Do You Know The Story Behind This Unique Minnesota Home?
Whether you are entering or leaving Medford on County Road 45 chances are you've noticed a large white home on the East side of the road. The home looks like it is a hodgepodge of buildings put together ending with a large barn at the rear. Whenever I drive by I ask myself what was the reason all of these buildings are built and seemingly connected to each other. The answer is because that's the way it was meant to be built, as it was a popular style of home in New England where the original owner of the property was from.
I found a social media post about the unique home over the weekend and had no idea about the significance of the home here in Minnesota.
The home was originally built by Daniel S. Piper a lumberman from New Hampshire in 1877. Historic Design Consulting LLC posted about the home and said in the post that "Piper reasoned that the New England style farm, where all the outbuildings are connected to the house, would be practical in Minnesota. He even hired a team of Yankee carpenters to build the complex, which includes the house, a summer kitchen, woodshed, granary, and barn."
The home is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1975 the home was listed on the National Register "for having state-level significance in the themes of agriculture, architecture, and exploration/settlement. It was nominated for being the only surviving example of a distinctive property type and for being a symbol of Minnesota's many New Englander pioneers."
You can see photos of the home, in better condition, from 1967 and 1879 below. It would be expensive, but it would be great if someone invested in the home and fixed it up to look like it did even in 1967.
The Best Country Singer From Every State
Come Visit Lake Henry, Minnesota in Pictures