The Charles Spangenberg Farmstead is a historic farm in
Woodbury, Minnesota
Woodbury is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, eight miles (13 km) east of Saint Paul along Interstate 94. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The population was 75,102 at the 2020 census, making it ...
, United States, established in 1869. The three oldest buildings, including an 1871 farmhouse, were listed together on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1978 for having local significance in the theme of agriculture.
The property was nominated for being one of
Washington County's few remaining 19th-century farmsteads.
Description
Charles Spangenberg's farm originally constituted . The farm buildings are clustered together on a lot on top of a knoll. Only the three oldest buildings date to Spangenberg's occupancy: the farmhouse, a barn, and a granary. The house was constructed of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
in 1871. It has three stories plus a walkout basement, having been built into a slope. At their base the walls are thick and taper to .
In recent years the house has been expanded with a new wing, a garage, and
dormer
A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window.
Dormers are commonly used to increase the usable space ...
s for additional headroom in the attic.
The two-story granary was constructed around 1875. A larger barn for the Spangenbergs' horses and dairy cattle was built around 1887. Both are timber-
framed structures with board-and-batten siding, on limestone foundations. The barn was also built into a slope, providing walk-in access both to the level for livestock and the level for hay storage.
Additional farm structures were constructed in the first half of the 20th century, including a chicken coop, ice house, wind-powered water pump, milk house, privy, and smoke house.
As of 2015 a pump house built around 1925 and a steel silo constructed in 1940 still stood on the property.
History
Charles Spangenberg was an early pioneer of the Woodbury area and acquired title to in 1869. With his brother Frederick
[Sources do not clarify whether this is the same individual associated with the Frederick Spangenberg House in Saint Paul, Minnesota.] he began building a house, quarrying limestone from bluffs overlooking the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
and hauling it with a team of horses and a
stone-boat. Charles and his family lived in the house's foundation until construction was complete in 1871.
The Spangenbergs mostly grew potatoes and grain, the usual produce of the area's farms. The property remained in the family until 1901, when it was sold to the Czikalla family. They built a number of additional structures and shifted primarily to
dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or ...
.
The property stayed in the Czikalla family for over a century, changing hands for only the third time when it was put up for auction in 2008. The new owners have been gradually restoring the historic wing of the house, as well as expanding the Czikallas' more recent additions.
See also
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Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spangenberg, Charles, Farmstead
1869 establishments in Minnesota
Buildings and structures in Washington County, Minnesota
Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
German-American culture in Minnesota
Houses completed in 1871
Limestone buildings in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Minnesota