On this page you'll be introduced to historic sites in the Inver
Grove Heights area. Some of them are simply interesting points of
local interest, but many have a unique place in the history of
Minnesota or have even been deemed of National significance. Each
is well worth the trip to see in person and, hopefully, this page
will help you understand these sites and the role they played in
our rich history.
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Indicates a site that is of National historic significance and
has a marker in place from the National Register of Historic
Sites. |
Location: 9091 Inver Grove Trail
Perhaps "The House of Eight Gables" in
Inver Grove Heights has the most romantic name of all the buildings
in Dakota County on the National Register. Story has it that after
spending a long winter in 1875 reading Hawthorne's novel, The House
of Seven Gables, German-born farmer Reuben Freeman decided to go
Hawthorne one better and build this gem-of-a-house with eight
gables. Since money and building materials were scarce, Freeman
used rock gathered from his fields. With mortar of lime from kilns
on Grey Cloud Island, he started construction that spring. Work
went fast because he and his son were experienced builders; only a
few years before, they had constructed a huge barn. As a National
Register site the house is significant for its unique vernacular
construction of coursed fieldstone. The stones are of various sizes
and colors, and for decorative effect bottle glass replaces the
stone around the second-story gable windows.
This was the site of Chief Medicine Bottle's Dakota village.
Plans for a town earned it a place on the maps, but it drew few
settlers. There were actually two Pine Bend post offices in Inver
Grove Township at one point. The first was established and operated
between 1854-1859, the other (also associated previously with
Centralia) between 1856-1904 (which subsequently became Athens and
Rich Valley respecively). Today the Pine Bend Bluffs area is one of
the largest unprotected natural tracts of land left in the Twin
Cities metro, located along the Mississippi River on property owned
by Flint Hills Resources (formerly Koch Petroleum Group). The Flint
Hills Resources oil refinery has been located at the Pine Bend
industrial area further West of the river in Rosemount since
1955.
A monument marking the location of the original Dakota village
can be seen on Highway 55/52.
If you know of a local site in this area that you feel should be
acknowledged for its historic significance we'd love to hear about
it or help you to investigate and document the site. Please contact
the us at:
Dakota County Historical Society
130 Third Avenue North
South Saint Paul, MN 55075
| Telephone: 651/552-7548 |
Fax:
651/552-7265
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