Stearns House (1869)
Purchased in early 1869 by the state of Minnesota, the Stearns House was the first building of the Third State Normal School Classes began on September 15, 1869, with 50 students.
Stearns House, 1869-1884
Need
In 1858, the first state legislature authorized three normal schools be established within the next 15 years. The purpose was to educate and prepare teachers to teach in Minnesota public schools. Preceded by normal schools in Winona and Mankato, the state authorized St. Cloud to issue bonds to raise $5000. The funds were then matched by the state to establish the Third State Normal School.
Selection of Normal School in St. Cloud
In February 1869, the state normal school selected the Stearns House as home for the new Third State Normal School. Stearns House was owned by William M. Hooper and one of the four sites considered by the board. The building and surrounding property were purchased for $3,000. The board authorized remodeling, which cost an additional $3,434.47. In July 1869, the state normal board finalized the Stearns House site as the school’s permanent home.
Origin of the Stearns House
In 1853, the area that became St. Cloud was being settled. The city of St. Cloud was established in 1856 that united three areas – Upper Town, Middle Town, and Lower Town. Charles T. Stearns, namesake of Stearns County, opened the Stearns House in 1856 on the banks of the Mississippi River in Lower Town.
An advertisement from the St. Cloud Visiter newspaper on May 13, 1858, described the building:
This new and beautiful Hotel is situated upon the bluff just above the Lower Ferry in the town of St. Cloud, commanding one of the most beautiful views on the Mississippi river. The Proprietor assures all who may visit this place that his table shall contain every bounty and luxury which can be obtained both at home and abroad. It is his intention to keep the above hotel as a first class one in every respect.
In 1857-1858, slavery was legal in the Minnesota territory, thanks to the Dred Scott decision and the Fugitive Slave Act. Thus, tourism from wealthy Southern slaveholders was popular in Minnesota in the late 1850s. Southerners often brought slaves, described as “servants,” and stayed at the Stearns House. Once Minnesota became a state in May 1858, slavery again was outlawed but did not stop southerners from bringing their slaves when visiting. It stopped at the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861.
Acquisition and Opening of the Third State Normal School
The building continued as a hotel until it was sold to the state in early 1869. Soon after the sale, an ad appeared in the March 25, 1869, edition of the St. Cloud Journal. The ad announced the hotel’s sale of hotel furniture by owner Captain H. Tilden’s widow. Furniture offered included office, parlor, dining room, kitchen and bedroom, as well as bedding, carpets, and stoves. By May 1869, 10 men were renovating the building to be home of the Third State Normal School. The May 6, 1869, issue of the St. Cloud Journal reported that the workmen were “putting under a new foundation, building new chimneys, and repainting” while remodeling inside was to begin soon.
On September 15, 1869, the south facing building (with five acres of land) opened for classes. 40 women and 10 men were in attendance, as well as 70 children for the model school. The first floor contained the “main normal room” that measured 26 x 30 feet and a smaller “normal room.” The second floor housed the model school and contained two classrooms, two cloak rooms, and a library. The third floor had seven rooms and used as living quarters for students while the finished fourth floor was “a general depository for surplus articles.”
Old Main and Stearns House, 1877
Use after Old Main Opened
Stearns House was never intended to be the permanent home of the new school. Shortly after the 1869 opening, construction began on the foundation and basement of a new main building to open for the 1871/72 academic year - but did not. Due to the lack of state appropriations to build, complete, and furnish the main building, Stearns House served as the only building for the Third State Normal School until 1874 when “Old Main” opened.
After Old Main’s opening, the Stearns House, now called “The Normal Home for Ladies,” was refitted as a dormitory for 25 students. It served this purpose until fall 1885, when the new Ladies’ Home (later renamed Lawrence Hall) opened. According to the 1885/86 St. Cloud State course catalog, Stearns House was to be refitted to house male students and called “Young Men’s Hall.” Later course catalogs, nor the Normalia student journal, made any further mentions of “Young Men’s Hall.”
Sale and Demolition
The building stood until 1895 but its use is unknown. At the state normal board meeting of April 26, 1895, Stearns House building and an adjoining shed were sold to prominent St. Cloud citizen Albert G. Whitney for $51. According to the May 9, 1895, edition of the St. Cloud Journal-Press, Whitney intended "to use the lumber to build a number of cottages on his vacant lots."
Stearns House historic plaque, April 1970
Historic Plaque
As part of St. Cloud State's centennial celebration in 1969, historic plaques were placed around campus. These plaques marked historic places on the St. Cloud State campus, including the Stearns House.
Architecture
The Stearns House was a wonderful example of Gothic Revival architecture. The building’s interior was graced with red-draped curtains and elegant furnishings. Gothic Revival buildings such as the Stearns House made use of decorative gingerbread trim which literally dripped from porches and cornice lines. It showed the influence of decorations found along steamboat decks. The invention of the scroll saw made this kind of ornamentation universal.
Additional sources:
- St. Cloud Journal, February 18, 1869
- St. Cloud Journal, August 19, 1869
- Mitchell, William Bell (1915). History of Stearns County Minnesota. H.C. Cooper, Jr., & Co.