The Justus Ramsey Stone House was one of the oldest known houses still standing in Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The house, located at 252 West 7th Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is an example of a Saint Paul residence of a settler of some financial means.
Ramsey
Justus Cornelius Ramsey was born in Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania and learned the printer's trade. He was first employed as a surveyor for the Pennsylvania Railroad, then came to Saint Paul in 1849 where he engaged in the grocery business and in real estate. He was the younger brother of the first governor of Minnesota Territory, Alexander Ramsey. In 1850, he was elected to the Minnesota Territorial Legislature and served for three terms; he also served in other governmental posts, including carrying the treaty payment to the Dakota when the Dakota War of 1862 erupted.
The building
The 35-acre (14 ha) parcel including 252 West 7th Street was purchased by Henry Hastings Sibley, Henry M. Rice, and Justus Ramsey for $60.00 in 1849. The land was subdivided in 1850, and Justus Ramsey kept the title to the lot where this two-room house was built; it is believed that he initially lived in the home. It was constructed with 2-foot-thick light gray quarry-faced limestone walls, ashlar-coursed with lime mortar. In 1859, Ramsey lost or sold the home, after which it served as a barber shop and a residence.
Ramsey died by suicide in 1881, leaving behind a fortune of $200,000.
Robert A. Smith
One of the earliest occupants of the Justus Ramsey House was Robert A. Smith, who arrived in St. Paul in 1853 to serve as a secretary to his brother-in-law, Territorial Governor Willis A. Gorman. Smith went on to hold subsequent government positions at the territorial, county, and city level.
Smith was elected to the city council in 1883 and served until 1887. He was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 1884 and served one term. He was then elected to the Minnesota Senate and served 1887-1890. He was appointed mayor of St. Paul in 1887 to complete the term of a mayor who had resigned. He served as mayor until 1892, when he lost the election, but after that term, he was elected again and served from 1894-1896 when he was appointed Postmaster. He resigned from that after four years to go back to being St. Paul mayor, serving from 1900-1908. He ran for lieutenant governor in 1902, but was not elected. In 1910 he was elected a Ramsey County Commissioner and held the position until his death in 1913.
Munger Bros. The Munger brothers, Russel Munger and Roger Munger, also lived in the house.
During the late nineteenth century, amateur brass bands were very popular in America. In 1856, the Munger brothers, Russell and Roger, started the Old Gents’ Band, the first military band in Minnesota. The Old Gents’ Band merged with the Pioneer Guards Band, and from this, the Great Western Band of St. Paul (GWB) was formed in 1860. Russell C. Munger (1837–1901), co-owner of the Munger Brothers Music Store in downtown St. Paul, was well qualified to lead the band due to his musical abilities. Munger led it for seven years, after which George Seibert (1836–1897), a band member, became the leader.
Roger Munger married Olive Gray in 1858 and they moved to Duluth. Through his entrepreneurship, Munger bought a sawmill and built another, got a coal dock going and a grain elevator. Serving on the school board and the city council, he continued projects with the development of an opera house, flour mill and board of trade. He was part of cutting a shipping canal across Minnesota Point and also involved with the Spaulding Hotel.