CategoriesHistory JournalHistoric photograph of the front of the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis seen through bare trees, showing the gables and the balustraded terrace wall along the street.

Charles Pillsbury Had a Twin Brother — So Why Does Only One of Their Mansions Survive?

Charles S. Pillsbury and his twin John built rival mansions and rescued the family flour…

CategoriesHistory Journal

What Happened to Rotherwas Court After Its Rooms Came to Minneapolis?

The Pillsbury Mansion's oak rooms came from Rotherwas Court in 1913. What became of the…

CategoriesHistory Journal

Why Did Pillsbury Invent the Bake-Off — and Was It Aimed at Betty Crocker?

In 1949 Pillsbury filled the Waldorf-Astoria with 100 ovens and crowned the first Bake-Off champion…

CategoriesHistory JournalMill workers at the Pillsbury flour mills in Minneapolis in the milling era, the workforce behind the company Charles Stinson Pillsbury bought back in 1924.

What Was the Great Mill Disaster of 1878 — and How Did It Shape the Pillsbury Fortune?

On the evening of May 2, 1878, flour dust leveled the Washburn A Mill and…

CategoriesHistory Journal

Who Was John S. Pillsbury, the ‘Father of the University of Minnesota’?

The hardware merchant turned Minnesota governor who bankrolled the Pillsbury flour empire — and earned…

CategoriesHistory Journal

What Does the Pillsbury Doughboy Have to Do With a Minneapolis Mansion?

Poppin' Fresh first giggled his way onto TV in 1965 — but the family behind…

CategoriesHistory JournalCarved stone gable and rooftop figure of the Pillsbury Club mansion, shown in black and white against a dark winter sky.

Who Was “Nelle” Pillsbury, and How Was She Related to the Founder of Minneapolis?

Helen “Nelle” Pillsbury, lady of the Pillsbury Mansion, was granddaughter of Colonel John H. Stevens…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe carved fireplace inside the Pillsbury Mansion today, dressed with a Christmas wreath — the sort of setting a family gathered around during the 1938 holidays.

Did the Pillsbury Mansion Get William Randolph Hearst’s $50,000 Fireplace by Mistake?

The strange tale of how a Minneapolis flour heir and newspaper titan William Randolph Hearst…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion on East 22nd Street in Minneapolis photographed around 1990, its Gothic entry porch framed by old trees, during the decades it served as an institution rather than a home

Why Did a Training Center for the Blind Call the Pillsbury Mansion Home?

For three decades the Pillsbury Mansion was home to BLIND, Inc.—a training center where a…

CategoriesHistory JournalCarved stone gable and rooftop figure of the Pillsbury Club mansion, shown in black and white against a dark winter sky.

What Happened When an Advertising Agency Moved Into the Pillsbury Mansion?

After the Pillsburys, the Minneapolis agency Carmichael Lynch restored the mansion and built Harley-Davidson's legend…

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