National Historic Landmark

St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn

Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota
Listed
June 2, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80000409

About this property

The St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn is a historic residence in Stillwater Township, Minnesota, United States, built circa 1885. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its local significance in the theme of industry. It was nominated as the only known standing building associated with the St. Croix Boom Company, which operated a log boom critical to Minnesota's logging industry from 1856 to 1914. The St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn is located directly across Minnesota State Highway 95 from the St. Croix Boom Site, two miles (3.2 km) north of the city of Stillwater. The house has two stories while the barn has one and a half. Both are sided with clapboard and sport decorative spindlework on their gables. The house has a one-story wraparound porch. Originally built on a simple rectangular plan, the house has been modified with additions to the south and west, plus a dormer on the west. The house and barn were built around 1885 for W. Frank McGray, who served as the superintendent of the boom site for 34 years, from 1871 to 1905. McGray and his family had been living on a farm on the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River until his employer built him this official residence on company property adjacent to the boom site. McGray purchased the house from the Boom Company in 1895 and continued to live in it from his retirement in 1905 until he sold the property in 1919. McGray had worked for the Boom Company since its founding in 1856, and he reportedly sent the first log through on opening day. When the log boom closed on June 12, 1914, the 80-year-old retired superintendent was honored by being the one to send the last log through as well. National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Minnesota

Location

Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota
45.08642, -92.78496

Categories

INDUSTRY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

St. Croix Boom Site
Listed
0.1 mi
Pest House
Industrial
1.1 mi
Stillwater Commercial Historic District
Industrial
2 mi
Minnesota Territorial-State Prison Warden's House
Early Republic
2 mi
Stillwater Bridge
Industrial
2.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn listed on the National Register?

St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1980.

What type of historic resource is St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn?

St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn?

The period of significance for St. Croix Boom Company House and Barn is recorded as the industrial era.

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