Bartholomew House, 6901 Lyndale Avenue South, Richfield, Minnesota
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Bartholomew House | |
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| Address: | 6901 Lyndale Avenue S |
| City/locality- State/province |
Richfield, Minnesota |
| County- State/province: |
Hennepin County, Minnesota |
| State/province: | Minnesota |
| Country: | United States |
| Year built: | 1852 |
| Primary Style: | Federalist |
| Additions: | 1856 - Two houses moved to property and attached to main two story house. |
| Major Alterations: | Some/mostly intact |
| Historic Function: | House/single dwelling or duplex |
| Current Function: | Museum |
| Builder: | Riley Bartholomew |
| Material of Exterior Wall Covering: | Wood |
| Material of Roof: | Asphalt Shingles |
| Material of Foundation: | Limestone |
| First Owner: | Riley and Winnifred Bartholomew |
(44.878028,-93.288487)
| National Register of Historic Places Information | |
| Reference Number: | 78001545 |
| Reference URL: | [Reference] |
| Certification date: | November 28, 1978 |
| Level of significance: | State |
| Primary Style: | Federal |
The Congress of the United States passed an Act in 1852 which greatly reduced the size of the Fort Snelling Military Reservation. In that year, General Riley Lucas Bartholomew came to Minnesota and filed a claim on the shores of Wood Lake. Part of the claim had been military reservation land which was now available for settlement as a result of the congressional action. Here he pitched a tent and proceeded to build the two story section of the house making ready for his wife, Fanny, and his children to follow from Wisconsin in the spring of 1853. Soon after building the house, two single story additions were moved from near Minnehaha Falls as finished buildings and adjoined the original house.
Riley Bartholomew was a native of Ohio, born there in 1807, and held the lifetime rank of General in the Ohio militia, General Bartholomew quickly became active in the local affairs of his new home. He was Justice of the Peace and a member of the Republican Constitutional Convention which framed the Minnesota State Constitution in 1857. He also represented District Four in the State Senate.
Active in the Richfield Methodist Church, Bartholomew also helped build the first community schoolhouse, with his brother-in-law, Cincinnatus Gregory. The year was 1854 and the school was Wood Lake School, located at 66th and Dupont Avenue. The orginal log schoolhouse served as the Richfield City Hall until 1874. The Wood Lake School closed its doors in June, 1976, for the last time.
After the death of General Bartholomew in 1894, his son, Winfield, lived on the homestead. In later years the property changed hands through the family and descendents lived in the house and farmed the land until 1962 when the Richfield school board purchased the land and buildings for future use.
Many will remember when it was known as "Keefe's Market", a roadside produce stand popular in the Richfield area, run by the Keefes, relatives of Riley and Fanny Bartholomew.
The Richfield Historical Society began with efforts in 1967 by members of the Minnesota Valley Women's Club to preserve and protect the Bartholomew House for future generations.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1979 and is listed on the Minnesota Register of Historic Sites.
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Finding Minnesota Bartholomew House
Richfield Minnesota's Oldest Suburb
