The History Center of Olmsted County
The Olmsted County Historical Society was established in 1926 by Burt Eaton with the intention of collecting and preserving the history of Olmsted County.The History Center was established on its current property in 1973. What had once been farmland was turned into a community space for education and historic preservation. Our grounds host a number of historic buildings, and we host frequent events, from lectures to concerts and more, to bring the community together.Stop inside to check out our museum! We have a number of exhibits featuring aspects of local history.
The Stoppel Farmstead
Constructed in the mid 19th century and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the George Stoppel Farmstead has stood largely unchanged for over 150 years.Built by German immigrants George and Maria Stoppel, each of the core structures of this farmstead tell a unique story. From the barn with its 50 foot high ceiling, to the house constructed from local limestone, to the smokehouse, a wholly unique multi-purpose structure, this property is valued by the History Center for the stories of agriculture and immigration that it helps to tell.
The Stoppel Barn
Built by George Stoppel in the 1860s, this barn is often classified as a "Pennsylvania Barn" - barns built into earthen banks and characterized by their large size.The barn has wide openings at both ends, allowing for easy passage of people, wagons, or livestock through the structure.The lower level of the barn contains many separate rooms including stalls for livestock, open spaces for workshops, and more. There is a small cave carved into the western side of the barn, likely for food storage. The vent to this small cave can be seen above ground near the barn's Western door.The upper level is designed mostly for the storage of crops, particularly grain and hay.
Stoppel Cave
According to family lore, George, Maria, and their family spent their first Minnesota winter in this carved-out cave into the hillside. The cave extends deep into the hillside and has two adjoining "rooms" on either side of the main tunnel, forming a t-shaped structure.Amongst this cave's unique features is the extensive family "graffiti" carved into the cave walls. The walls are marked throughout with names, dates, and even little drawings that have been preserved over the years.
The Stoppel Smoke House
Roughly 30 feet behind the farm house stands the two-story multi-use building that the History Center calls The Smoke House. Really, though, it is much more. Built into the side of the hill, the bottom floor features a privy, a small workshop, a storage area with a cave carved into the hillside, and access to the lower section of the smoking room. The second story features a plastered room next to the smoking shaft, and a double-doored room that opens to the hillside. We believe at one point this multi-use building would have been used to house farm hands as well as providing extra storage. The cave carved into the hillside projects quite a distance into the hill. At the end of the cave, a skull and crossbones symbol is carved into both sides of the cave wall.
The Stoppel Farmhouse
This limestone farmhouse built by George Stoppel has stood largely unchanged for the last century.If you look carefully at the sides of the home, you can see a diagonal mark in the architecture which indicates the original roofline of the back half of the home. The home was damaged in the 1883 Tornado which tore through Rochester, but George saw it as an opportunity to expand the home. This addition added new rooms to the second floor and expanded the attic - the attic still houses a section of the original roof.
Hadley Valley Schoolhouse
In 1885, the Hadley Valley Schoolhouse was built in the township of Haverhill 3 miles NE of Rochester. When the school was constructed, it cost around $800 (around $12,000 in today's dollars).The schoolhouse was in operation until 1957, but up to that point it served children from grades 1-8. The teacher taught arithmetic, history, spelling, geography, elocution, reading, writing, and penmanship. School would usually begin at 8am with students doing daily chores. These chores included gathering water, sweeping the floors, and dusting the chalkboards. School would be out at 3:45pm so the children could get home to assist with chores there as well.In the 1930s, an indoor bathroom was added and the schoolhouse was rigged for electricity.After the building closed, it was moved to the fairgrounds in 1961 and then moved to the History Center in 1975.
U of M Gardens
These beautiful gardens are tended by the U of M extension. Our medicinal garden showcases a variety of plants and herbs that would have been grown on farms to treat ailments from headaches to nausea and more.
The Dee Cabin
This log home was built by an early Rochester settler, William Dee. Irish immigrant William and his wife Bridget built this cabin in 1862. Their first child was born in the cabin the night they first occupied it.The cabin is made using poplar logs. With the help of 25 men, the cabin was built in just one day.It was first located in Rochester on 6th Street SW near 4th and is typical of an early settler’s home. The last person to live here was Anna Benson Ward, who rented the cabin for $3 per month from 1907 to 1911. Anna lived in the cabin with her 5 children.The Dee Cabin has been moved six times over the years, including the move to its current home on the campus of the History Center!
Schmitt Field
Schmitt Field is home of the Roosters Base Ball club, an 1860s rules team that aims to bring history to life through classic Base Ball!1860s rules differ wildly from the modern game. Amongst the bigger differences are the fact that pitchers would pitch underhand, and that players would play without gloves.If you're interested in attending a game, the Roosters regularly update their schedule on their facebook page!
Rochester Garden Club Gardens
This beautiful garden space is tended by the Rochester Garden Club and serves as a relaxing space to take in a bit of natural beauty next to a well mainteined garden and fountain area.
