Historic House Museums in Minnesota

We try to keep this list of historic house museums for Minnesota current, but it is best to check directly with the museums for their hours and other information. If you know of a historic house museum in Minnesota that should be listed here, please use our submission form to let us know about it.

Blue Earth

James B. Wakefield House Museum

The home of Blue Earth's founder is now a museum and includes exhibits of period furniture and artifacts.

Call for appt. • 405 E. 6th St. • (507) 526-5421

Duluth

Glensheen

The 1908 Jacobean style mansion of attorney, mining entrepreneur, and state legislator Chester A. Congdon sits on a 22 acre plot on the shore of Lake Superior. The house contains the orginal furnishings. The grounds include a formal garden.

May - October: Open Daily, 9:30am to 4:00pm; Open Fri, Sat, & Sun 11:00am to 2:00pm the rest of the year. • 3300 London Road • (218) 726-8910 or (888) 454-GLEN

Elk River

Oliver H. Kelley Farm

Step onto a working 1860s farm. Pick heirloom vegetables from the garden, visit the farmhands and animals at the barn, or churn butter and see what's cooking in the farmhouse.

See their web site for hours • 15788 Kelley Farm Rd. • 763-441-6896

Faribault

Alexander Faribault House

The restored 1853 home of the fur trader and town founder.

Open Mon-Fri 1-4 May-Sep, by appointment rest of the year • 12 1st Ave. N.E. • (507) 334-7913

Hastings

LeDuc Historic Estate

Newly restored 1866 Gothic Revival stone house, carriage barn and ice house on 4.5 acres inspired by Andrew Jackson Downing. Built on the edge of the frontier by William and Mary LeDuc, influential early Minnesotans.

Open Fri 10-5, Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5; Jun 16 to Oct 28 • 1629 Vermillion Street, Highway 61 • (651) 437-7055

Le Sueur

Dr. W.W. Mayo House

Built in 1859, the small house was the home of the founder of the Mayo Clinic. His office is on the second floor.

Open Mon-Sat 10-4:30, Sun 1-4:30, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Sat-Sun 1-4:30 May 1-26 & Sep 3-Oct 31 • 118 N. Main St. • (612) 665-3250

Little Falls

Charles A. Lindbergh House

Charles Lindbergh's 1927 flight across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris, brought him instant fame and recognition. One hundred years after his birth, and 75 years after the flight that inspired an aviation revolution, exhibits at the Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site tell the full scope of Lindbergh's life, beginning with his boyhood along the Mississippi in Little Falls, Minnesota.

See their web site for hours • 1620 Lindbergh Drive S. • (320) 616-5421

Mankato

Hubbard Mansion

The house features three marble fireplaces, stained glass windows, and much period furniture and artifacts. Adjacent to the house is the Carriage house which does have a surrey, a horse drawn coach and restored early automobiles. The grounds include a Victorian garden.

Open Sat-Sun 1-4, May to early Sep • 606 S. Broad St. • (507) 345-5566

Mantorville

Restoration House

Built in 1856, the house depicts life in the 1850s.

Open Tue-Sun 1-5 May-Oct • Main St. at 6th St. • (507) 635-5140

Mendota

Sibley House Historic Site

This museum is comprised of two houses. The 1835 Sibley house was the first stone house in Minnesota. Next door is the Faribault house which was built shortly after the Sibley house. The houses are furnished in period, with some original furnishings.

See web site for hours • 1357 Sibley Memorial Hwy. • (612) 452-1596

Moorhead

Comstock House

The 1882 home of Ada Comstock, first dean of women at the University of Minnesota and later president of Radcliffe College has been restored and includes original furnishings. Inside, the warmth of varnished oak and butternut trim, and the ornate, colorful queen Anne Eastlake furniture and tapestries brighten the rooms.

Open Tue 5-8, Sat-Sun 1-4:30, June-Aug • Hwy. 75 in , 1/2 mile north of the I-94 exit • (218) 291-4211.

St. Paul

Alexander Ramsey House

Built in 1872 of native limestone, the home was owned by the first governor of the Minnesota Territory. The house contains portraits, furnishings, and artifacts belonging to the Ramsey family.

See their web site for hours • 265 S. Exchange St. • (612) 296-8760

Gibbs Farm Museum

The museum depicts the life of a prosperous farmer during the late 1880s. Farm implements and a horse drawn vehicle collection are some of the highlights.

Open Tue-Fri 10-4, Sat-Sun 12-4 Jun-Aug; Tue-Fri 10-4, Sun 12-4 May, Sep-Oct • 2097 Larpenteur Ave. W. • (651) 646-8629

James J. Hill House

Built in 1891, the Hill house was the home of the founder of the Great Northern Railway.

Open Wed-Sat 10-3:30, Sun 1-3;30 Reservations recommended • 240 Summit Ave • (612) 297-2555

Owatonna

The Village of Yesteryear

The museum encompasses 19th and 20th century buildings including the Dunnell mansion.

Open Tue-Sun May-Sep, Tours at 1:30 &: 3:30 • 1448 Austin Rd. • (507) 451-1420

Paynesville

Paynesville Historical Society School House and Pioneer House

Three buildings, a church, school, and home, feature exhibits illustrating pioneer life.

Open Tue-Sat 9-5, Sun 1-5 early Jun-Labor Day • on SR 23 • (320) 243-7547

Sauk Centre

Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home

The restored childhood home of America's first winner of the Nobel prize for literature contains early 20th century furnishings and original artifacts.

Open Tue-Sat 9:30-5, Sun 10:30-5 Memorial Day-Labor Day, by appointment rest of the year • 3 and 1/2 blocks west of Main, on Sinclair Lewis Ave. • (320) 352-5201

Stillwater

Washington County Historical Society and Warden's Home Museum

This house was home to 11 wardens who administered the first territorial prison in the northwest. The house displays Victorian furniture, along with period clothing, toys and other artifacts.

Open Thu-Sun 1-5 May-Oct • 602 N. Main St. • (651) 439-5956

Taylor Falls

W.H.C. Folsom House

The restored 1855 Federal/Greek Revival home was owned by businessman and state senator, W.H.C. Folsom. The house contains many original furnishings.

Open Wed-Mon 1-4:30 May 27-Oct 16 • 1 block south of US 8 and SR 95 on Government Rd. • (612) 465-3125

Winona

Bunnell House

An 1851 Steamboat Gothic home overlooking the Mississippi. It is a three story home, built into the side of the bluff, complete with a firstfloor kitchen/pantry/borning room, second floor parlor/dining and third floor bedrooms. The house has numerous artifacts and period furniture. There is a carraige house adjacent used as a gift shop.

Open Wed-Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Sat 10-5, Sun 1-5 Labor Day to mid-Oct; by appointment rest of the year • 710 Johnson St • (507) 454-2723