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

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.

Was Pillsbury Ever a British Company? The 34 Years London Owned the Flour Empire

By John K

In 1889 an English syndicate bought the Pillsbury mills. The forgotten 34-year era when Minneapolis's…

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.

Which Four Minneapolis Mansions Were Saved From the Wrecking Ball in 1969?

By John K

In 1969 one anonymous gift let the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts save four mansions…

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.

Which Pillsbury Was Mayor of Minneapolis? Meet George A., the Family Patriarch

By John K

A Pillsbury once ran Minneapolis City Hall: George A. Pillsbury, grandfather of the mansion's builder,…

CategoriesHistory Journal

Who Owned Rotherwas Before the Bodenhams? The de la Barre Family in the Carving

By John K

Before the Bodenhams, Rotherwas belonged to the de la Barre family — a medieval line…

CategoriesHistory JournalA colourised period photograph looking across open parkland toward a distant turreted stone mansion, with newly planted saplings and a wooden fence lining the young street — the Washburn Fair Oaks area of Minneapolis before it was built up

What Was Fair Oaks, the Lost Palace That Named the Park by the Pillsbury Mansion?

By John K

Fair Oaks, William D. Washburn's 40-room castle, once faced the Pillsbury Mansion. How the grandest…

CategoriesHistory Journal

Why Was the Pillsbury Mansion Built Like a Skyscraper?

By John K

Beneath its Tudor stone and ancient English oak, the Pillsbury Mansion hides a steel skyscraper…

CategoriesHistory JournalA colourised period photograph looking across open parkland toward a distant turreted stone mansion, with newly planted saplings and a wooden fence lining the young street — the Washburn Fair Oaks area of Minneapolis before it was built up

Why Is the Minneapolis Institute of Art Across the Street from the Pillsbury Mansion?

By John K

The art museum facing the Pillsbury Mansion stands on a vanished estate called Villa Rosa…

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.

Did a King Really Walk the Staircase Inside the Pillsbury Mansion?

By John K

The carved oak staircase inside Minneapolis's Pillsbury Mansion came from Rotherwas Court in England —…

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

How Did 400-Year-Old English Rooms Get Through U.S. Customs — Duty-Free?

By John K

In 1913, centuries-old English oak rooms crossed the Atlantic and entered America duty-free — classed…

CategoriesHistory Journal

Where Did the Other Rooms of Rotherwas Court End Up?

By John K

Thirteen paneled rooms left Rotherwas Court in 1913. Several live on at the Pillsbury Club;…

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