South 4th Proctor House
John and Caroline Proctor are associated with two distinguished homes in Stillwater. The first, this 1850s Greek Revival, perches above the city, one of the very earliest remaining homes in Stillwater. Set back from the street and well above street level, with the outer edges of the lot screened by foliage, the home appears quite secluded today, but would have been a distinctive and highly visible building at the time of construction. The lovely front entrance with its straight staircase, double columns and elegant tympanum has been preserved well and is a distinguishing feature. Numerous additions at the rear of the home likely more than doubled the original size of the house; some were completed by 1888 and others are more recent._x000D_ _x000D_ John Proctor arrived in Stillwater in 1849 from Missouri. From 1852 to 1856, he owned a general merchandise business of Short, Proctor and Company, offering lynx muffs, buffalo overshoes and fresh butter to those profiting from Stillwater`s boom. He then opened a hardware store with his brother under the name Proctor Brothers, which closed in 1860. At that time, he was appointed as warden of the Minnesota State Prison, a position which he held until 1868. Under Proctor, conditions for prisoners were improved, both for the prisoners and for those charged with supervising them. He instituted plans in which prisoners received a reduction in time served for good behavior, and also began utilizing a black and white, horizontal striped prisoner uniform that made escapees easier to identify. _x000D_ _x000D_ Proctor served two terms as register of deeds and postmaster, and three terms as mayor, from 1877 to 1880. He also went into business with the St. Croix Boom Company, a major, and lucrative, endeavor, until 1880, and in 1881 was appointed by Governor Pillsbury as the surveyor general of logs and lumber of the first district. As the brother of Elizabeth Churchill (wife of Levi Churchill), Proctor for some time also managed the Churchill interests for the firm of Churchill and Nelson, major landholders on the South Hill. _x000D_ _x000D_ The 1875 state census lists John, Caroline and son Levi, as well as 18 year old niece Maggie Morse and 20 year old Johanna Settecham as household members. The 1882-1883 directory places Henry L. Pevey, a steamboat captain, in this house as the new resident at 218 (today 220) South 4th Street, with the Proctors relocating to their new home at 522 South 6th Street (also a Landmark home). While the home changed owners regularly through the years, by the mid 1940s it was occupied by Russell Gilbert and his family, who remained in the home for over twenty years. During this period, Gilbert owned the (now razed) Union Depot in Stillwater, where he fabricated radio and television parts.
South 4th Proctor House
John and Caroline Proctor are associated with two distinguished homes in Stillwater. The first, this 1850s Greek Revival, perches above the city, one of the very earliest remaining homes in Stillwater. Set back from the street and well above street level, with the outer edges of the lot screened by foliage, the home appears quite secluded today, but would have been a distinctive and highly visible building at the time of construction. The lovely front entrance with its straight staircase, double columns and elegant tympanum has been preserved well and is a distinguishing feature. Numerous additions at the rear of the home likely more than doubled the original size of the house; some were completed by 1888 and others are more recent._x000D_ _x000D_ John Proctor arrived in Stillwater in 1849 from Missouri. From 1852 to 1856, he owned a general merchandise business of Short, Proctor and Company, offering lynx muffs, buffalo overshoes and fresh butter to those profiting from Stillwater`s boom. He then opened a hardware store with his brother under the name Proctor Brothers, which closed in 1860. At that time, he was appointed as warden of the Minnesota State Prison, a position which he held until 1868. Under Proctor, conditions for prisoners were improved, both for the prisoners and for those charged with supervising them. He instituted plans in which prisoners received a reduction in time served for good behavior, and also began utilizing a black and white, horizontal striped prisoner uniform that made escapees easier to identify. _x000D_ _x000D_ Proctor served two terms as register of deeds and postmaster, and three terms as mayor, from 1877 to 1880. He also went into business with the St. Croix Boom Company, a major, and lucrative, endeavor, until 1880, and in 1881 was appointed by Governor Pillsbury as the surveyor general of logs and lumber of the first district. As the brother of Elizabeth Churchill (wife of Levi Churchill), Proctor for some time also managed the Churchill interests for the firm of Churchill and Nelson, major landholders on the South Hill. _x000D_ _x000D_ The 1875 state census lists John, Caroline and son Levi, as well as 18 year old niece Maggie Morse and 20 year old Johanna Settecham as household members. The 1882-1883 directory places Henry L. Pevey, a steamboat captain, in this house as the new resident at 218 (today 220) South 4th Street, with the Proctors relocating to their new home at 522 South 6th Street (also a Landmark home). While the home changed owners regularly through the years, by the mid 1940s it was occupied by Russell Gilbert and his family, who remained in the home for over twenty years. During this period, Gilbert owned the (now razed) Union Depot in Stillwater, where he fabricated radio and television parts.
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Heirloom Homes and Landmark
