Hubbard House History

Hubbard House, Warren Street side

The Hubbard House represents one of the finest examples of the classic Victorian style that once graced South Broad Street, Mankato's "silk stocking district." In fact, the Hubbard House has survived in its original form, having been occupied by only the Hubbard family and the Blue Earth County Historical Society. R.D. Hubbard built his house in three stages during 1871, 1888 and 1905 while the members of the family occupied the house for 67 years. About a quarter of what once belonged to the Hubbard family can still be found in the furniture of the home, as it was in their day. The remainder of the furnishings and furniture are antiques dating to the 1900 period and donated by generous patrons. The Hubbard House played a very significant role in the social life of Mankato and the pleasant ambiance provided by the Hubbards continues to delight visitors of this elegant residence.

Hubbard was a true captain of industry in southern Minnesota. He founded the linseed oil, operated the largest flour mill in the southern state with partner George Palmer and established a system of 42 grain elevators stretching across southern Minnesota and into South Dakota. Before coming to Mankato he amassed what amounted to a small fortune in the grocery business in Pennsylvania. His travels, alone and with his wife, were truly prodigious and daring. He traveled to New York, California, Nicaragua, the Humboldt River country and the gold fields of the Fraser River in British Columbia all before 1870.

Built in the French Second Empire style, the Hubbard House was constructed of brick and wood on a basement of cut stone. The main house is two and a half stories with a mansard roof of colored slate. The 1888 addition is one and a half stories. The carriage house, built in 1890, is a brick structure of two stories. It was once located on the far side of Glenwood Creek but was relocated in 1977 in the Palmer Centennial Garden area next to the Hubbard House. This structure still houses many antique vehicles.

BECHS purchased the Hubbard House from the younger Hubbard daughter in 1938, saving this fine relic from the wrecker's ball. BECHS deeded the property to the City of Mankato, which assumed all maintenance costs while BECHS operated the museum and maintained the artifacts.

The interior of the house combines the beauty and innovative utility that Hubbard considered so important. All of the fourteen rooms, open to the public, are filled with choice furnishings and modern, handicapped accessible conveniences. Each of the three fireplaces located on the first floor are formed in a distinctive style from domestic Georgian with imported Spanish and Italian marble plus Brazilian onyx. Hubbard also installed a central heating system and a Boyington furnace in his house at the time it was built in 1871. The house features four bathrooms, which was during an era when bathrooms were not very common.

Much of the wallpapers used in the house are replicas, located by designer Linda Nussbaumer to exemplify usage in domestic rooms of the 1900 period. The wall covers for the front two rooms of the first floor are made of fabric. In the Library the original cotton wall cover is preserved. The silk damask wall cover in the Parlor was imported from Paris. It contains the same color and pattern as the silk wall hanging of 1905. In the pantry and kitchen one sees the original gas pipes and turn cocks from the pre-electricity days of house lighting. The elegance and craftsmanship of the oak staircase speak for themselves. This staircase of 1888 replaced an earlier iron spiral staircase.

Hubbard came to Mankato with his wife, Mary, from California in 1870. He was born in Maryland Township, Oswego County, New York on December 14, 1837. His parents were farmers, natives of Connecticut, whose ancestry went back to Colonial days and were of some prominence. His education was limited to that of the district school and a few months in a select school. At age 15 he left home to earn his living, beginning with work on a survey crew for the Albany & Susquehanna Railway. In the spring of 1851, Hubbard went with a party to California to work on a farm in the Sacramento Valley. In 1857 he was in the Humboldt River country then next year to the Fraser River in British Columbia for a go at gold mining. Back in New York during the fall of 1859, he secured a position as clerk in a grocery store at $50 per month, soon to be made manager of the store at a salary of $160 per month.

In January 1863, Hubbard attempted to enlist in the Union Army but was prostrated by a severe attack of pneumonia, which rendered him unfit for military service. He then engaged in tobacco culture for two years in Sidney Plains, New York. April 9, 1863, Hubbard married Mary E. Cook of his native village. In the fall of 1866, he moved to Corry, Pennsylvania and engaged in the grocery business which proved a very profitable venture - starting with a capital of under $2000. In four years he had cleared $30,000. In 1870, Hubbard traveled again to California intending to start a bank but conditions proved unfavorable and he returned. After looking over the country, he finally settled down with his wife in Mankato.

In Mankato, Hubbard built a warehouse and engaged in the wheat buying business until March 1872 when in partnership with J.A. Willard and J.B. Hubbell. He organized Mankato Linseed Oil Company, of which he was manager for eleven years. After passing through a period of depression, the enterprise proved a financial success. In 1879 he established Mankato Milling Company, with himself as president. The mill, one of the largest and most important in Minnesota, he operated to the end of his life in 1905. The corporate name was changed first to R.D. Hubbard & Company until 1894, then R.D. Hubbard Milling Company until 1897 and finally Hubbard Milling Company. Over time the mill changed from a stone grinding system to a roller process.

Hubbard's first wife, Mary, died in April 21, 1877, leaving one son, Jay, born January 8, 1872. He married again October 7, 1878 to Miss Frank Griffith. They became parents of two daughters, Katherine Dean and Mary Esther. Mary Esther sold the Hubbard House to BECHS in 1938.

Phone: 507-345-5566      Email:bechs@hickorytech.net      501(c)3 Non-profit Organization

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