• Clear Filters

Ramsey County History – Fall 2005: “Stonebridge: The Story of a Lost Estate and Oliver Crosby, the Inventive Genius Who Created It”

Jay Pfaender

Stonebridge: The Story of a Lost Estate and Oliver Crosby, the Inventive Genius Who Created It Author: Jay Pfaender Even in the Groveland neighborhood, little is remembered about Stonebridge, an estate built by St. Paul businessman and civic leader Oliver Crosby. A New Englander from Maine, he came to…

Ramsey County History – Summer 2005: “Lots of St. Paul: A Photo Essay on Downtown Parking and What Urban History Can Tell Us about a City”

Steve Trimble

Lots of St. Paul: A Photo Essay on Downtown Parking and What Urban History Can Tell Us about a City Author: Steve Trimble This photo essay is a response to a letter to the editor wondering why the magazine bothered to publish an article on “nothing more than a…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2005: “Ramsey County Historical Society’s Collection of Building Permits and the Story of the DeLoop Parking Ramp”

Robert F. Garland

Ramsey County Historical Society’s Collection of Building Permits and the Story of the DeLoop Parking Ramp Author: Robert F. Garland St. Paul began to require building permits in 1883. This is the story of one downtown property, the DeLoop Parking Ramp, which the author researched using these permits, now…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2005: “Union Park in the 1880s—Band Concerts, Balloon Ascensions Once Lured 10,000 People in a Single Day”

Minnesota Junior Pioneers

Union Park in the 1880s—Band Concerts, Balloon Ascensions Once Lured 10,000 People in a Single Day Author: Minnesota Junior Pioneers In 1880, the Milwaukee Short Line Railroad opened up development in today’s Macalester, Groveland, and Merriam Park neighborhoods, then on the outskirts of St. Paul. Union Park, as it…

Ramsey County History – Fall 2004: “The Life and Death of Central Park—A Small Part of the Past Illuminated”

Paul D. Nelson

The Life and Death of Central Park—A Small Part of the Past Illuminated Author: Paul D. Nelson The Central Park story begins in 1884. It was a time of city expansion, and the affluent and powerful residents in an area near today’s State Capitol wanted a park to buffer…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2004: “Irvine Park in 1854: Its Homes and the People Who Lived There 150 Years Ago”

Robert J. Stumm

Irvine Park in 1854: Its Homes and the People Who Lived There 150 Years Ago Author: Robert J. Stumm There are an impressive number of homes in Irvine Park today that were already there in 1854. The neighborhood dates from 1849 when the land for a park was donated.

Ramsey County History – Spring 2003: “Oakland Cemetery and Its First 150 Years—Pioneers, Politicians, the Public Share These Grounds”

Arthur W. (Chip) Lindeke III

Oakland Cemetery and Its First 150 Years—Pioneers, Politicians, the Public Share These Grounds Author: Arthur W. (Chip) Lindeke III The Oakland Cemetery Association was formed on June 24, 1853. The cemetery is the resting place for many famous people including Alexander Ramsey and Henry Sibley. In 1884, it incorporated…

Ramsey County History – Spring 2003: “Roots with the English—St. Paul’s First German Methodist Church”

Helen Miller Dickison

Roots with the English—St. Paul’s First German Methodist Church Author: Helen Miller Dickison The First German Methodist Church of St. Paul was founded in 1852, a time when German immigration to Minnesota was soaring. In that year, the congregation built a church on Sixth Street between Broadway and today’s…

Ramsey County History – Winter 2003: “The 146-Year History of the Louis Hill House: New Settlers, a Booming Real Estate Market, and a Summit Avenue Site Acquired on Speculation”

Eileen McCormack

The 146-Year History of the Louis Hill House: New Settlers, a Booming Real Estate Market, and a Summit Avenue Site Acquired on Speculation Author: Eileen McCormack The Louis Hill home at 260 Summit Avenue was built on a plot of land that was platted in November 1854. Home construction…