Christian & Hannah Thompson House
Alexander Wilkin was born in New York State; member of a prominent family. He came to St. Paul in 1849 where he practiced law. Subsequently he served as the U.S. Marshall to Minnesota and ran for the U.S. Congress as a supporter of Stephen Douglas rather than Abraham Lincoln. But, like most monied Minnesotans while working at these other occupations, he invested in real estate. In 1856, he purchased 80 acres in Stillwater and mapped out Wilkins Addition between Wilkin and Moore Streets; between Fourth and William Streets. He named Wilkin Street for himself. (It is Wilkin and not Wilkins Street.) When the Civil War broke out a few years later, Wilkin recruited the first company of the first regiment for the war. Because Wilkin was a small man, weighing little more than 100 pounds, he became known during his war service as The Little Captain. He was shot through the heart in a battle in Tupelo, Mississippi on July 14, 1864._x000D_ _x000D_ At 310 West Wilkin Street in Stillwater is an attractive vernacular style house built in 1884 (and valued at $670) by Christian Thompson who had purchased his lot two years earlier. Christian was born in Denmark in 1855; his wife, Hannah was born in Denmark in 1853; they came to Stillwater in 1880. Trained as a cabinet maker, Christian soon went to work for the Stillwater Manufacturing Company, a local corporation specializing in high grade interior finishing, bank, store and office fixtures, and special cabinet work; in short, almost anything made to order from wood._x000D_ _x000D_ In 1894 the plant of the Stillwater Manufacturing Company burned, and, only with a great deal of financial support from the townspeople, was the business resurrected. By 1902, Christian was the vice-president of this corporation which brought jobs and economic development to the City of Stillwater as the lumbering industry collapsed. The last of the Main Street buildings of the Stillwater Manufacturing Company were recently demolished to make way for the Stillwater Mills condominiums._x000D_ _x000D_ During his rise as a businessman, Christian continued living at 310 West Wilkin raising a growing family of six children. In 1914, Christian applied for a building permit to raise the roof on the ell of the house, as well as put on a porch, a job valued at $400. _x000D_ _x000D_ The house is typical of those built in the 1880s. The decorative hoods over the original window openings, the ornament in the gable, the small portico over the front door, the three windows evenly spaced on the second floor with a first floor window (and the door) directly underneath, are all characteristic of that period. The typical floor plan of this side entry house would be a stairway on the left as you enter, a corridor leading back into the house, and two rooms behind each other on the right.
Christian & Hannah Thompson House
Alexander Wilkin was born in New York State; member of a prominent family. He came to St. Paul in 1849 where he practiced law. Subsequently he served as the U.S. Marshall to Minnesota and ran for the U.S. Congress as a supporter of Stephen Douglas rather than Abraham Lincoln. But, like most monied Minnesotans while working at these other occupations, he invested in real estate. In 1856, he purchased 80 acres in Stillwater and mapped out Wilkins Addition between Wilkin and Moore Streets; between Fourth and William Streets. He named Wilkin Street for himself. (It is Wilkin and not Wilkins Street.) When the Civil War broke out a few years later, Wilkin recruited the first company of the first regiment for the war. Because Wilkin was a small man, weighing little more than 100 pounds, he became known during his war service as The Little Captain. He was shot through the heart in a battle in Tupelo, Mississippi on July 14, 1864._x000D_ _x000D_ At 310 West Wilkin Street in Stillwater is an attractive vernacular style house built in 1884 (and valued at $670) by Christian Thompson who had purchased his lot two years earlier. Christian was born in Denmark in 1855; his wife, Hannah was born in Denmark in 1853; they came to Stillwater in 1880. Trained as a cabinet maker, Christian soon went to work for the Stillwater Manufacturing Company, a local corporation specializing in high grade interior finishing, bank, store and office fixtures, and special cabinet work; in short, almost anything made to order from wood._x000D_ _x000D_ In 1894 the plant of the Stillwater Manufacturing Company burned, and, only with a great deal of financial support from the townspeople, was the business resurrected. By 1902, Christian was the vice-president of this corporation which brought jobs and economic development to the City of Stillwater as the lumbering industry collapsed. The last of the Main Street buildings of the Stillwater Manufacturing Company were recently demolished to make way for the Stillwater Mills condominiums._x000D_ _x000D_ During his rise as a businessman, Christian continued living at 310 West Wilkin raising a growing family of six children. In 1914, Christian applied for a building permit to raise the roof on the ell of the house, as well as put on a porch, a job valued at $400. _x000D_ _x000D_ The house is typical of those built in the 1880s. The decorative hoods over the original window openings, the ornament in the gable, the small portico over the front door, the three windows evenly spaced on the second floor with a first floor window (and the door) directly underneath, are all characteristic of that period. The typical floor plan of this side entry house would be a stairway on the left as you enter, a corridor leading back into the house, and two rooms behind each other on the right.
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2021
Source Name
Heirloom Homes and Landmark
