Help Solve the Mystery: Can You Find This Plymouth, MN Home’s Original Address?

At HouseNovel, we love uncovering the forgotten histories of homes—whether they still stand today or have disappeared from the landscape. But every now and then, a home presents a real challenge, requiring historical records, maps, and a bit of detective work to piece together its story.

That’s exactly the case with this mystery house from Plymouth, Minnesota—a home that once stood in the mid-20th century but no longer exists. Researchers and history enthusiasts are working to uncover its original address, history, and what became of it—and you’re invited to help with the search.

What We’ve Learned About the Mystery House

This home, photographed on July 5, 1960, was located in Plymouth, MN, in the Plymouth Gardens area.

Photo circa July 5, 1960, provided by the Plymouth Historical Society

After consulting with the Plymouth Historical Society, we now know that Highway 169’s expansion into Plymouth took place between 1964 and 1986, with early phases beginning in the mid-1960s. Based on historical aerial maps and construction records, the home was likely demolished during this period, most likely in the mid-1960s.

While we don’t have an exact demolition date, we know:

• The house was still standing in 1960 (as confirmed by the photo).
• The Highway 169 expansion occurred in phases, with significant construction between 1964 and 1986.
• Aerial maps show significant construction activity in this area starting around 1964, suggesting that homes in the way of early expansion were removed around this time.
• Later phases of the highway project (1970s–1980s) focused on widening and improvements, rather than initial demolition of homes for new roadways.
• If the house had remained into the 1970s or 1980s, it would likely appear in later aerial maps or historical records, but no strong evidence suggests that.

Street Name Changes

The original street name has also likely changed. Based on recent research, we now believe:

• Norwalk was renamed Lancaster (confirmed in a street name change map).
• Ohio Ave may have been renamed 10th Ave N, which aligns with modern-day 10th Ave N in the area.

How Can the Original Address Be Found?

Finding the original address of a home that no longer exists is a challenge, but certain historical sources may hold the answer:

• 1950s & 1960s Census Records – Since the home was still standing in 1960, the 1950 and 1960 census records could provide a clue about the homeowners or renters at that time. These handwritten records were organized road by road, making it possible to track property owners within Plymouth Township’s Enumeration Districts.
• Historic Aerial Maps – Comparing early aerial views with modern maps can help pinpoint where the home once stood before demolition. By overlaying historical maps with present-day roadways, we may be able to determine the home’s exact location.
• Plat Maps & City Directories – Early property maps and directories can help match landowners to specific parcels of land, which might confirm the home’s address.
• Newspaper Archives – Before the 1980s, newspapers often listed addresses alongside homeowner names in real estate sales, obituaries, or community news. Searching Newspapers.com or the Hennepin County Library digital collections may provide leads.
• Minnesota Historical Society Records – If property sale records exist, they may provide additional confirmation of when the home was last occupied.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Tools – Since early census records were handwritten, using tools like Ancestry’s OCR search could help identify names and addresses, even if the original records have inconsistencies.

Join the Search

This home’s history is a puzzle waiting to be solved, and the search is open to home history enthusiasts, researchers, and anyone interested in helping. If you love digging through historical records or have insights into Plymouth’s past, your input could be key to solving this mystery. If any clues, address leads, or historical insights are uncovered, please share them!

Once you have found the address, please create a free home timeline for it on HouseNovel and upload your research. Then, email us at info@housenovel.com to let us know.

This post will be updated as new discoveries come to light. HouseNovel is not profiting from this research in any way—this is part of our free crowdsourcing community platform. We’re simply assisting the Plymouth Historical Society in identifying this home’s original address, one of 15 houses in their archives missing this key information.

What Do You Think?

Do you believe this home's original address can be found? Help us solve this mystery by reaching out with your thoughts, insights, and findings!