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Daily stories from the history of the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion and the people, places, and treasures behind it.

CategoriesHistory JournalA period illustration of the Pillsbury Mansion library, with paneled walls, fitted bookshelves, a leaded bay window and a carved chimneypiece at left.

Who Lectured on Babylonia Inside the Pillsbury Mansion in 1914?

By John K

In October 1914 a Yale Assyriologist lectured on Babylonia in the Pillsbury Mansion drawing room.…

CategoriesHistory JournalPeriod photograph, 1909: Helen “Nelle” Pillsbury seated against oak panelling with four of her children in white dresses and hair bows, eight years before the Christmas cotillion at the new mansion

What Was the Pillsbury Mansion’s Amusement Room Used For in 1918?

By John K

In November 1918, 1,257 garments for Belgian and French refugees were sorted and packed in…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe grand carved-oak staircase inside the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis, the flight of stairs a Minneapolis ninth-grader filmed for his 1970 remake of Phantom of the Opera.

Why Was a Teenager Filming Phantom of the Opera at the Pillsbury Mansion in 1970?

By John K

In 1970 a Minneapolis ninth-grader shot a Phantom of the Opera remake on the Pillsbury…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe oak-panelled Great Hall of the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis, with its carved staircase, hanging tapestry and painted barrel-vaulted ceiling — the room where the 1917 children’s cotillion would have been held

What Was Christmas Like at the Pillsbury Mansion in 1917?

By John K

A three-line notice in the Star Tribune of December 27, 1917 records 35 children dancing…

CategoriesHistory JournalPeriod photograph, 1916: a young Katharine Pillsbury on horseback on the brick drive in front of the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion, Minneapolis.

Which Pillsbury Daughters Survived the SS Mohawk Shipwreck of 1935?

By John K

In January 1935 two daughters raised in the Pillsbury Mansion survived the sinking of the…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe grand carved-oak staircase inside the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis, the flight of stairs a Minneapolis ninth-grader filmed for his 1970 remake of Phantom of the Opera.

Why Are There No Saw Marks on the Pillsbury Mansion’s 400-Year-Old Oak?

By John K

The English oak inside the Pillsbury Mansion was split, not sawn. Here is why that…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe library of the Pillsbury Mansion, with the carved stone chimneypiece at left, leaded bay window and fitted oak bookshelves.

Which Room Did the Pillsburys Call the Coziest in the House?

By John K

A Minneapolis newspaper singled out one room in the Pillsbury Mansion in 1914: a library…

CategoriesHistory JournalCharles Stinson Pillsbury photographed in 1924, the year he repurchased the Pillsbury flour company from its English owners and brought the family name back into family hands.

How Did Charles Pillsbury Buy Back the Family Flour Company in 1924?

By John K

In 1924, with the Pillsbury company near bankruptcy under English ownership, Charles Stinson Pillsbury repurchased…

CategoriesHistory JournalPeriod photograph of the oak-panelled lounge inside the Pillsbury Mansion, showing the carved English panelling and stone fireplace that give the room its texture

Why Did Charles Pillsbury Need Permission to Build His Own Mansion?

By John K

In 1901 the block around the Pillsbury Mansion was sold under strict rules — brick…

CategoriesHistory JournalOne of the carved Bedford-stone lions guarding the entrance of the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion at 100 East 22nd Street in Minneapolis, cut by the sculptor Charles S. Wells.

Who Carved the Stone Lions at the Pillsbury Mansion’s Door?

By John K

The lions at the Pillsbury Mansion’s entrance were carved by Charles S. Wells, a sculptor…

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