Alexander Ramsey House

In 1872, a grand Second Empire-style mansion materialized on Exchange Street. This is the Alexander Ramsey House. It stands as a testament to the life and times of Alexander Ramsey, Minnesota’s prominent politician. Alexander Ramsey, once a rising political star in Pennsylvania, became the Governor of Minnesota Territory in 1849. He then served as Minnesota’s second state governor, mayor of St. Paul, a US Senator, and Secretary of War. The Alexander Ramsey House wasn’t the family’s first home on this site. Their original, more modest dwelling, built in 1850, had to make way for this much grander aspiration. It was moved across the street and attached to the home of Judge Horace and Mrs. Cornelia Bigelow. The inspiration for the new mansion came from an unlikely source. While serving in the Senate, Ramsey was impressed by the stately homes of Georgetown. He shared this with his wife Anna, expressing his desire for such a home. Six months later, they contacted builders Leonard & Sheire of St. Paul to make their dream a reality. Architect Monroe Sheire designed the Alexander Ramsey House in the then-fashionable French Second Empire style. Construction, overseen by John Summers, cost approximately $47,000. The house boasted 11,000 square feet and cutting-edge technology for its time. This included hot and cold running water, gas lighting, and hot water radiators. Anna Ramsey took charge of furnishing the home. She made a trip to A.T. Stewart’s department store in New York. She returned with two boxcars brimming with over $15,000 worth of furnishings. The family, including daughter Marion, moved into their “mansion home” in the fall of 1872. They celebrated with a grand opening party that December. The Alexander Ramsey House witnessed family joys and sorrows over the years. Marion’s wedding to Charles E. Furness took place in the parlor in 1875. After Charles’s hospitalization, Marion and her three children returned to the house. It became their home for many years. Alexander Ramsey passed away in the house in 1903. His granddaughters, Anita and Laura Furness, continued to live there until their deaths in 1959 and 1964, respectively. They meticulously preserved the home and its contents, even saving original fixtures when updating to modern standards. Recognizing their grandfather’s importance to Minnesota history, they willed the Alexander Ramsey House and its contents to the Minnesota Historical Society. Today, approximately 95% of the artifacts within the house remain original. The Alexander Ramsey House opened for tours in 1965 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It offers a unique glimpse into Victorian-era life.