About John Harrington Stevens House
Museums, Cultural, Interesting Places, Other Museums
The John Harrington Stevens House was the first authorized house on the west bank of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was built in 1850 at Saint Anthony Falls by John H. Stevens on the site where the Minneapolis Post Office now sits. He was granted permission to build his house on land controlled by Fort Snelling in exchange for providing ferry service across the river, accounting for the nickname "ferry farm." In the subsequent five years, the home became a hub of civic and social activity, and was dubbed the "birthplace of Minneapolis." Both Hennepin County and Minneapolis were organized in Stevens' home. He and his wife, Frances Helen, had no white neighbors, but Indians were often seen nearby.
