Unlock the Secrets of the Oldest House in Minnesota – Short Drive from St. Cloud

The home is called the Sibley House. It's an old stone home that is still standing today.  I feel like maybe they made things a little more sound back then than they do today.  At least in some aspects. Not sure that a house built more recently would have lasted as long as this one has, although it has been restored.

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This house is located a little off the beaten path on a country road in Mendota Heights.  It's location is 1357 Sibley Memorial Highway. If it sounds familiar, well that might be because it was built in 1835 and was the residence for Henry Hastings Sibley.  He was a fur trader, but was also Minnesota's first governor.

Since then, the house has actually been used for several different things such as a Catholic school, an art school and even a place for travelers to stay.  At one point it was kind of falling apart, but then was restored.  After the restoration project, it was opened to the public as a tourist attraction.  The house is cared for and run by the Minnesota Historical Society.  And there are actually some other homes around the area that you can tour.

According to the Minnesota Historical Society, tours are offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and last for one hour.  They have specific times as well; 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm.

There are some other homes to tour if you are into that sort of thing.  History can be fun!

Dupuis House. This one was built in 1854 for Henry Sibley's secretary.  Then it was used for the Sibley Tea House and continued from 1928 into the 70s.

Faribault House This one was built in 1939 for Jean Baptiste Faribault and his family.  Years after his family lived there, it then ran as a warehouse and a hotel.

You always have an option on the grounds with a self -guided tour.  You can learn about the fur-trading business from the 1800s.  This sounds like a great class field trip.