Oct 13, 2012
George Draper Dayton House
The George Draper Dayton House was built in 1890 in Worthington, Minnesota, United States. George Dayton hired the Sioux Falls architect Wallace L. Dow to design his grand home on a parcel that took up eight lots. George Dayton George Dayton (1857-1938) came to Minnesota from New York in 1883. His family was one of average means, and he had hoped to become a minister, but was lured by the urge to be in the business world. He married Emma Chadwick in 1878 and began buying farm mortgages in southwest Minnesota. In 1883 he and his family moved to Worthington, Minnesota, where he was able to build wealth in the growing economy. He presided over the Bank of Worthington and founded the Minnesota Loan and Investment Company, advancing his social status and prosperity. Dayton continued to live by his religious principles by improving his community and dedicating himself to the service of others; he served on the Worthington Board of Education, and was church clerk, elder, and trustee of Westminster Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday school and hosting church events at his home. Architecture The home features a large front porch with columns supporting the overhanging roof, supported by brackets and complemented by dentil moulding, and balcony above, accented by a Palladian-style leaded-glass window. The shake roof is interrupted by large dormers, three chimneys, and a widow's walk. The frieze above the second-floor windows are decorated with ornamental swags. The cherry front door is topped by a leaded glass transom and flanked by leaded glass sidelights. Woodwork includes cherry and oak pocket doors, mosaic wood flooring, carved banisters, and carved fretwork above the grand staircase. History When the Daytons moved to Minneapolis in 1902 to found Dayton's Dry Goods store (later to become Dayton's department store), the home was sold to Florence and Charles Smallwood. Florence's father, Justin Pierce Moulton had been a business partner of Dayton's. The Smallwoods lived in the home until 1921, when it was inherited by Mary Emmaline Smallwood, who was married to State Senator John Cashel. After Mary died in 1931, Cashel married Ruth Gertz. Following John Cashel's death in 1938, Ruth converted the home to a nursing home and operated it for 50 years, during which time much of the original interior was distorted. In 2002 a non-profit historic preservation group purchased the building for $150,000. Restoration costs were approximately $2,000,000 and it is now operated as a bed and breakfast and available for receptions.
George Draper Dayton House
The George Draper Dayton House was built in 1890 in Worthington, Minnesota, United States. George Dayton hired the Sioux Falls architect Wallace L. Dow to design his grand home on a parcel that took up eight lots. George Dayton George Dayton (1857-1938) came to Minnesota from New York in 1883. His family was one of average means, and he had hoped to become a minister, but was lured by the urge to be in the business world. He married Emma Chadwick in 1878 and began buying farm mortgages in southwest Minnesota. In 1883 he and his family moved to Worthington, Minnesota, where he was able to build wealth in the growing economy. He presided over the Bank of Worthington and founded the Minnesota Loan and Investment Company, advancing his social status and prosperity. Dayton continued to live by his religious principles by improving his community and dedicating himself to the service of others; he served on the Worthington Board of Education, and was church clerk, elder, and trustee of Westminster Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday school and hosting church events at his home. Architecture The home features a large front porch with columns supporting the overhanging roof, supported by brackets and complemented by dentil moulding, and balcony above, accented by a Palladian-style leaded-glass window. The shake roof is interrupted by large dormers, three chimneys, and a widow's walk. The frieze above the second-floor windows are decorated with ornamental swags. The cherry front door is topped by a leaded glass transom and flanked by leaded glass sidelights. Woodwork includes cherry and oak pocket doors, mosaic wood flooring, carved banisters, and carved fretwork above the grand staircase. History When the Daytons moved to Minneapolis in 1902 to found Dayton's Dry Goods store (later to become Dayton's department store), the home was sold to Florence and Charles Smallwood. Florence's father, Justin Pierce Moulton had been a business partner of Dayton's. The Smallwoods lived in the home until 1921, when it was inherited by Mary Emmaline Smallwood, who was married to State Senator John Cashel. After Mary died in 1931, Cashel married Ruth Gertz. Following John Cashel's death in 1938, Ruth converted the home to a nursing home and operated it for 50 years, during which time much of the original interior was distorted. In 2002 a non-profit historic preservation group purchased the building for $150,000. Restoration costs were approximately $2,000,000 and it is now operated as a bed and breakfast and available for receptions.
Oct 13, 2012
Posted Date
Jul 12, 2022
Historical Record Date
Oct 13, 2012
Source Name
Wikipedia
Source Website
Dec 23, 2003
Dec 23, 2003
National Register of Historic Places - George Draper Dayton House
Statement of Significance: The George D. Dayton House is significant under National Register of Historic Places Criterion B in the area of commerce for its association with George Draper Dayton and the prominent role he played in the business life and growth of the southwest Minnesota community of Worthington. As president of the Bank of Worthington and the Minnesota Loan and Investment Company, George Dayton facilitated the commercial and cultural development of the community. His business success allowed him to also contribute to the social, educational, and religious life of Worthington. The period of significance for the house extends from 1890 to 1902, from its construction until Dayton and his family left Worthington for Minneapolis. The building fits within the statewide historic context entitled "Railroads and Agricultural Development (1870-1940)." In order to place George Draper Dayton and his position in Worthington in perspective, it is necessary to understand Nobles County and Worthington at the time that Dayton arrived. Events in the early history of Worthington and Nobles County seemed to follow the economic and settlement trends typical of the Upper Midwest at that time. These trends ultimately affected the development of the region, and were factors that guided Dayton's activities in Worthington. Settlement of Nobles County and Worthington Nobles County was established in May of 1857, eight years after the organization of the Minnesota territory and following in the wake of widespread emigration to the territory from eastern states. Located along the Minnesota-Iowa border in the southwestern comer of the state, the county was named for William H. Nobles. A member of the Minnesota territorial legislature in 1854 and 1856, Nobles advocated the construction of a wagon road across southwestern Minnesota. Although established in 1857, permanent settlement in Nobles County did not begin until a decade later. The financial panic of 1857, along with the Spirit Lake Massacre at nearby Spirit Lake, Iowa that same year, ceased the influx of settlers to the territory and significantly reduced activity in southwestern Minnesota. The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, and the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862, halted further emigration and frightened off the few pioneer families in the county. It took another five years before permanent settlers were confident enough to return. In the meantime, trappers frequented much of the region, lured by the plentiful game and numerous lakes, ponds and creeks within the area. Military expeditions against the Indians in the 1860s resulted in the construction of military roads that passed through Nobles County, including one extending from Jackson, Minnesota, west to Yankton, South Dakota. A second road starting in Blue Earth County connected with the Nobles County road near Graham Lakes. This system of roads provided easy access to the heavily forested area of Graham Lakes in northeastern Nobles County, where the Muck brothers, first settlers of the county, came in 1867. The first inhabitants of what would later become Worthington came the following year. Arriving as part of a trapping expedition, W. A. Dillman, Frank Fortner, and John Wilson soon constructed sod dugouts on the northeastern shore of East Lake Okabena. Of the three, Dillman was the only one to stay in Worthington, remaining there for the rest of his life. Larger numbers of settlers came to the region in late 1870 as rumor spread that the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad was to be built through the county. The considerable population increase resulted in the formation of a county government in the fall of 1870. The railroad also led to more permanent settlement as a result of Miller, Humiston & Company's determination to organize "a company for the purpose of locating a colony of settlers in some western country."4 Earlier that year, four Ohio men, D. R. Locke, Professor R. F. Humiston, Dr. A. P. Miller (editor of an Ohio newspaper called the Toledo Blade) and A. P. Miller (no relation), established their company and, after considerable exploration, chose Nobles County. It offered a vast fertile prairie that was ideal for farming, and the new Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad that would provide a connection to the major markets. Construction of the railroad had begun in the spring of 1871 and was scheduled for completion in the spring of the following year. It did not take much time before a deal was made to acquire railroad lands "in 12 townships of Nobles County and three and one-half townships of Osceola County, Iowa."6 The colony founded on this land, known as the National Colony, established its headquarters at the location the railroad had earlier surveyed for its Okabena station. As part of the sale agreement with the railroad, it was up to the founders of the colony to provide a name for the new townsite. The site was eventually called Worthington after Dr. A. P. Miller's mother-in-law's maiden name. His wife's family was very proud of the name for its association with Thomas Worthington, a former governor of Ohio, and General J. T. Worthington, who fought in the American Revolution. Almost immediately after establishment in the fall of 1871, settlers began migrating to the National Colony based in Worthington. Only a few came the first fall, staking their claim and then returning home for the winter, planning to come back the following spring. Over the winter, Miller, Humiston & Company feverishly advertised their new colony in the newspapers of the eastern states. 8 They touted it as a temperance colony offering "no ague, no consumption, no liquor traffic, no desperados, [and] no Indians."9 By the spring of 1872, the company's efforts paid off as colonists flocked to the area, expedited by the establishment of regular rail service to Worthington. During 1872, between 500 and 700 families settled in the colony. A frenzy of construction in Worthington began as more and more people flooded into the blossoming village. By late summer, the number of buildings in Worthington had jumped from 13 the previous fall to 85, including everything from hotels, restaurants and grocery stores to blacksmiths, cobblers and physicians. The village even had a newspaper called the Advance. The colony attracted mostly American-born people with strong religious values, exhibited by the fact that three churches (Congregational, Methodist, and Presbyterian) were established between late 1872 and early 1873 to accommodate the several denominations present in the community. In November of 1873, Worthington was named the county seat. Unfortunately, the prosperity was not meant to last. In June of 1873, a wave of grasshoppers hit the town and, the following year, four successive waves of the insects stripped local fields between June and early August. The grasshoppers continued to sweep the county every summer through 1879. Some farmers became destitute or bankrupt, while others were forced to leave. Regrettably, the grasshopper plague also had a detrimental effect on the National Colony, which 1 / went bankrupt in 1876. Although the colony failed, it was successful in establishing the village of Worthington. Following the losses of the 1870s, Worthington experienced a long period of sustained prosperity. Agriculture boomed in the early 1880s and settlers began supplementing their grain farming with livestock. In 1882, a branch of the Burlington railroad was completed, further connecting Worthington with Spirit Lake, Iowa. More settlers migrated to the area, resulting in new towns and businesses. It was during this period of prosperity that George D. Dayton arrived in Worthington to build his business career.
National Register of Historic Places - George Draper Dayton House
Statement of Significance: The George D. Dayton House is significant under National Register of Historic Places Criterion B in the area of commerce for its association with George Draper Dayton and the prominent role he played in the business life and growth of the southwest Minnesota community of Worthington. As president of the Bank of Worthington and the Minnesota Loan and Investment Company, George Dayton facilitated the commercial and cultural development of the community. His business success allowed him to also contribute to the social, educational, and religious life of Worthington. The period of significance for the house extends from 1890 to 1902, from its construction until Dayton and his family left Worthington for Minneapolis. The building fits within the statewide historic context entitled "Railroads and Agricultural Development (1870-1940)." In order to place George Draper Dayton and his position in Worthington in perspective, it is necessary to understand Nobles County and Worthington at the time that Dayton arrived. Events in the early history of Worthington and Nobles County seemed to follow the economic and settlement trends typical of the Upper Midwest at that time. These trends ultimately affected the development of the region, and were factors that guided Dayton's activities in Worthington. Settlement of Nobles County and Worthington Nobles County was established in May of 1857, eight years after the organization of the Minnesota territory and following in the wake of widespread emigration to the territory from eastern states. Located along the Minnesota-Iowa border in the southwestern comer of the state, the county was named for William H. Nobles. A member of the Minnesota territorial legislature in 1854 and 1856, Nobles advocated the construction of a wagon road across southwestern Minnesota. Although established in 1857, permanent settlement in Nobles County did not begin until a decade later. The financial panic of 1857, along with the Spirit Lake Massacre at nearby Spirit Lake, Iowa that same year, ceased the influx of settlers to the territory and significantly reduced activity in southwestern Minnesota. The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, and the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862, halted further emigration and frightened off the few pioneer families in the county. It took another five years before permanent settlers were confident enough to return. In the meantime, trappers frequented much of the region, lured by the plentiful game and numerous lakes, ponds and creeks within the area. Military expeditions against the Indians in the 1860s resulted in the construction of military roads that passed through Nobles County, including one extending from Jackson, Minnesota, west to Yankton, South Dakota. A second road starting in Blue Earth County connected with the Nobles County road near Graham Lakes. This system of roads provided easy access to the heavily forested area of Graham Lakes in northeastern Nobles County, where the Muck brothers, first settlers of the county, came in 1867. The first inhabitants of what would later become Worthington came the following year. Arriving as part of a trapping expedition, W. A. Dillman, Frank Fortner, and John Wilson soon constructed sod dugouts on the northeastern shore of East Lake Okabena. Of the three, Dillman was the only one to stay in Worthington, remaining there for the rest of his life. Larger numbers of settlers came to the region in late 1870 as rumor spread that the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad was to be built through the county. The considerable population increase resulted in the formation of a county government in the fall of 1870. The railroad also led to more permanent settlement as a result of Miller, Humiston & Company's determination to organize "a company for the purpose of locating a colony of settlers in some western country."4 Earlier that year, four Ohio men, D. R. Locke, Professor R. F. Humiston, Dr. A. P. Miller (editor of an Ohio newspaper called the Toledo Blade) and A. P. Miller (no relation), established their company and, after considerable exploration, chose Nobles County. It offered a vast fertile prairie that was ideal for farming, and the new Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad that would provide a connection to the major markets. Construction of the railroad had begun in the spring of 1871 and was scheduled for completion in the spring of the following year. It did not take much time before a deal was made to acquire railroad lands "in 12 townships of Nobles County and three and one-half townships of Osceola County, Iowa."6 The colony founded on this land, known as the National Colony, established its headquarters at the location the railroad had earlier surveyed for its Okabena station. As part of the sale agreement with the railroad, it was up to the founders of the colony to provide a name for the new townsite. The site was eventually called Worthington after Dr. A. P. Miller's mother-in-law's maiden name. His wife's family was very proud of the name for its association with Thomas Worthington, a former governor of Ohio, and General J. T. Worthington, who fought in the American Revolution. Almost immediately after establishment in the fall of 1871, settlers began migrating to the National Colony based in Worthington. Only a few came the first fall, staking their claim and then returning home for the winter, planning to come back the following spring. Over the winter, Miller, Humiston & Company feverishly advertised their new colony in the newspapers of the eastern states. 8 They touted it as a temperance colony offering "no ague, no consumption, no liquor traffic, no desperados, [and] no Indians."9 By the spring of 1872, the company's efforts paid off as colonists flocked to the area, expedited by the establishment of regular rail service to Worthington. During 1872, between 500 and 700 families settled in the colony. A frenzy of construction in Worthington began as more and more people flooded into the blossoming village. By late summer, the number of buildings in Worthington had jumped from 13 the previous fall to 85, including everything from hotels, restaurants and grocery stores to blacksmiths, cobblers and physicians. The village even had a newspaper called the Advance. The colony attracted mostly American-born people with strong religious values, exhibited by the fact that three churches (Congregational, Methodist, and Presbyterian) were established between late 1872 and early 1873 to accommodate the several denominations present in the community. In November of 1873, Worthington was named the county seat. Unfortunately, the prosperity was not meant to last. In June of 1873, a wave of grasshoppers hit the town and, the following year, four successive waves of the insects stripped local fields between June and early August. The grasshoppers continued to sweep the county every summer through 1879. Some farmers became destitute or bankrupt, while others were forced to leave. Regrettably, the grasshopper plague also had a detrimental effect on the National Colony, which 1 / went bankrupt in 1876. Although the colony failed, it was successful in establishing the village of Worthington. Following the losses of the 1870s, Worthington experienced a long period of sustained prosperity. Agriculture boomed in the early 1880s and settlers began supplementing their grain farming with livestock. In 1882, a branch of the Burlington railroad was completed, further connecting Worthington with Spirit Lake, Iowa. More settlers migrated to the area, resulting in new towns and businesses. It was during this period of prosperity that George D. Dayton arrived in Worthington to build his business career.
Posted Date
Jul 12, 2022
Historical Record Date
Dec 23, 2003
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
