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Ramsey County History – Winter 1998: “Growing Up in St. Paul: From Amerika to America: Alma Crosses the Border”

John W. Larson

Growing Up in St. Paul: From Amerika to America: Alma Crosses the Border Author: John W. Larson This memoir of the author’s grandmother illuminates the lives of Swedish immigrants, life on the East Side (Oak Park and Hazel Park), Ames School, the Harvester Works, People’s Church, the Swedish Lutheran Church,…

Ramsey County History – Fall 1997: “Life in 1937’s ‘Home of Tomorrow’”

Brian McMahon

Life in 1937’s ‘Home of Tomorrow’ Author: Brian McMahon The Cemstone Corporation, founded in St. Paul, built an all-concrete demonstration house in 1937 at 1345 East Minnehaha. This very short article (less than a full page) tells its story. PDF of McMahon article…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1996: “Growing Up in St. Paul: Sam’s Cash-and-Carry, the Tiger Store—Payne Avenue and the 1930s Depression”

Ray Barton

Growing Up in St. Paul: Sam’s Cash-and-Carry, the Tiger Store—Payne Avenue and the 1930s Depression Author: Ray Barton An evocative memoir—full of names, places, and sensations—of a Depression-era childhood around Payne Avenue on St. Paul’s East Side. PDF of Growing Up in Saint Paul…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1995: “From Iceboxes to Freezers: The Story of the Seeger Refrigerator Company”

James B. Bell

From Iceboxes to Freezers: The Story of the Seeger Refrigerator Company Author: James B. Bell Though the name is little known outside St. Paul, no company was more important to the spread of the home refrigerator than Seeger. Founded in St. Paul in 1902, it made iceboxes, then refrigerators, under…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1995: “What’s Historic About This Site? The Benjamin Brunson House and the East Side’s Railroad Island”

Ramsey County Historical Society

What’s Historic About This Site? The Benjamin Brunson House and the East Side’s Railroad Island In 1855 or so pioneer surveyor Benjamin Brunson built a house overlooking Trout Brook. The neighborhood became known at Railroad Island. This is a brief story of the man, the house, and the surroundings.

Ramsey County History – Summer 1993: “Colorful, Sometimes Contentious—St. Paul’s 100-Year-Old Neighborhood Press”

Jane McClure

Colorful, Sometimes Contentious—St. Paul’s 100-Year-Old Neighborhood Press Author: Jane McClure The author, a longtime and prolific writer for the Highland Villager, has assembled a compendium of St. Paul neighborhood newspapers going back to the Midway News in 1888. She gives most space to the Villager, the most successful of all.

Ramsey County History – Fall 1992: “What’s Historic About This Site? St. Casimir’s Church and Its 100-Year Journey of Faith”

Ramsey County Historical Society

What’s Historic About This Site? St. Casimir’s Church and Its 100-Year Journey of Faith Founded in 1892, this is the third St. Paul Catholic parish organized to serve Polish parishioners. The building, at 937 East Jessamine, went up in 1904. PDF of Historic Site…

Ramsey County History – Spring 1988: “George H. Trout and the Corner Grocery Store”

Karl Trout

George H. Trout and the Corner Grocery Store Author: Karl Trout This memoir from the son of a grocer in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood is filled with delightful details: how the commodities were delivered and sold and how customers tasted the butter before buying. According to the author, “the…