Forest Lake Times, Thursday, Nov 21,1985
ON CLEAR LAKE
Home provides glimpse of bygone glamour days
By Elsie Vogel
Historical Feature Writer
The crowd that was gathered on the depot platform in Forest Lake could hear the train whistle in the distance and soon they could see the train approaaching from the south as the railroad signal arm slowly came down.
The people on the platform had come to "meet the train". This pastime afforded young and old alike not only something to do, but they had the speculating on the comings and goings of the passengers.
The crowd was always suitably impresssed on the days a large , horse-drawn, fringed surray, with its black driver, would wait for the train. On those days a group of veruy well-dressed passengers would alight from the train, seat themselves in the surrey and then they would be on their way to Clear Lake.
The surrey would turn down a private tree-lined road through big stone gates to the estate and beautiful summer home of H. H. Hamilton, Lt. Governor of Minnesota.
Weekend with the Hamiltons
Hamilton's guests from the cities soon felt the cooling breezes of Clear Lake. They quickly found there was a variety of things to amuse them. There was an excellent tennis court for those that enjoyed the sport or they could have a lively game of croquet on the special croquet lawn near the west brick wall and of course they could swin, fish or use the boats.
The daytime activities were followed by evenings of parties and dancing. Throughout their visits, sumptious meals were prepared by a staff of "hired help".
Estate buildings
A short
distance form their home, Hamilton provided a large house for the
employees , it had a green house attached to the walk-out
basement. There was a big barn that housed farm animals and in
addition there was a round, whimsical structure called the "Goose
House," built just for the geese.
This was a time of leisure for the many families that made Forest Lake their summer home. Hamiltons resided there from 1908-18.
Land sub-divided
Hamiltons sold their large estate to Thomas Franksin in 1918. The property became Franksin Clear Lake Sub-Division in 1925 as parcels of this estate were sold, some to Wm. Schlechter, who in turn sold the large and smaller home to Angus and Bertha Cameron in 1927.
The Angus Camerons
Cameron was a quiet, digniified gentleman who owned several hotels in St. Paul and Chicago and he was also in the banking business in St. Paul.
The Camerons, always gracious hosts, made may local friends. Marie Frederickson, for one, said they were down-to-earth people and she recalls the bridge luncheons and dinner parties she attended at this lovely home. Camerons had a favorite dinner entree...freshly-caught fish.
Guest house history
To facilitate entertaining
his guests, Cameron turned the large employees house into a guest
house. The guest house in itself was large by any standard, there
were five bedrooms upstairs, two bedrooms downstairs, three baths
and facing the lake, a few rooms were remodeled into a ballroom.
[The Camerons lived in the guest house form 1946 to 1952 -
web ed[.
In 1952, the guest house would change once again, it would bvecome a private home for Ben and Evelyn Olson when they purchased that portion of the property from Cameron. The Paul Martins have been the owners since 1976
Republican Party politics
The activities on the former Hamilton-Cameron Estate always changed with the times and in 1946 the new owners, The Bob and Irene Smith family would add another style to this house. They were very active members of the Republican Party and they provided the local folks with a chance to meet candidates at the coffee parties and meetings that the Smiths hosted. Between 1969 and 1975 there was a succession of three owners. The present owners are John and Edie Steinmann.
House tours with Edie
As I followed Edie into the spacioous living room I noted the very different fireplace, it is built with glazed steel blue and gray brick shaped ceramic. There are two unusual decorations of circular imported Delph tiles imbedded in the brick on both sides of the fireplace.
There is beautiful dark paneling on two walls and Edie explained the rest of the unusual wall covering...original designs of leaves and birds in muted colors were hand-painted on canvas and applied to the walls like a wallpaper covering. This artistic covering extended from one wall, over the fireplace, up the stairway and on the upstairs hall. The covering is accented with peacocks and doves also.
I had forgotten how delightful "dutch doors" were as I looked at one leading to the porch. The windows facing the porch are all small paned, similar to panes found in French doors.
Three special rooms
We entered the next room on the right which has always been the "Game Room". The regulation size pool table in the center was certainly an invitation to "try you skill." Since the days when the Hamiltons owned the house, many games must have been played on this table. Family members have an organ and a piano to play and in an alcove a card table is set up for cards and games.
Through the game room we continued on to the library. This is a small cozy room, the walls are lined with books and there are comfortable chairs and lamps for reading or just for solitude.
We started to double back toward the dining room by going through another room that is now utilized as a den. There is a TV, a small hand-fashioned bar and even a built-in fish tank.
Dining room
The dinihng room is beautiful! The table which would seat 10 persons at this given moment, has without a doubt the largest matching free-standing china cbinet and buffet that I have ever seen. It fits perfectly in an alcove in the room. Edie laughed when she said they had to find a house big enough for the cabinet when they moved from Pennsylvania.
There are so many unique things to catch the eye, for instance wooden pillars on opposite sides of the room are carved with figures, one has two hanging pheasants and the other has grape leaves. A fireplace adds more charm to this room. Steinmanns have gone to great lengths to keep the original feel of the home and they accomplished that as they replaced the ceiling with a new antique gold-colored tin ceiling.
Kitchen and side porch
The kitchen has a microwave overn, blender, food processor and all the other modern gadgets that Edie loves to use. Her collectioin of cookbooks intrigued me, but there wasn't time to do more than look at thenm. A Franklin stove in tne corner gives an old-fashioned feel to the room, as does the brick wall and big pantry.
Edie said, "There is something special I want you to see." We crossed an enclosed porch to a back room with an outside door. One wall of this room had a "walk-in" cooler and alongside the first cooler was another big cooler with shelving. These coolers are far from the modern day stainless steel models, they are equipped with heavy oak doors. No doubt, before refrigeration the two coolers used ice blocks for cooling.
The coolers are not in tuse now but upon seeing them, you instantly imagine the time when baoth coolers were stocked with meats, poultry, fresh fruit and vegetables that would be used on the menu when ther.e were crowds to be fed
Upper floor
It seems there are enclosed porches everywhere, but one off an upper level TV room is used for family hobbies. It is a good place for refinishing, stripping and gluing their on-going projects. On site is a big doll house under construction, this is being built for Steinmanns' daughter, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth has a charming bedroom and dressing room and sons Fred and Bill have their rooms. A sign of the times, not known in H. H. Hamiltons time, is a computer in a guest room.
Master bedroom
As you enter this huge room you see the marble fireplace and then you notice the very different decorating treatment on the walls...the background is light blue and Edie accented it with sponge painting. She used royal blue paint and alternated with purple, it is unusual, but just right for this room.
Just off the master bedroom the bath, one of three, has the small black and white ceramic floor tiles that was so popular at the time the home was built. The original washbowl is an elegant pedestal type.
We returned to the living room for tea and from Steinmann's papers we find in 1855 the United States sold this huge parcel of land to Charles Conway. In1908, Harriet Jones became the next owner and the same year it was sold to Elizabeth Sandidge and she became Mrs. H. H. Hamilton.
The double stone gates at the start of the driveway are a reminder of another day. The Steinmanns have blended today's style modern living while preserving the beauty and style of previous generations. They have achieved a warm family feeling in this beautiful 19-room home.
I want to thank the many people who contributed their memories and knowledge to this story which I believe gives us all the feel for trhe early days in our area. Next week I will continue with tales of other homes.
by Donna Jurina
press correspondent
HISTORICAL NOTES
- The homes that comprised the estate of former Lt. Governor H. H. Hamilton at the turn-of-the-century.
- There are rumors that the carriage house rooms were once used as a brothel for influential visitors.
- The grounds of the estate also display Signs of the affluent lifestyle of the former residents: A stone dock once graced the lake shore of the property and tile cement can still be seen below the surface of the water. There was also once a tennis court on the property.
AS the 21st Century draws near, residents of Forest Lake would be hard pressed to find any evidence of what life was like at the turn of this century.
The spread of commercial development stands in stark contrast to the days of horse drawn carriages parked outside of the local mercantile, or families spending a quiet afternoon relaxing on the shores of a remote countryside lake.
Nowhere is the contrast of 1897 and 1997 more evident than on the northwest shore of Clear Lake in Forest Lake Township.
While the two majestic, turn-of-the-century era homes rest atop a lake side knoll , construction crews were busy laying the foundation for a new 11th Avenue apartment building only a few hundred feet away.
Traffic from 1-35 can be heard droning in the distance.
Visitors can see pieces of the good old days, but the 21st century isn't too far behind. (sic)
For two Forest Lake Township families, however, they can look within the walls of their homes for an even more nostalgic glimpse back in time.
The residents LaVonne and Bruce Grant and Edy and John Steinmann are owners of the homes that comprised the estate of former Lt. Governor H. H. Hamilton at the turn of the century. These homes are still reminiscent of the lifestyle of an influential family in the early 1900s and one of the few remaining physical reminders of Forest Lake's wonderful past.
LaVonne Grant,
left, and John and Edy Steinmann stand outside the historic
former Lt. Governor's mansion on Clear Lake. The mansion and
carriage house are two of the most famous homes in the Forest
Lake area (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)
The carriage house, owned by the Grant family, was once used as servant quarters in addition to housing the horses and carriages utilized by its former residents . Today the home is filled with wonderful art and the heartwarming cries of a newborn baby.
Although it has been updated and reflects the style of today, there are still reminders of its former personality. The upper hallway resembles that of an old west saloon hotel with its narrow passage and closely spaced doorways. There are rumors that say these rooms were once used as a brothel for influential visitors. Ladies of the evening would leave a light on in the window when they were available to receive their gentleman callers.
St. Paul's finest madams would be proud to see this place now.
Another rumor that has surfaced about the house declares that during the time of prohibition there was a still in the basement. The Grants did find evidence of this when they dug .up their basement and discovered numerous old liquor bottles buried in the earth.
This home has a reputation.
LaVonne Grant worked in real estate when she first noticed the home. When she was later presented with the opportunity to purchase the home, she did not have to contemplate her decision long. "I had seen the home before, and thought, "I want to live in that home," she said, "It was so beautiful."
The main home of the former Lt. Governor's estate is owned by John and Edy Steinmann . The Steinmanns have called this historic dwelling their home for over 20 years now. Having raised their family here, they feel as much a part of the home as its original owners must have. The main house has also been updated reflecting current times but it is not hard to see evidence of the past.
You can almost picture the horse drawn carriage rolling through the iron gates and past stone pillars before coming to a rest under the grapevine covering at the entrance of the gracious homestead. Chilled residents and guests would have gratefully warmed themselves by the crackling fire in the beautiful living room hearth.
The spacious first floor of the home contains a large recreation room with an original pool table, too large to ever be removed from the house. In addition to the dark , richly wooded paneling, the living room is graced with an impressive original fireplace with inlaid Blue Delft plates, imported from Holland, in the side panels .
The kitchen has the original black cast iron wood burning stove in addition to its contemporary counterparts. [Actually that particular small Franklin stove was installed new during a kitchen remodel in the early sixties. This would not have been known to anyone outside the then-resident Smith family and was not in the follow-up aritcle below - website ed]. Off the kitchen is an area once used for food storage that must have been the latest design of the era. It contains a roomy Sears Coldspot refrigeration system with doors located just above it with direct access to the outside, allowing for huge ice blocks, needed to preserve food, to be delivered right to the storage facility.
The second floor of the house consists of several ample-sized bedrooms in addition to the spacious master bedroom. The rooms, along with the attached screened porches , must have provided a great place for children to roam and play whenever they were forced to stay indoors. The porches were also used on hot summer days to provide relief from the sometimes stifling heat of summer.
The master bedroom contains a remarkably well-preserved original white marble fireplace providing a cozy romantic atmosphere to the larger sleeping area.
The grounds of the estate also displays signs of the affluent lifestyle of the former residents. A stone dock once graced the lakeshore of the property and the cement supports can still be seen below the surface of the water. There was also once a tennis court on the property, said John Steinmann.
Some parts of the home were in bad need of repair when the Steinmanns purchased it. It is extremely costly to restore older homes to their original splendor especially when raising a family. In spite of the home age and growing family, the Steinmanns have done a remarkable job of maintaining their home in its wonderful antique design . They take a more practical approach to its upkeep. "We repair what we can and replace what can't be repaired," said John Steinmann.
While the Steinmanns children are all grown now, keeping the home up keeps them busy.
The estate has changed ownership several times over the century. It also played a significant political role in the history of Minnesota. In addition to ownership by the former Governor it was also owned by the Robert Smith family in the early 1920's. Robert Smith was said to have thrown important political parties for the Republican cause.
When asked if they felt a greater sense of obligation in owning a historically significant home, the Steinmanns once again take a practical position. "It just feels like our home, we've been here for so long," says Edy.
by Mark Nicklawske
Forest Lake has enough history to fill a mansion. The old Lt.Governor's mansion and stable on Clear Lake is one of the crown jewels of surviving Forest Lake area history.
When correspondent Donna Jurina wrote a piece about the estate, I hoped it would serve as nice tip of the hat to the Grants and the Steinmann, the current owners who have lovingly restored the property, and as a sort of documentation of the area's past. Donna did a good job on both I think she captured the current beauty and grandeur of both homes, while keeping them in the proper historical context.
The Clear Lake estate was once a quiet retreat for the state's politically powerful, now the suburbs have grown up around it.
But a problem has surfaced with the story, as oten occurs with historical articles, about some of the historical facts. Let's face it, the older our history gets the harder it is to remember what happened or to find proper documentation of the facts. Both Midred Rioux and Bob Hult called with some corrections to the "Mansions of history" article that appeared in our Dec. 24 edition. Both are outstanding resources for area history, especially Mildred, a native Forest Laker who will celebrate her 80th year here in 1998.
First of all the mansion was built in 1909 and owned by H. H. Hamilton, a major state power broker during the first part of this century. But Hamilton never served as Lt. Gov. in Minnesota. Bob said Hamilton sold the estate in 1918 to Lt. Gov. Thomas Frankson, who was second in command for the state from 1917-1921. Thus comes the tag the "Governor's Mansion." Bob's daughter, Karla, did a research project on the mansion and got this information directly from the Governor's office. That's a sure-fire source. "Hamilton was active politically in the state but he never served as Lt. Governor," said Bob. "They were probably close politically and that's how the sale came about." Bob, who now lives on Clear Lake, grew up in St. Paul but had grandparents who lived out here and he was a frequent visitor, fishing in Clear Lake and exploring the area as a youth.
Mildred (Engquist) Rioux has even deeper ties to the area. Mildred remembers attending a sixth-grade picnic at the estate in 1931. She said the place was owned by hotel baron Angus Cameron then and her class had a wonderful time playing on the grounds which included gardens and tennis courts. "I remember some of the boys locked us girls in the stables," she said. "Even the stables were nice." Mildred said her grandmother used to help with big parties at the estate during the 1930s and her grandfather would visit the stables occasionally to look over the horses. "Horses were his love and they had plenty of them out there," she said.
Robert and Irene Smith purchased the property in 1946, the Smiths were also very active in Republican politics in Minnesota and hosted large parties on the lakeshore, said Mildred. These kinds of memories and historical facts are important to a community. They are also time consuming and difficult to acquire. Obviously. weeding through records at the governor's office or land records at the state historical society take time and dedication. Sitting down with long-time residents of the area is also time-consuming, not only for the historian but also for the subject, and we all know time takes its toll on these valuable resources.
Forest Lake is blessed with a great historian in Elsie Vogel, the author of the local history book "Reflections," but we need more people like her, young and old, to contribute to our local historical record. An official Forest Lake Historical Society with a permanent home needs to be established to work as a guardian of this area's past. Forest Lake needs a place where its unique past can be put on display for visitors, newcomers and long time residents; a place where anyone can take an hour or two to learn about their new home or the home of their ancestors. The drive for a historical society should begin soon ... we have another Governor's Mansion out on Pioneer Point that needs to be documented for newspaper reports in 2097.
Nicklawske is an associate editor with Press Publications assigned to Forest Lake.
by Mark Nicklawske
The historic mansion built by former Lt. Gov. H. H. Hamilton on Clear Lake will be torn down later this month, a victim of old age and rising lakefront property values.
The turn-of-the-century mansion was owned for the last 25 years by John and Edy Steinmann who sold it to Eagan based Aspen Creek Homes earlier this spring. This home, located on the northwest side of Clear Lake is currently undergoing salvage and will be torn down in the coming weeks.
BobJulik, of Aspen Creek Homes, said he will buil two new houses on the lakefront t property.
“We originally went into this for the purpose of fixing it up,” said Julik. “But after taking a close look at it, we came to the realization of all the work it would take. It would have really taken a bottomless pit of money to make a home that would fit today’s lifestyles”.
Julik said the home had complicated floor plans, little insulation and asbestos problems.
"We just couldn’t sell it for what it would have cost to restore it, he said.
Edy Steinmann said the family wanted to sell the home to someone who would maintain it, however high utility and restoration costs and even higher lakefront property values doomed the building. The house was on the market for about a year before its recent sale.
“It’s very painful,” said Steinmann, “We wanted to sell it to someone who would keep it but it just didn't happen. I think the utilities scared a lot of people away.”
Built in 1906 by wealthy Lt. Gov. H. H. Hamilton as a lakefront home and wilderness retreat, the two and a half story mansion featured more than a dozen rooms, several fireplaces, and large porches. While the Steinmann’s made many updates and improvements, it obviously lacked modern day construction and insulation designs.
“It costs a bundle to heat the thing,” she said.
The Steinmann's raised their family in the home, and worked to restore it throughout their stay, but increasing upkeep and health issues led to the decision to sell.
“There comes a time in your life when you have to make the decision to move on, said Steinmann. “It was hard for us to leave.”
Increasing lakefront property values also increased its demise. With lakefront property demands increasing and land supply declining, Julik said the acre and a half lot is very valuable.
“It truly is a spectacular site,” he said. “We’re going to try and save as much of it as possible.”
Old trees, flower gardens, even the gateway entrance will all be part of the split property.
Neighbors said they will miss the old mansion.
LaVonne and Bruce Grant live in a converted carriage house which used to serve the mansion. They will find a new neighborhood this summer.
It’s such a sad thing,” said LaVonne Grant. “I know they called the Historical Society to see if they could get it on a protected list but it just didn’t meet the requirements,”
Still, architectural salvage firms bought up all the fixtures, wood trim, windows and art work at a well-attended auction on May 31.
Julik said the family of past homeowners bought several pieces and shared stories of the old place. The auction turned into an emotional event.
“I even felt some loss in seeing it happen,” he said.
Grant said stained glass windows, maple flooring, cherry doors and a wall mural went for hundreds of dollars each. A fireplace mantel was sold for $1,600, she said. Over the last week, salvage firms have been dismantling the house and collecting purchased property.
“It’s so sad to watch,” said Grant. “It was such a beautiful home.”
Scott Rogers, of Guilded Salvage in Minneapolis, said he bought everything he could on the second floor, including a porcelain tub he estimated to weigh more than600 pounds. He said the fixtures will be resold to people looking for unique home furnishings.
“It really comes down to the fact that the land is more valuable than the home now,” he said. “Back when this place was built they were really up north. The probably went through three tires to get up here.”
Julik said salvage will save many of the home’s most unique features: “It’s nice to see that people will reuse this stuff and in a way those things well live on in other people’s homes.”