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Spicer Castle Demolished - Willmarradio

Spicer Castle Demolished
JP Cola Jun 9, 2020 Updated Jun 9, 2020

(Spicer MN-) The Spicer Castle on Green Lake has been demolished. Diane Buzzeo, owner of Marketing Concepts in Willmar, says she purchased the property on the southeast side of Green Lake in December, and after spending months exploring ways to possibly preserve the 127 year old landmark, it was decided to salvage what they could from it and demolish it, which took place Monday. Buzzeo says it would have cost millions of dollars to try and properly restore the property, and the tax burden would have been enormous. She says after the property is cleaned up, in the near future they plan to build 10 to 12 luxury no-maintenance condominium units which will be called Castles on Green. She says they will be large units with underground parking, and they will try to work a castle theme into the design. Buzzeo says they hope to keep the concrete steps leading the lake, which are in a poor state of repair, and restore the lagoon to it's original grandeur. Jill Wohnoutka of the Kandiyohi County Historical Society says it was built in 1897 by regional business tycoon John Spicer who lived in it with his family.

Eventually it was owned by Bill Latham, who's great grandmother was John Spicer's daughter, and when he passed away it was owned by Latham's daughter Mary, who sold it to Buzzeo. The house became a bed and breakfast about 35 years ago, and a restaurant about 10 years ago. Wohnoutka says the historical society discussed ways to try and save the house, which was listed on The National Register of Historic Places.

Diane Buzzeo says they will likely break ground on the Castles on Green in the next 18 months to 2 years.

Medayto Cottage, also known as Spicer Castle

Originally named Medayto Cottage, this grand home sitting on Green Lake in Spicer, Minnesota was built circa 1895 by John M. Spicer. To this day it is still owned by the family and, for the last 20 years, has been run as a Bed and Breakfast by his great-granddaughter under the name Spicer Castle. ( in Dakota “Medayto” translates to “Green Lake”)

John Mason Spicer was born in 1841 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the son of a Swiss father and Irish mother, and the only boy in a household of nine children. In 1852 his family moved to Illinois where he later took a position as a clerk in a general merchandising firm. Eight years later he was transferred to St. Paul, Minnesota, but took up a position soon after with Ingersoll and Company. Looking to expand into Belle Plaine, he was offered a partnership with Ingersoll and became a manager of a new store in that area. While in Belle Plaine, he met his future wife, Frances Deming, and in 1871, moved to Willmar, and established general merchandise and farm implement business with Andrew Larson.

As the local community grew, Spicer furthered his business ventures by organizing the Kandiyohi County Bank in 1879 with other investors (of which he was president of the bank until 1884) and also formed the Central Land Company in 1882. It was in this same year that Spicer helped champion the idea of creating a railroad line through the county, connecting the region with Duluth and southwest Minnesota. The Lake Superior, Willmar, and Dakota Railroad Company was formed in 1883 with Spiced elected as its president. An astounding $1.25 Million was raised ($31 Million in today’s dollars) for the construction of the new line. With James J. Hill’s support, the line from St. Cloud to Willmar was completed in 1886. Another line, from Willmar to Sioux Falls was completed in 1888.

Having become a major land owner and developer in Kandiyohi County, Spicer built Medayto Farm on a large parcel of lakeshore on the south side of Green Lake in 1885. Ten years later he built his summer home Medayto Cottage overlooking the lake.

It was in the 1930’s that local fishermen began commonly identifying the home for locating fishing spots as Spicer’s Castle, and the name stuck. Now known as Spicer Castle, even though none of his seven children or grandchildren were allowed to call it a “castle”, the home was enlarged and redesigned in the Tudor Revival style in 1913 with the help of Minneapolis architect J. E. Mason. It sits on 5 acres of lakeshore and still has the original bee house, greenhouse, barn, and a small log cottage on the property, though all have been turned into private rooms for the bed and breakfast. It is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Spicer Castle by West Central Tribune

Spicer Castle to close: Family of John Spicer has owned lake cottage for 123 years

SPICER -- A historic Spicer community landmark that operates as a restaurant and bed and breakfast on the southeast shore of Green Lake is closing and is for sale.

By Carolyn Lange
May 17, 2018 08:00 PM


SPICER - A historic Spicer community landmark that operates as a restaurant and bed and breakfast on the southeast shore of Green Lake is closing and is for sale.

The change could bring an end to the 123-year ownership of the Spicer Castle by the family of the man who built the structure and helped found the town that bears his name.

"This is the last season the Spicer Castle will be open," said Mary Latham, a fourth-generation member of the John M. Spicer family who has owned the classic old lake home since 1895.

Spicer - an entrepreneur who experimented with new farming practices and helped bring the railroad to the area - built the home for his family near the town that's named after him.

Thirty years ago - faced with a decision to either sell the deteriorating and unused property or improve it and make its history available to the public - Latham said the family turned the house into an inn and restaurant.

Spicer's grandson, Allen Latham, owns the property. Mary Latham is his daughter and has been heavily involved with running the business.

She said the family made the "difficult" decision to close the Spicer Castle and put the property up for sale. They told their 12 employees last week, which Latham said was not easy.

There's no timeline yet on when it will close, but she said "for sale" signs will be up by next week and that an auction will be held to sell the furnishings of the main lodge and other guest houses on the five-acre lot.

"As a community, I'd say it's a loss," said Spicer Mayor Denny Baker, who called the Spicer Castle a "unique" destination spot that's enjoyed by many.

The Spicer Castle is well-known throughout the state and helps bring people to the community, he said.

Participants in last week's Governor's Fishing Opener toured the Spicer Castle and "really enjoyed seeing the facility because of its age and notoriety with the Spicer family," Baker said.

"If this is true and it goes through, I'd hope someone would be able to pick it up and keep it open to the public," Baker said. "I'd really hate to see somebody come in and destroy it."

Mary Latham said whatever happens to the Spicer Castle will be up to whoever purchases the property.

Part of the reason for the closure is a change in how families vacation and a decline in the popularity of bed and breakfast lodging, she said.

"People's lives are so busy it's hard for families to find the time to get away," she said.

In the past, people would make reservations months in advance. Now reservations are "last minute," she said.

Resorts that were once popular on Minnesota lakes have been disappearing and replaced with residential developments.

When the Spicer Castle opened as a business in 1988, there were 17 resorts on Green Lake, said Allen Latham in a news release. "Today, the Inn is the last lodging facility located on the shores of Green Lake," he said.

They turned the family lodge into a business to "preserve this little piece of rural Minnesota History," he said.

The architecture and furnishings of the main lodge catapult guests back to the past when families spent summers swimming in lakes and eating ice cream on porches.

"They said John Spicer picked that piece of property because of the sunset," said Mary Latham.

When he built the lodge, John Spicer did not call it a castle. It was called Medayto Cottage, said Latham, who said she believes the word "medayto" is the Dakota word for green.

As the story goes, in the 1930s fishermen on Green Lake referenced favorite fishing spots by their proximity to the cottage, which they called Spicer's castle. The home does feature a castle-like turret in between two gabled roofs.

Pretty soon that name started showing up on fishing maps and it stuck, although Mary Latham said her grandfather would correct her when she called it the Spicer Castle and insisted that it be called Medayto Cottage.

Making the decision to put the property up for sale was not easy, she said. "We've been going back and forth whether to keep the property or not keep the property," she said.

"It just came down to the realization that my father is getting older and the family has dwindled down and there's not a lot of interest in the future generations for keeping the inn," she said. "Very tough decision, but one made by the family to close the inn," she said.

Given the choice of running the business or caring for her 87-year-old father, she said, "You only get one father."

The Lathams said they cherish their employees and memories of meeting guests over the decades.

"We're very thankful to the community," said Mary Latham. "They've been very supportive of the inn throughout the years."

She said information about the closure timeline will be posted on the Spicer Castle website, www.spicercastle.com

Postcards: Spicer Castle

Absorb the rich history of the Spicer Castle.

Spicer Castle Bed & Breakfast Inn - ResortsandLodges

Spicer Castle Bed & Breakfast Inn - Spicer, MN by ResortsandLodges

National Register of Historic Places - Spicer Castle

Statement of Significance:

The John Spicer Summer House and Farm is significant for its association with a prominent figure in the development of central Minnesota and as an extremely well-preserved summer home complex in the popular resort area of Green Lake. John Spicer was born in 1841 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, grew up in Illinois, and came to St. Paul in 1860. After living in that city, and in Belle Plaine for a short time, he moved to Willmar in 1871, arriving there the same year that the St. Paul, Manitoba, and Pacific was completed from St. Paul through Willmar to Breckenridge. He began a mercantile business, was active in establishing the Kandiyohi County Bank in 1879, and was instrumental in educational, social, religious, and political organizations. Spicer was an important force in the development of railway connections between Willmar and St. Cloud and in the construction of the Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway; these two lines, which became a part of the Great Northern system, provided a link between the agricultural areas around Willmar and in southwestern Minnesota and the port facilities of Duluth. (Spicer's daughter, Eunice Latham, writes of the association between James Hill and Spicer in the development of these lines in a family biography). Spicer was also head of the Willmar and Sioux Falls Townsite Company which developed the townsites along the line (the towns of Russell, Ruthton, and Rajnnond are named after Spicer children, and the town of Spicer was named after- Spicer himself). Farmlands, particularly in Kandiyohi County, were developed and sold under the Spicer Land Company. In the mid-1880s, Spicer acquired land on the southeast shore of Green Lake and began a farming operation there, naming it "Medayto" after the Chippewa name for "Green Water". This complex was subsequently expanded to include a summer home and support buildings on the lakeshore. Green Lake was popular an early popular summer haven, attracting vacationers from a wide area of the prairies of southwestern and central Minnesota. The Spicer Summer Home complex, which remains virtually unchanged since a 1913 remodeling project, is an Important remnant from this early seasonal development.

John M. Spicer Summer House and Farm is significant for its association with a prominent figure in the development of central Minnesota and as an extremely well-preserved early twentieth century summer home complex in the popular resort area of Green Lake.

John Spicer was born in 1841 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, grew up in Illinois, moved to St. Paul in 1860, and arrived in Willmar in 1870. In 1869 Spicer was married to Eliza Frances Deming, with whom he had seven children. He started a mercantile business in Willmar, was active in establishing the Kandiyohi County Bank and the First National Bank of Willmar, and was instrumental in educational, social, religious, and political organizations. Spicer was an important force in the development of north-south railway connections through Kandiyohi County, convincing James J. Hill to build a rail line between St. Cloud and Willmar (built 1886) and heading the Willmar and Sioux Falls Railroad company (incorporated 1886) which extended Hill's line southward from Willmar to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Spicer was one of the county's largest real estate developers and the head of the Willmar and Sioux Falls Townsite Company which developed the townsites along the Willmar and Sioux Falls line, including the town of Spicer, platted on the west shore of Green Lake north of Willmar in 1886. In addition, farmlands in Kandiyohi County were developed and sold by the Spicer Land Company which owned over 100 farms in the Green Lake area alone.

Green Lake, who became the focus of Spicer's attention beginning in the I880's, is an unusually clear and scenic lake in central Kandiyohi County which was the site of the first settlement in the county and eventually developed into one of southwestern and central Minnesota's most famous nineteenth century resort areas. Kandiyohi's first settler, E.T. Woodcock staked a claim on the west shore of the lake in 1856, and Green Lake was the site of two of the county's earliest platted townsites, Columbia and Irving, which were platted in 1856 and 1857 on the west and east shores respectively, but which were both abandoned at the outbreak of the Dakota War of 1862 and not reestablished. (John Spicer platted his town of Spicer on the former site of Columbia.) Beginning in 1886 when, thanks to John Spicer's efforts, the St. Cloud and Sioux Falls Railroad was built along the west shore of the lake and the townsite of Spicer was platted. Green Lake quickly developed into a well-known resort area. The lake was served by excursion trains from Willmar, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities, steam launches including the "Green Lake Belle" (formerly used on Lake Minnetonka as the "Minnetonka Star") ran tourists about on the lake, early tourists searched for relics in several Indian mounds on the lake shore, and the region became known as a prime hunting spot. Several resort hotels were established, the most well-known and earliest being the Interlachen Hotel, a 70-guest capacity resort built in 1890 at the northwest corner of the lake (razed in 1946), and the Hotel Teepeetonka, a hotel and cottage complex built 1894 for 100 guests on the north shore (razed in I960). As tourists elected to become seasonal residents, summer houses were built along the lake shore. Most were modest in scale, but a few large summer estates were built by the region's wealthiest families. By World War I the lake was the site of many smaller resort cottage complexes catering to the middle class.

In 1886 Spicer acquired land on the southeast shore of Green Lake, across from the newly platted town of Spicer, and established a farm, naming it "Medayto" after the Chippewa name for the lake. His farm served as "model" farm on which he could pursue his interest in progressive farming practices. The farmstead, which included a farmhouse, dairy barn, milk house, horse barn, stock barn, granary, and corn crib, was subsequently expanded to include a summer home and support buildings on the lakeshore. The summer house was built in 1893 and remodeled in 1913 by Minneapolis architect J. E. Mason. It served as the Spicer family’s residence for April through October from 1893-1928.

The summer house complex, with a fifteen-room house and lodge, boat house, ice house, and other structures, was the most extensive early summer complex built on Green Lake and one of the sites which best represents the area's significance as a popular resort. Today the Spicer complex, and the C. A. Rice Estate on the western shore of the lake, are the only two remaining pre-World War I estates on the lake. (In comparison, the Spicer is the most famous and has earlier roots and stronger links to the history of Green Lake and the city of Spicer, while the Rice Estate is the only extant site in the county which represents the Rice family who were important to the early history of Willmar.) Almost all other large summer homes have been altered beyond recognition or demolished, their supporting buildings razed, and their grounds subdivided and sold as land values on the shore continue to rise. Nearly all other remnants of Green Lake's early tourist trade, including more modest early summer homes and all early resort hotels, have been altered considerably or demolished. Today there are six resorts on Green Lake, some dating from the 1920's but all with modern (new or remodeled) facilities, and about 650 residences along the shore of Green Lake.

The Spicer Summer House and Farm complex, which remains virtually unchanged since its 1913 remodeling project, is known widely as a local landmark. The Spicer property is now owned and occupied by third generation family members. It was included in a recent eight-month historic sites survey of Kandiyohi County conducted by the State Historic Preservation Office and is one of west central Minnesota's best examples of railroad-related tourism development.