History Center of Olmsted County
The George Stoppel Farmstead is the jewel of the History Center of Olmsted County's (HCOC) 46 acre site, and a legacy to South Eastern Minnesota farming history.
The Stoppel family settled this land in what is now Rochester, Minnesota (Olmsted County) in 1856, when Minnesota was still a territory. The farmstead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and was acquired by HCOC in 1976. The Stoppel Family story inspires a variety of educational interpretations including master building skills and design, subsistence to market agriculture, immigration (19th Century and Contemporary), life skills, indigenous people's history and environmental studies. Through the years, people from our community have gathered here to work on many restoration projects or to simply enjoy "Movies on the Barn" or musical presentations. The site is widely photographed, and is a popular backdrop for important milestones (weddings, proms, etc.) in area resident's lives. This landmark reflects our agrarian heritage and culture of hard work and perseverance.
The construction quality of these buildings is exceptional. Limestone from the surrounding hillsides was used to build all of the buildings. The Stoppel's spent their first winter in the cave house, but as they prospered, they erected a two-story stone house, a backhouse featuring a prominent cupola, workshops, and the grand German style dogleg barn. The soaring timber frame barn interior inspires admiration in adults and children alike.
The HCOC's staff and volunteers have worked hard to stabilize and preserve the Stoppel Farmstead since acquiring the property. Past donations and grants have allowed the HCOC to implement critical restoration projects and to ensure that the buildings do not disappear as so many handsome farmsteads in the region have over time. However, given the size and age of the site, and cutbacks in government funding, current restoration needs greatly outpace our resources.
Our first priority is to stabilize deteriorating features that present; safety issues for our staff and visitors, lack of access for community members who would like to use the site for gatherings and events, and insufficient protection for a large collection of 19th century farming equipment. Critical issues include deteriorated window sills, crumbling foundations, and water damage in the stone house, broken ceiling timbers in the workshop, warped barn doors and assorted pest issues in the barn, and an unstable cupola on the backhouse. And let us not forget our mascot "Cee Cee" the cave cricket and her family who live in the stone produce storage cave at the back of property. We would like to tour this cave with visiting school children to teach them about pioneer food storage techniques and cave cricket habitat, but at present the exterior entrance walls are badly deteriorated making the cave unsafe to access.
Thank you for considering HCOC's George Stoppel Farmstead for the This Place Matters Community Challenge. The George Stoppel Farmstead enhances the HCOC's role of being Olmsted County's Storyteller, and allows us to bring the past to life. Please help us Keep History Alive!
The information provided on Community Challenge pages is provided "as is," and the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not make any representations, endorsements, or warranties (either expressed or implied) on any comments, reviews, or suggestions posted. Neither does the National Trust assume responsibility or liability for the same.
