Minnesota Historical Society Sites - The Alexander Ramsay House

Erica Vetsch here:

Continuing our series on Minnesota Historical Society sites, this month's featured site is The Alexander Ramsey House. 

One of the most well-preserved Victorian homes in Minnesota, the Alexander Ramsey House, located in the beautiful Irving Park neighborhood of St. Paul, depicts life as it was in Minnesota in 1870.  Every room of the mansion is full of Victorian furnishings, artwork, and Ramsey Family artifacts.

The house in wintertime, decorated for Christmas here

 The house is important to Minnesota history because it was the home of the first territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey. Governor Ramsey was married to Anna Earl Jenks, and the couple had three children, but only daughter Marion survived to adulthood. Ramsey was not only the first territorial governor of Minnesota, but also served as the second governor after Minnesota became a state. Governor Ramsey was in Washington DC when in 1861, President Lincoln called for volunteer troops to serve in the Union Army. Ramsey was the first governor to pledge troops, and the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry proved their mettle in many battles, the most significant being repelling Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, the pivotal moment in the pivotal battle in the Civil War.

Governor Alexander Ramsey

The Alexander Ramsey House, located in St. Paul, MN, is now owned and operated as an historical interpretive site by the Minnesota Historical Society. The house is also one of the most often used for special tours and events called Ramsey House After Dark. You can explore famous murder trials, Victorian traditions, historic events of the Twin Cities, and customs and practices of Americans of the nineteenth century.

Michelle Griep, myself, and Gabrielle Meyer (Fellow HHH blogger)
at a Ramsey After Dark event in 2016

The museum offers guided tours, lovely grounds, and a gift shop (located in the carriage house) with Victorian-themed items.

Erica Vetsch is a transplanted Kansan now residing in Minnesota. She loves history and romance, and is blessed to be able to combine the two by writing historical romances. Whenever she’s not immersed in fictional worlds, she’s the company bookkeeper for the family lumber business, mother of two, wife to a man who is her total opposite and soul-mate, and avid museum patron.

You can visit her online at www.ericavetsch.com and on Facebook at Erica Vetsch Author