504 W. Olive Street. 39 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Part III Porch Pleasures After 1900 the neighborhood remained pretty static until the 1950's when it enjoyed a second building boom. THE INSTITUTIONS There were very few non-residential structures within this survey area. Of the few that did exist, the most prominent and long lived is the grocery store, now called Len's Family Foods, at 101 N. Owens Street at the corner of Myrtle and Owens Streets. Built in 1900 by James P. Hanson as a two-story structure, with a grocery store on the main floor, and residential quarters above, this building has served its original purpose for 97 years. It is probably one of the few, if not the only commercial building, that is still used for the same purpose it was built. Hanson, who had a general store on South Second Street, and lived in Dutchtown, owned the property and constructed this building, but he did not operate the store. Instead, its first operator was Eugene J. Mellin, a former hostler, who resided on the second floor of the building.89 By 1910, the store was in the possession of Ernest Carlson who, a few years later, purchased the house at 212 S. Greeley Street. Carlson, and later his assistant, Oscar Olson, ran this neighborhood grocery store and meat market for decades. It was known in the area as the "Carlson -Olson store."90 Behind this grocery store is a public lot which was purchased by the Stillwater Water Department in 1898. Once the site of a water tower, today it is a mini -park with its picnic tables and park benches. The other grocery store in the area which remains today is the River Valley Coop at 215 N. William Street. Over the years, it has had various incarnations. Several of the older residents remember it as part bait shop and part grocery store under the ownership of Percy Sherrard. In 1965, it is listed in the Stillwater City Directory as Deno's Super Market, a name recalled by some. 89 Stillwater City Directories for 1898 and 1902. 90 Jerome W. Larson. Stillwater Reflections and Lincoln School Days; Memories of growing up in Stillwater, Minnesota. Unpublished manuscript, 1992? Page 140. Several residents of the neighborhood who had grown up there mentioned the Carlson -Olson store as the one that delivered groceries to their houses. 39 40 History of the Greeley Neighborhood In his manuscript, Jerome Larson mentions other stores in the area. The Seven Corner Grocery operated by John Lustig was at 920 W. Olive Street in a building used today by Nelson's Drive Inn Dairy Store. 91 Joseph Eichten had a grocery, confectionery, and later a shoe store at 628 W. Olive Street in a building that is no longer there. There was apparently a small confectionary on Myrtle Street near the top of the hill operated by George Ryding who lived at 218 N. Martha Street, but I have been unable to find a city directory listing for it.92 The third neighborhood institution remaining from the turn of the century is what is commonly referred to as "The German School" at 516 W. Myrtle Street. It was built, as confirmed by the cornerstone on the southwest corner of the building, in 1894. Adolph Sprich who was listed as living at 1006 South Seventh Street, Stillwater, was the contractor. (Three local contractors with whom we are familiar: Baird & Johnson, Sven Berglund, and William Bieging also bid on the building.)93 The architects were Buech & Jacobson of St. Paul. The organization paying for the building was St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the purpose of the structure was "for a School an Residence." The bottom floor of the building served as a school and the teachers lived upstairs. Jerome Larson, who lived in the neighborhood describes the demise of the school: "Just a block away from our home was a large two story frame building used as a school house operated by a German Lutheran Church. During my days, however, the second floor had been converted to apartments and the first floor was used for school class rooms only on Saturday mornings and during public school summer vacation periods. The German language was taught and perhaps some other subject related to that ethnic group. Well, children by nature are blunt and often basically cruel to their peers whenever there is a chance to gain advantage or to show superiority. As the United State became involved in World War I activity with Germany as the adversary, there were strong feelings becoming evident against anything German and such feelings somehow were conveyed to children even though our parents did not express such attitudes overtly. Now we taunted those children of German background endlessly as they walked to and form that school, calling them names and belittling them. Insidious 91 Telephone interview with Wade Nelson of Stillwater, son of Walter Nelson, the proprietor of this store for many years. According to Wade, the store- gradually evolved from groceries and ice cream to a store specializing in dairy products. 92 Jerome W. Larson, Ibid. Pages 141, 61; Stillwater City Directories. 93 Stillwater Messenger, July 14, 1894, as quoted in Cornerstones; 125 Years at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Stillwater Minnesota., page 16. 40 History of the Greeley Neighborhood pressures were built up and as a result many things allied to German culture took to the closet and the German school program ended."94 One neighbor living across the street recalls that his sister rented an apartment on the second floor of the building in the 1930's. At that time, he remembers that the first floor remained as classrooms although it had not been used for that purpose for some time.95 This reason for the demise of the school is also recounted in a history of St. Paul's Church which also contains the copy of an early photograph of the building.96 The other institution in the survey area is a much more recent one, the First United Methodist Church at 813 W. Myrtle Street. Because the building of this church involved the destruction of what was the most historic landmark in the area, Elam Greeley's house, the first brick house in Stillwater, I am going to quote from the history of this church. `2n the winter of 1952, the Board was faced with a major decision. The improvements and repairs of the church and parsonages continued, but it was now apparent that the William Street house would need considerably more work done on it. At this same time it was also learned that the old Greeley home was for sale. This property, consisting of half the block on the south side of Myrtle Street between William and Greeley Streets, had not been occupied for several years. The large two-story brick house was all that remained of what had once been one of the more luxurious mansions in Stillwater. The owner now wished to dispose of it and the asking price was $6,000, with an earnest money payment of $200. The possible purchase of this old homestead was thoroughly discussed at the Quarterly Conference of Feb. 5, 1952. It was agreed that the property was worth the price asked and was a very suitable location for a church sometime in the future... Plans were quickly made to build a new parsonage. The old Greeley home had a three-room frame section on one side. The parsonage on William Street was sold and the Woodwards moved into these three rooms while the men of the church proceeded to tear down the rest of the house. Bricks were removed, cleaned and sold; a local wrecking contractor purchased all the useable lumber; the stone wall along Myrtle Street was taken down to be used later at the new parsonage... A consecration service and open house was held on Nov. 30, 1952 for this first new building on the property so recently acquired. 94 Jerome Larson, Ibid. Page 108. 95 Robert C. Johnson, 604 W. Myrtle Street, interview May, 1997. 96 Cornerstones; 125 Years at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Stillwater, Minnesota. Valley History Press, 1996. Page 65. 41 42 History of the Greeley Neighborhood The final cost was only $15, 793.89, considerably under the original estimate.97 MORE CONTRACTORS There were four contractors who did most of the building in the survey area between 1900 and 1940. William Bieging, a carpenter and contractor who lived at 808 W. Oak Street, built and repaired homes throughout the city. Within our survey area, he built new houses at 510 W. Olive (1908), 415 W. Mulberry (1906), and 212 S. Greeley (1904). He made repairs to 122 S. Greeley (1891) and built a stable at 616 W. Olive in 1892. His son, Emil Bieging, who lived at 505 S. Martha Street, made repairs to homes at 504 W. Olive (1938, 1942), 225 N. Martha (1924), 415 N. Mulberry (1928), and 233 N. Sherburne (1934). In addition he built a garage at 510 W. Olive (1915), and added porches to residences -at 220 N. Greeley (1928), 228 N. Martha (1913), 810 W. Olive (1915), 228 N. Everett (1925), and 109 S. Owens Street (1919). Frank Linner, a carpenter and contractor, lived at 709 W. Hickory, and had a business address at 312 South Second Street. He also was busy throughout the city, but within our survey area, he made repairs to 504 W. Olive (1922), 118 N. Greeley (1920), 116 N. Harriet (1930), 201 N. Martha (1923, 1928), 209 N. Martha (1923, 1925), 415 W. Mulberry (1928), 603 W. Myrtle (1924), 617 W. Myrtle (1913), 804 W. Myrtle (1920), 808 W. Myrtle (1920), 810 W. Olive (1925), 121 N. Owens (1928), 221 N. Owens (1924), 231 N. Everett (1920), 619 W. Rice (1920). In addition, he put porches on homes at 616 W. Olive (1901) and 115 N. William (1915). He built the house at 230 N. Owens in 1898, and made a large addition to 618 W. Myrtle Street in 1924. His son, Laurence Linner, carried on the family business, and made repairs to a number of residences in the 1930's and `40's. The other contractor of some note during this period was the O.H. Olsen Construction Company which built the home at 724 W. Olive in 1928; a second home at 216 S. Owens in 1944, and the commercial building for the Sanitary Dairy at 110 S. Greeley Street in 1924. 97 Wendell G. Beardsley. And It Came To Pass; A History of the The First United Methodist Church Stillwater, Minnesota, 1841-1984. Patriot Printers, Robbinsdale, Minnesota, November 1985. Page 76-77. 42 History of the Greeley Neighborhood TU. LA1•LSON FAMILY NOME ?OI N. MAlZTNA ST, OlZ1GtNAL COTTAGE AT 701 N. MART1.A ST. Changes to the Larson house between 1881 and 1907. This sort of radical transformation was common. 43 History of the Greeley Neighborhood From a study of the building permits, it is apparent that the period between 1900 and 1940 was concerned with the enlarging and remodeling of the houses built in the 1870's and 1880's, Porches and bathrooms were added; basements were dug under the homes; roofs were raised for a second story. After looking at the original specifications or price of the original house, and then looking at the residence today, it is sometimes difficult to believe they are the same house. But the extent of the alterations that sometimes took place can be seen in the illustration on the preceding page from Jerome Larson's book regarding his boyhood home. Jerome Larson writes in his unpublished manuscript about growing up in this neighborhood in the 1920's, and anyone interested in this area or the Stillwater of that era as seen through the eyes of a growing boy should read Larson's book. It is entitled Stillwater Reflections and Lincoln School Days; Memories of Growing Up in Stillwater by Jerome W. Larson. The bound manuscript is available in the Reference Room of the Stillwater Public Library. It is not within the scope of this survey to reprint Larson's manuscript, nor does it make sense to quote large portions of it. But I would like to quote a few passages from it which give a sense of the physical geography of the neighborhood. "Whenever we kids heard the fire bell and were in the vicinity we'd hightail it to the bluff at the foot of Rice Street. There we had a panoramic view of a large part of the downtown, section of the city and parts of the North and South Hill areas. Often we could see the smoke from the fire and many times we raced down the bluff to go to the scene. "98 ******************** "At the north end of our block [Martha Street between Rice and Mulberry] there were two or three empty lots that sloped away from the street and these were used as a neighborhood dumping spot for ashes and other dry rubbish." 99 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Before the new bathhouse [at Lily Lake] was built there was no drinking water near the area and we'd get plenty thirsty after 98 Page 127 99 Page 60 44 History of the Greeley Neighborhood swimming and playing in the hot sun and so the horse watering trough at Greeley and Ramsey Streets was a welcome oasis on our way home. "100 ******************** "A fire signal system covered most of the city [before telephones were common] during my boyhood days and there was a small red painted iron box mounted on the street light pole diagonally across the intersection from our house. To report a fire a small glass panel on the front of the box had to be broken, than an exposed lever depressed. "tor ******************** "The old Greeley house that stood on the property now occupied by the Methodist Church building at Myrtle and Greeley Streets was an excellent example of Georgian Colonial Style [actually, having been extensively remodeled in the 1890's, it was what today we would call a Queen Anne style] It was of hard burned brick, deep red in color, two stories, well proportioned and in good scale. An open front porch covered the entire front, facing west, the rooms were generally spacious with high ceilings and tall windows. A great number of oaks and some pines stood on the grounds providing an ideal setting for the house and this protection along with the high ceilings and thick masonry walls contributed to comfortable living conditions in warm weather...102 ******************** The Rauter [Raiter] house [115 N. Harriet] located next door to Swain's place [116 N. Harriet] on Harriet Street was exquisitely designed and constructed with delicate architectural lines, lacy fretwork on rake boards, truncated turret, topped with a low ornamental iron railing at one corner of the house. "1°3 ****************************************** 100 Page 51 101 Page 126 102 Page 133 103 Page 133 45 History of the Greeley Neighborhood In ending, perhaps we might quote Larson on the joys of the front porch that was so prevalent in this older area of the city. `Long before the modern day distractions of radio, television, movie theatres and the automobile, American families made great use of their porches. Neighbors and other friends gathered there for evenings of conversation often carried on to the rhythm of rocking chairs. Sometimes treats of ice cream, home made cookies, cake, lemonade, root beer (also home made) might be served. Perhaps the sound of music from a piano with voices of younger people in the parlor came wafting out as they sang and played the old time favorites or popular songs of the day. Many homes had screened -in porches making it possible to sit there free from pesky mosquitoes and then a lamp light could be used for paper reading or a game of cards. Mah-jong was a popular game then and sometimes the clicking of the ivory pieces was audible. On rainy days porches provided havens for youngsters and they sheltered sweethearts using the cozy "comfort" of the stiff wood porch swing. "l04 1°4- page 134 46 47 History of the Greeley Neighborhood RECOMENDATIONS The following recommendations are made by the research team as a result of our study and observation of the survey area. Before Myrtle Street was graded in the late 1860's, and Third Street opened to the South Hill in 1870, the St. Paul Road (West Olive Street) was the main thoroughfare between downtown Stillwater and our survey area. 1.) One of our recommendations is that, with the approval of the residents, the name of Olive Street, west of the original city plat (Fifth Street) be changed back to the St. Paul Road. This would commemorate one of the very few roads preceding Minnesota as a Territory.105 In the earliest days of the city, before Olive Street (the St. Paul Road) was graded and improved, the actual road --including the route the stagecoaches took -- was down the ravine east of Greeley Street and just to the north of Olive Street. This ravine was called at various locations, the St. Paul Ravine, Olive Street Ravine, or Myrtle Street Ravine. The ravine runs on the north side of Olive Street to Holcombe Street where it continues due south, crossing to the south side of Olive Street. io6 One of these names was used as late as 1886, when the city, in an agreement with Hannah Greeley regarding her lot on the southeast corner of Myrtle and Greeley Streets, requested access to construct a "well hole' (so called) of a culvert in the ravine known as "St. Paul Ravine." °7 This survey is not the first document to call attention to the significance of this ravine. The Plan of Stillwater published in 1918 made this suggestion: "The ravine beginning at the corner of Sixth Street and Myrtle Street and leading up to the corner of Greeley and Olive Streets, comprising the old St. Paul 105Grover Singley. Tracing Minnesota's Old Government Roads.Minnesota Historical Society. 1974. Map opposite page 1. 106 Emma Glaser, "How Stillwater Came to Be," Page 204 Minnesota History 24:195-206 (September 1943) 107 H Bonds 296 47 History of the Greeley Neighborhood stage road, could feasibly be restored to its former character as an easy grade road by laying out a drive at the bottom of the ravine crossing under William Street through a subway and leading to the plaza on Greeley and Olive Streets." 108 2.) It is our recommendation that the historical significance of this ravine be recognized in some way. Several streets within the area, including Martha Street, Everett Street, and parts of Olive Street still retain their old limestone curbs. Most of these curbs have sunk into the ground and are barely discernable. However, homeowners, Ron and Judy Gulden, have raised and restored the handsome line of limestone curb in front of their house at 218 N. Martha Street. 3.) It is our recommendation that the Heritage Preservation Commission bring the historic and aesthetic importance of limestone curbs to the attention of the Stillwater City Council and the Stillwater City Engineer with a view to preserving them in future street resurfacing. They are an important part of the historic streetscape. Doing this survey, and looking closely at the houses in the survey area was, frankly, discouraging. Most of the houses within the survey area, and indeed many in Stillwater, have lost some or all of their original look. Seeing a lovely old window bay with its windows removed and turned into a walk-in closet is dismaying. It is not only that most of these homes have lost their integrity, but, with their original elements altered or removed, they are simply disfigured disproportionate buildings. Newer windows that are of a different size or placement from the original are the most common change; the use of aluminum or vinyl siding to cover what decorative elements may have existed is the second most common change. There should be some way to designate those homes which have retained most of their original integrity at least in outward appearance. There are other homes that new owners have restored, or tried to restore, close to their original appearance. We think it is important that these houses be publicly recognized, and that the present residents —and future residents —be made aware they have one of the small number of an ever -diminishing number of homes retaining their historic appearance. 1°8 Plan of Stillwater Prepared under the direction of The Park Board, MCMXVIII. Morel & Nichols, Landscape Architects & Engineers, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 48 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Homes within the survey area that fall into this category are: John Olson John O'Donnell Leo & Pearl Roloff Sven Hallen Malinda Roney H. M. Hughes Douglas Greeley Ernest Carlson Harrison D. Lotz Alfred Johnson Charles William Larson Sven Magnuson Gustav Nordstrom Adam Johnson Charles Swanberg Adolph Degler Erick/Annie Olson Emily Swanson Matilda Larson Frank Peterson J. C. Gardner Herman Pretzel' Frank J. Lund Andrew Holmes Oscar Johnson James Nelson Peter Peterson Harry Lueck Frank Olson R. G. Blanchard Martin Dick Martin Martinson John Wallin 126 N. Everett Street 210 N. Everett Street 218 N. Everett Street 222 N. Everett Street 228 N. Everett Street 231 N. Everett Street 106 N. Greeley Street 126 N. Greeley Street 213 N. Greeley Street 212 S. Greeley Street 121 N. Martha Street 125 N. Martha Street 126 N. Martha Street 201 N. Martha Street 202 N. Martha Street 207 N. Martha Street 209 N. Martha Street 215 N. Martha Street 219 N. Martha Street 224 N. Martha Street 228 N. Martha Street 232 N. Martha Street 238 N. Martha Street 618 W. Myrtle Street 510 W. Olive Street 724 W. Olive Street 804 W. Olive Street 814 W. Olive Street 818 W. Olive Street 908 W. Olive Street 115 N. Owens Street 116 N. Owens Street 230 N. Owens Street 121 S. Owens Street 612 W. Rice Street 618 W. Rice Street 619 W. Rice Street Ferdinand/Augusta Knoll 106 N. 113 N. Gustava Ledin 119 N. Gullov Hanson 212 N. Thomas Shattuck 118 S. Andrew Nyberg 120 N. Sherburne Street Sherburne Street Sherburne Street Sherburne Street Sherburne Street William Street 1873 1882 1935 1890's 1913 1873 1924 1883 1883 1904 1880 1881 1883 1907 1891 1881 1883 1882 1881 1880 1895 1891 1892 1873 1908 1928 1887 1888 1925 1929 1895 1929 1898 1873 1892 1882 1881 1883 1930 1907 1911 1873 1882 49 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Andrew Nyberg 123 N. William Street 1876 Andrew Nyberg 124 N. William Street 1885 George Glendening 228 N. William Street 1886 The houses listed above are the houses which retain a fair resemblance to their original appearance when they were built. They are representative of the architecture of their period. In the streetscape, they evoke a vision of the past; they provide continuity to the neighborhood; they give a sense of history to Stillwater. Less than 20 per -cent of the houses we surveyed are upon this list, which means that the vast number of houses I surveyed had been altered considerably; that they no longer looked like the past. 4.) We urge the Historic Preservation Commission to note in some public way, those houses which still retain their historic appearance. Furthermore, the public could be educated on the methods, ways, and reasons of keeping —or restoring —the historic integrity of their houses. For example, the Commission could prepare and distribute a pamphlet similar to that one published by the Hastings Heritage Preservation Commission "Caring for Historic Houses in Hastings." 50 History of the Greeley Neighborhood BIBLIOGRAPHY Book A, Register of Deeds, St. Croix County, Wisconsin Territory. Wendell G. Beardsley. And It Came To Pass; A History of The First United Methodist Church Stillwater, Minnesota, 1841-1984. Patriot Printers, Robbinsdale, Minnesota, November 1985. Theodore C. Blegen. Minnesota A History of the State. U. of Minnesota Press. 1963. Frank C. Bliss. St. Paul, Its Past and Present. F.C. Bliss Publishing Co., St. Paul, Minn. 1888. Unpublished manuscript by Paul Caplazi, Stillwater, April, 1944. The Charter and Ordinances of the City of Stillwater. Compiled by C. P. Gregory, City Attorney. Stillwater. Lumberman Steam Printing Co, 1881. Cornerstones; 125 Years at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Stillwater, Minnesota. Valley History Press, ©1996. James Taylor Dunn. The St. Croix: Midwest Border River. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York. Augustus B. Easton. History of the St. Croix Valley. H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. Chicago, 1909. W. H. C. Folsom. Fifty Years in the Northwest. Pioneer Press Company, 1888. William Watts Folwell. A History of Minnesota. St. Paul, The Minnesota Historical Society, 1956. Vol. 1. Emma Glaser, "How Stillwater Came to Be," Page 204, Minnesota History 24:195- 206 (September 1943) Agnes Larson. History of the White Pine Industry in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, 1949. Jerome W. Larson. Stillwater Reflections and Lincoln School Days; Memories of growing up in Stillwater, Minnesota. Unpublished manuscript, 1992? T. M. Newson. Pen Pictures of St. Paul, Minnesota and Biographical Sketches of Old Settlers. Published by the Author, St. Paul, 1886. 51 History of the Greeley Neighborhood North Star Publishing Company. History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley. Minneapolis, 1881. The 1870 and 1879 Birds Eye Views of Stillwater by Albert Ruger. [maps] Reprinted by Empson Archives, P.O. Box 791, Stillwater, Mn 55082, 1996. Plan of Stillwater Prepared under the direction of The Park Board, MCMXVIII. Morel & Nichols, Landscape Architects & Engineers, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stillwater City Directories 1882-1965. Pryor & Co's Stillwater City Directory, 1876-77, Stillwater, 1876. St. Croix Union [newspaper] Sectional Map of the City of Stillwater [1878]. There is a copy of this map hanging in the Washington County Recorder's Office. Grover Singley. Tracing Minnesota's Old Government Roads. Minnesota Historical Society. 1974. Stillwater Daily Gazette, [newspaper] Stillwater Gazette. [newspaper] Stillwater Messenger [newspaper] Stillwater Republican [newspaper] Stillwater Lumberman [newspaper] U.S. Government Survey, T 30, R20. Field notes. Robert C. Vogel. Stillwater Historic Contexts: A Comprehensive Planning Approach. Stillwater: Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission, July 1993 Washington County Probate Court Files. Washington County Recorders Office. Books of Deeds; Books of Mortgages; Books of Bonds; Books of Plats. Washington County Tax Assessor's Office. Building Records. 52 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Washington County Tax Assessor's Records, 1861-1900. On microfilm as SAM (State Archives Manuscript) Series 78, 7, 5 J. Fletcher Williams. A History of the City of St. Paul to 1875. [reprint] Minnesota Historical Society. 1983. 53 History of the Greeley Neighborhood APPENDIX A The following is a list, chronological by building date, of most of the buildings in the survey area. The building dates were found in three sources. Before 1886, the primary source of information for a building date is the yearly Washington County tax assessor's records in which the assessor went into the neighborhood every year and transcribed a market value for each lot with its improvements. From these records, it is easy, albeit tedious, to deduce when a building has been added to the lot. Fortunately an almost complete set of these records are available from State Archives. In 1886, the City of Stillwater began issuing building permits. These are very useful for establishing a building date as well as the cost of the building and its dimensions. In a few cases, the permits for remodeling will give a date for the original building. After 1900, the building dates given for individual properties at the Washington County tax assessor's office are generally accurate. The closer to the present time, the more accurate they become. These dates were particularly useful from 1946 to the present because the building permits for the City of Stillwater are not available for that period. The occupations were generally found in the Stillwater City Directories beginning in 1876. Other sources: probate court records, deeds, and published biographies were also useful. In order to determine the demographics of the survey area in the 1890's, when Stillwater was at its zenith, I went page by page through the 1892 and 1894 City Directories, copying the information for every street address within the survey area. This gave a better idea of occupations for renters and boarders, as well as home owners. It also gave a better idea of the density of the area. The word "res" means resident, indicating the individual probably was the home owner, as opposed to a boarder who might just be living there. The cost of the buildings was taken primarily from the Washington County tax assessor's records and the building permits. The exact source of information for any particular house is given on the Inventory Forms which are too numerous to be included in this book. If the reader is interested in the sources for, and detailed historical information on any one house, they should send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the house number to the author at P.O. Box 791, Stillwater, MN 55082. 54 History of the Greeley Neighborhood Date of 1st Bldg. Address Notes 1856 1857-60 1871 1871 1872 103 S. Greeley 1st Owners name 604 W. Myrtle 1892: 1892: 1861-64 1212 Olive 1865-69 109 S. Owens 1892: 1892: 1865-69 125 S. Owens 1892: 1871 504 W. Olive 1892: 616 W. Olive 1892: 128 S. Holcombe 1892 1872 1872 1881: 121 N. Greeley 1892: 1892: 617 W. Myrtle 1892: 820 W. Myrtle 1884: 1873 126 N. Everett 1892: 1892: 1873 231 N. Everett 1892: 1873 102 S. Harriet 1892: 1892: 1873 105 S. Harriet Elam Greeley Elisha Brown Minerva McKusick Dodd, Abial M., Mrs. Mary Nickerson Daniel Kilborne David King Frank DeMars Leander W. Cass Perry McLaughlin Robert McLeod Theodore C. Peterson John H. Holen Bryan Mosier Bryan J. Mosier. Joseph Weinschenk Alexander E. Sundberg John Kelly John Kelly Annie G. Kelly William Long Charles Weberg Alex. Simpson W. C. Reed Occupation Cost Pioneer Gone Carpenter $200 (wid. Jonathan E.), res Real estate res Farmer Carpenter Teamster Shoemaker Lumberman (J.H. Holen & Co) Painter (Mosier Bros.) Salesman Lumberman Lumberman Teacher Lumberman $300 Teamster Carpenter John Olson John Wallin Gustaf Anderson Malinda Rooney Malinda Rooney Gust. Johnson Frank Raiter Sarah Raiter Andrew/John Olson Edger, Laborer Carpenter Mach. Opr (wid. Gustave) Harnessmaker $200 $200 res res. $200 res $300 res, $500 res $300 res $175 res. bds res $600 res $360 res. res. Gothic res. $200 res. res. $420 55 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1873 1892: 112 S. Harriet 1892: 132 S. Holcombe 1892: 114 S. Martha 1892: 603 W. Myrtle 1892: 618 W. Myrtle 1892: 510 W. Olive 1892: 1018 W. Olive 1892: 121 S. Owens 1892: 118 S. Sherburne 1892: 235 N. William 1892: John Nelson Frank Peterson Frank Peterson Werner Hanitsch Werner Hanitsch Gust Carlgren Charles G. Carlgren John Kain John T. Kain J.C. Gardner George H. Sullivan George Evans Ole Moe Bridget Moore George A. Moores R.G. Blanchard Arthur W. Underhill Thomas Shattuck Hans P. Olson Lucia Ahl Margaretta B.Wissler 1874 517 W. Myrtle August Lilljegren 1894: August Lilljegren 1876 1876 1876 1876 219 N. Everett 1887: 117 N. Greeley 1892: 115 S. Martha 1892: 1892: 1892: 123 N. William 1892: 1892: H.R. Murdock Robert Sullivan Thomas Carroll Thomas Carroll P.M. Lindbloom Charles Larson Andrew Lindberg Andrew Stadin Andrew R. Nyberg John Albin Samuel Register, Jr. 1877 116 N. Everett James Fitzgerald 1892: Augustin Sexton 1892: Michael Malloy 1877 202 N. Everett Charles J. Peterson 1892: Charles Peterson 1877 116 N. Harriet David Swain 1892: David M. Swain Teamster Carpenter Machinist Shoemaker Shoemaker Guard Lumberman Lumberman Guard Attorney Baggagemaster Driver Lumberman Carpenter Teamster Laborer Driver Boarding (wid Jacob) Rafter __ naiwer Investor Millwright Millwright Tailor Laborer Shoemaker Mason Laborer Laborer Lumberman Laborer Laborer Machine shop Captain res. $200 res. $540 res. $150 res. $475 res. $1500 res. $700 bds. $300 res. $750 res. $600 res. $1200 res. $200 res. $700 res. $420 res. $260 res. res. res. $175 res. res. $200 res. res. $250 res. $900 res. 56 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1877 1879 1879 1880 1880 1880 1880 1880 1880 1880 230 N. William 1892: 1892: 1892: 202 N. Greeley 1892: 1892: 115 N. William 1892: 122 N. Harriet 1892: 224 N. Martha 1892: 1892: 1892: 121 N. Martha 1892: 917 W. Myrtle 1892: 236 N. Owens 1887: 112 N. Owens 1892: 230 N. Owens 1892: 1881 208 N. Everett 1892: 1892: 1881 110 S. Everett 1892: 1892: 1881 122 S. Greeley 1881 210 N. Greeley 1892: 1892: 1892: 1881 214 N. Greeley 1892: 1881 225 N. Greeley 1892: 1881 202 N. Harriet 1881 216 N. Harriet Andrew Anderson Frank Lindahl Peter J. Blad John Anderson George Borrowman George Borrowman Mrs. Mary Chase James P. Fitzgerald James P. Fitzgerald John McKusick John Marty John Pudring Annie B. Olson Nels Sjoholm John Spense John McKusick James Jerritt Eugene Oliver Edward Donovan George Wissler George Wissler Harriet White Frederick A. Geswein Frank Olson Frank Olson M. McBeth Murdock McBeth John Hayes John Swanberg John Swanberg Mary Elmquist Royall Orff Peter Foss Peter F. Foss Jacob H. Ralston Adolph Johnson J. R. Townshend Otto Celeen J.H. Townshend Arvid Parson Wiliam Wilson? August Hawkinson Laborer Laborer Laborer Laborer Harnessmaker Harnessmaker Domestic Horsehoer Investor Laborer (wid Erick) Laborer Laborer Investor Foreman Contractor Lumberman Machinist Machinist Wagonmaker Teamster Teamster Carpenter Carpenter Rafter Laborer Laborer Domestic Guard Packer Packer Machinist Blacksmith Investor Carpenter Investor Millwright Shoemaker $450 res. res. res. $150 res. res. $500 res. $200 res. $175 bds res. res. $400 res. $700 res. $300 res. $350 res. $200 res. $500 res. res. $500 res. $700 $150 res. res. (rear) $100 res. $550 res. $400 $250 57 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1881 1892: 125 N. Martha 1892: 201 N. Martha 1892: 207 N. Martha 1892: 1892: 218 N. Martha 1892: 219 N. Martha 1892: 817 W. Mulberry 1892: 905 W. Mulberry 1892: 1892: 1892: 804 W. Myrtle 1011 W. Myrtle 1892: 118 S. Owens 1892: 1892: 1892: 1892: 1892: 1892: 215 N. Owens 1892: 1892: 1892: 426 W. Rice 611 W. Rice 1892 1892: 619 W. Rice 1892: 106 S. Sherburne 1892: 114 S. Sherburne 1892: 122 S. Sherburne 1892: 214 N. William August H. Hawkinson Harrison Lotz Harrison D. Lotz John Palm Charles C. Anderson Gustav Nordstrom Gustav Nordstrom Gustaf Swanson John Ryding John Ryding T. A. Deggler Charles Olson J.H. Townshend August Anderson J.R. Townshend Charles Elfstrom Peter Mattson Anna Mattson John Anderson Edward Olson Andrew W. Peterson 29 Henry Lyons Daniel Boyne John Boyne Amos Holmes Benjamen Holmes John Hurley Wallis Schneider Aaron M. Lesher August Fosterling Edward Touet Bridget Loren James Leslie James J. Leslie Joseph Leslie John Wallin George D. Bubar E.G. Butts Henry Cook Matt Lindholm Andrew Lundholm 99 John B. Pratt Johanna Werme Shoemaker Cutter Cutter Carpenter Carpenter Shoemaker Shoemaker Teamster Tailor Tailor Laborer Laborer Investor Laborer Investor Blacksmith Clerk (wid John) Foreman Bldg. Contractor Painter Laborer Cook Teamster Laborer Laborer Teamster Laborer Butcher Teamster Teamster Teamster Cook Investor Laborer Clerk Bartender res. $400 res. $100 res. $350 res. res. $250 res. $300 res. $600 res. $700 res. res. bds. $900 $480 res. $900 bds. bds. bds. bds. bds. bds. $425 res. res. res. $350 $250 res. res. $400 res. $600 res. $450 bds. $450 res. $200 58 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1881 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1882 1883 1883 1883 1883 1892: 1892: 236 N. William 1892: 1892: 210 N. Everett 1892: 1892: 212 N. Harriet 215 N. Martha 1892: 225 N. Martha 513 W. Myrtle 1892: 125 N. Owens 1892: 221 N. Owens 1892: 1118 W. Ramsey 618 W. Rice 1892: 620 W. Rice 1892: 104 N. Sherburne 1892: 114 N. Sherburne 1892: 1892: 225 N. Sherburne 1892: 1892: 1892: 120 N. William 1892: 126 N. Greeley 1892: 213 N. Greeley 1892: 220 N. Greeley 1892: 208 N. Harriet 1892: 1892: Louis Werme Adolph Lindgren William Johnson John Lindgren Caroline Thelander John O'Donnell John O'Donnell Charles J. Burns Gust Nels Johnson Charles Swanberg Charles Swanberg Edward M. Barrett Sarah A. Kendall Robert Kendall Margaret Rogers Robert McLeod J. H. Townshend John Anderson J.A. Linder? Martin Martinson Martin Martinson Ann Kelly William Kelly J.H. Townshend Christian Hohlt J.H. Townshend Martin Lindholm Wiliam Fischer Lars G. Lofgren Andrew Johnson Lars G. Lofgren John Ekstrom Andrew P. Nyberg Andrew Nyberg Douglas Greeley George P. Green J.H. Townshend John A. Young James Arcand James Arcand John Hubert John Hubert Arvid Olson Carpenter res. Laborer res. $500 Laborer res. (wid John A.) res. Cook $300 Cook res. bds. Mason $125 Mason $125 Mason res. Saloonkeeper $300 $1100 Laborer res. $1400 Lumberman res. Investor $150 Laborer res. $125 Cabinet maker $500 Cabinetmaker res. $500 Laborer res. Investor $300 Laborer res. Investor $300 Millwright res. Tailor res. Carpenter $100 Laborer res. Carpenter res. Laborer bds. Mason $750 Mason res. Lumberman $525 Machinist res. Investor $250 Carpenter res. Laborer $100 Laborer res. Laborer $200 Laborer res. Laborer 59 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1883 1885 .1885 1885 224 N. Harriet 1892: 126 N. Martha 1892: 209 N. Martha 1892: 1892: 1892: 1018 W. Myrtle 1892: 622 W. Olive 1892: 104 N. Owens 1892: 106 N. Owens 1892: 120 N. Owens 1892: 1892: 1892: 108 S. Owens 1892 : 1205 Rice 110 S. Sherburne 106 N. Sherburne 1892: 111 N. Sherburne 1892: 118 N. Sherburne 1892: 122 N. Sherburne 1892: 126 N. Sherburne 1892: 233 N. Sherburne 1892: 112 N. 118 N. 919 W Greeley 1892: 1892: Greeley 1892: 1892 Myrtle John McKinnon Edmund Flowers Alfred Johnson Lizzie Lidholm Adam Johnson Adam Johnson Jennie Linn Frank Anderson George Roney Thomas P. Ramsden Thomas C. Butler Henry Muller J.H. Townshend Joseph & Robert Leslie J.H. Townshend George Munkel John Sutherland Charles Wigren Malcolm Christianson Johan G. Johanson Edward Olson Frank Orff N.N. Johnson Matt Hullberg Augusta Knoll Ferdinand C.O. Knoll Anton Hoyden Anton E. Hoyden Henman Raske Herman Raske E.G. Butts Frank Fiirst Peter Hullar Peter Hullar John H. Jullin Joseph Lamere Frank H. Ewing Charles H. Gray Addie Freeman Charles Lindberg Charles G. Erickson Eugene A. Jellison Edward Donovan Laborer Teamster Domestic Carpenter Carpenter Clerk Rafter Carpenter Street Com. Collector Investor Teamsters Investor Meat Market Riverman Rafter Laborer Laborer Carpenter Machinist Tinsmith Mason Mason Carpenter Carpenter Investor Laborer Carpenter Carpenter Plasterer Teamster Attorney Ass't City Clerk (wid Justin A.) Saloon keeper Saloon keeper Driver Lumberman $375 res. 8600 $175 res. bds. res. $100 res. $550 res. $50 res. $450 res. $250 res. res. bds. $525 res $100 $120 $500 res. $100 res. $150 res. $250 res. $200 res. $125 res. $1000 res. bds $850 res. res. $500 60 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1885 1885 1886 1886 1886 1886 1886 1886 1887 1887 1887 1887 1888 1888 1888 1891 1891 1892: 1892 1892 1892: 231 N. Sherburne 1892: 124 N. William 1892: 211 N. Greeley 1892: 136 S. Holcombe 1892: 602 W. Olive 110 N. Sherburne 1892: 1892: 1892: 216 N. William 1892: 1892: 228 N. William 1892: 210 N. Martha 1892: 1892: 804 W. Olive 114 S. Owens 205 N. William 1892: 810 W. Olive 1892: 814 W. Olive 1892: 1892: 129 N. William 1892: 202 N. Martha 1892: 232 N. Martha 1892: 612 W. Rice 238 N. Martha 121 N. Owens Edward Donovan John Holmblad John A. Holmblad Andrew P. Nyberg James Teare Lumberman Laborer Salesman Mason Lineman Luke Doyle Barber Luke Doyle Barber Bartholomew McSweeneyBarber Bartholomew McSweeneyBarber Thomas Walter William Knospe William Knospe Christian Johnson Martha Knospe Malcolm Duncan Malcolm Duncan Luther Heppenstall George Clendenning George Clendenning Alfred Johnson David Lagerstedt John O. Swanson Frank J. Lund C.N. Nelson P.M. Minogue Edward Dumas Anton Swanson Anton Swanson Andrew Holm Andrew J. Holm Matilda Danielson Frank P. Ridding John Monson Sven Magnuson August Ryden Matilda Larson Charles Nelson Martin Dick Frank Peterson August L. Johnson res. $160 res, $150 res. $550 res. $1250 res. Drayman $200 Carpenter $500 Carpenter res. Laborer res. Dressmaker bds. Lumberman $200 Lumberman res. Peddlar bds. Laborer $150 Lumberman res. Carpenter $750 Carpenter res. Bookkeeper res. Carpenter $200 Investor $300 $600 Cook res. Travel Agt. $900 Travel Agt. Res. Cashier $1100 Cashier res. Domestic $500 Laborer res. Carpenter $900 Clerk res. $300 Laborer res. Painter $900 Machinist $500 Plasterer $450 61 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1893 1893 1893 1894 1894 1895 1895 1896 1896 1896 1900 1900 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1910 1911 1912 1913 1917 1918 1921 1924 424 W. Myrtle 119 N. Owens 126 N. Harriet 516 W. Myrtle 110 N. William 228 N. Martha 115 N. Owens 114 N. Greeley 126 N. Owens 226 N. Sherburne 102 S. Sherburne 101 N. Owens 204 N. Owens 212 S. Greeley 206 N. Owens 415 W. Mulberry 119 N. Sherburne 1127 W. Mulberry 203 N. Sherburne 212 N. Sherburne 126 S. Owens 228 N. Everett 225 N. Owens 210 N. Owens 702 Olive 1014 W. Ramsey Alfred L. Johnson Hannah Greeley David L. Lagerstedt German Church Peter Parsons Emily C. Swanson Peter Nelson Peter F. Peterson C. N. Nelson John Bj orklund James P. Hanson August Johnson William Beiging August Johnson Herbert McKusick Mrs. Gustava Ledeen John G. Johnson Marcus O. Hanson Guller Hanson John G. Johnson Swen M. Halien George D. Hill Ed & George Hill John G. Johnson Contractor Investor Lumberman Laborer Yardman Investor Laborer Store & dwelling Contractor Contractor Contractor Bookkeeper (wid Olaf) Carpenter Carpenter Carpenters $1000 $700 $450 $3080 $75 $375 $1100 $400 $1200 $400 $750 $1200 $1500 $800 $4000 $1000 $700 $1800 $1200 $400 $1500 $1800 2nd house $2600 $1200 62 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1925 1928 1929 1929 1929 1930 1935 1939 1940 1940 1941 1944 1944 1945 1946 1946 1946 1946 1946 1947 1947 1948 1948 1948 1949 1950 1950 1950 818 W. Olive 724 W. Olive 904 W. Olive 908 W. Olive 116 N. Owens 113 N. Sherburne 218 N. Everett 1114 W. Olive 111 S. William 104 N. Everett 205 S. Sherburne 218 N. Owens 216 S. Owens 213 N. Sherburne 513 W. Mulberry 503 W. Mulberry 507 W. Mulberry 517 W. Mulberry 214 N. Owens 234 N. Everett 913 W. Mulberry 109 S. Center 109 N. William 229 N. Everett 202 N. Sherburne 1118 W. Myrtle 125 S. Greeley 115 S. Sherburne 1951 208 N. William O.J. Johnson O.H. Olsen Construction Co. Harry Lueck $7000 $5000 $5000 2nd house 2nd house John Pozzini (Architect designed) $3500 Louis Simon $3000 Louis Simon Ernest Doe William Weiden $3400 $600 $5000 63 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1951 225 N. William 1951 206 S. Greeley 1952 226 N. Greeley 1952 125 N. Sherburne 1952 229 N. William 1952 718 W. Myrtle 1952 215 N. Harriet 1953 117 S Sherburne 1953 728 W. Olive 1954 233 N. Harriet 1954 204 N. William 1955 1206 W. Olive 1955 232 N. Sherburne 1955 703 W. Myrtle 1955 410 W. Rice 1955 235 N. Owens 1955 710 W. Olive 1956 607 W. Myrtle 1956 1115 W. Myrtle 1956 1126 W. Ramsey 1956 115 S. Center 1959 418 W. Rice 1960 117 N. Sherburne 1960 626 W. Olive 2nd house 1961 1224 W. Olive 1961 1112 W. Myrtle 1962 1111 W. Rice 1963 1122 W. Myrtle 1963 204 S. Sherburne 1964 1121 W. Ramsey 1967 207 & 209 N. William 1968 114 N. Martha 2nd house 64 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 1974 219 N. Sherburne 1979 112 N. Harriet 1980 104 N. Harriet 1983 1983 117 N. Center 226 N. Harriet 1985 111 N. Center 1988 201 N. Greeley 1988 628 W. Olive 1994 124 S. Sherburne 1994 108 N. Harriet Forgotten Addresses: The following represents a number of addresses in the city directories that no longer exist. In some cases, they may have been addresses printed in error — addresses that never did exist. In a few cases, they may be addresses that were later changed to a present day address. But, for the most part, they represent houses that are no longer standing. 205 N. Center 128 N. Everett 103 S. Greeley 106 S. Harriet 107 S. Harriet 117 S. Harriet 113 S. Owens 128 S. Martha 216 N. Martha 220 N. Martha 1109 W. Mulberry 506 W. Olive 1892 1892 1892 1892 1892 1892 1892 1890 1892 1892 1943 1892 Charles Jackson Henry Parish Greeley House David Berstein Gustaf Sandahl John O. Ohlson Henry Walton Charles Lillygreen John Hultquist Peder Gaalaas Louis Haak Ole A. Moen Laborer Laborer Peddlar Laborer Harnessmaker Riverman Manager Clerk 65 History of the Greeley Neighborhood 626 W. Olive 914 W. Ramsey 1007 W. Ramsey 1122 W. Ramsey 121 N. William 127 N. William 206 S. William 1892 George McAloon 1892 Royal C. Orff 1892 Kenneth McLaggin 1892 William Schwenske 1890 John Albin 1892 John Monson 1890 James D. McComb & family Cook 2nd house Guard Lumberman Laborer Laborer Laborer Lumberman 66 Available for the First Time in 127 Years TWO BIRD'S EYE VIEW MAPS of Stillwater, Minnesota Drawn in 1870 -- Drawn Again in 1879 featuring *All Homes and Neighborhoods of the Day* *Churches Built by Those Early Congregations * *Bustling Waterfront Lumber Mills* *Trees, Hills, Bluffs, and Streams * In the Fall of 1869, four years after the Civil War, Albert Ruger, an accomplished urban illustrator, made a pencil sketch of Stillwater. The Stillwater Republican wrote that Ruger's sketch "shows every street, and the name of same, and the buildings are clearly defined, and properly located that every citizen can point out his own residence be it ever so small." In 1879 Albert Ruger returned to Stillwater to again draw the prosperous city, which had doubled in size. The Stillwater Gazette wrote, "The picture will be valuable as a present map of the city, and will in the future possess great interest for reference." Remarkably Accurate and Scrupulously Detailed phis A Thoroughly Documented Guidebook Complete with Footnotes Framed copies may be seen in the Reference Room at the Stillwater Public Library ---ONE (1870 or 1879) Bird's Eye View and Guidebook: $25, plus $1.63 tax, plus $5 for mailing tube and postage (FREE DELIVERY in ZIP Code 55082). ---BOTH (1870 8 1879) Bird's Eye Views and Guidebook: $40, plus $2.60 tax, plus $5 for mailing tube and postage (FREE DELIVERY in ZIP Code 55082). To Order Send a Check to: EMPSON ARCHIVES P.O. Box 791 Stillwater, MN 55082 or call 651-351-0172