Spring Valley Laura Ingalls Wilder Site

10/16/2026

GLIMPSES OF SPRING VALLEY’S PAST ⬇️

In the era when horsepower meant flesh and blood horses, Sullivan’s business was vital to the growth of the community. Horses not only furnished transportation, but were crucial to the cultivation of the crops grown for their livelihoods. Spring Valley was also home to many prominent men devoted to harness racing and race tracks were part of the local culture for many years. No doubt, Sullivan made many harnesses for those racers and it appears Sullivan hired three employees to assist in the business that remained at this spot for 48 years. 🐎

Born in Ireland, Sullivan (1845-1934) came to town in 1896 to start his business in a small frame building at the same location, but soon built the brick structure shown in the photographs below. The Sullivan family’s living quarters were situated in the top floor. Note the wooden sidewalk and wooden hitching rails, later changed to iron railings.

In later years, the building was home to jewelry stores: Harry Bandle, Everett Sprott, Jornel’s, and the most recent jewelry shop — Rebecca’s Diamond Gallery.

In 1878, Sullivan was instrumental in the building of the first Catholic Church in town at 400 West High Street, a fine brick structure that was turned into a private residence.

But this post begs a question — what is currently housed in this business building? Drop your guesses in the comment section!

10/11/2026

Season two of the most recent Little House adaption has wrapped production; did you watch the first season? Are you planning on “tuning in” for the second?

Get the latest on the upcoming adaptation, which has been renewed ahead of Season 1's premiere in July.

10/07/2026

🛑 AS A REMINDER 🛑

The SVCHS is closed for the season. While there is plenty of life and action happening behind the scenes as staff members are constantly working together to improve and maintain our grounds, the museum itself is closed to the public unless opened by appointment.

Please contact the SVCHS directly by phone or email before planning your trip to make sure that we can accommodate your group! Sometimes Google and other third-party travel websites don’t always have accurate information regarding our hours of operation.

☎️ Leave a message: 507.346.7659

📧 Email: [email protected]

Thank you!

10/05/2026

GLIMPSES OF SPRING VALLEY’S PAST ⬇️

In the 1870 era, the Hart Hotel stood on West Jefferson at the north end of Vine Avenue, a welcome stop on the stagecoach route between Decorah, Iowa and points north. It also served travelers using the Southern Minnesota Railroad whose depot was just two blocks south. Note the hitching rails for tying up teams and the pump for watering thirsty horses.

This photo was taken after 1893 when the city had established its electric power business, as evidenced by the power lines that appear across the top of the photo.

Abner and Jane Hart, the original owners, came from New England in 1875 and operated the hotel for many years. Their son, Will Hart, with partner George Beagle, managed the Hart & Beagle grocery store on Broadway from 1897 to 1921. Will was active in the Commercial Club, civic affairs, and especially the Congregational Church choir. During World War I, his wife, Clara, was in charge of the sewing clubs that benefited the American Red Cross. And Will Hart’s sister, Emma Hart, at one time served as our city librarian.

10/02/2026

Have you ever wondered about the history behind one of our town’s most well-known landmarks? If so, please join the Spring Valley Garden Club for their Community Presentation: The Story of our Statue — where they will dive into the unique history of our statue and share the recent restoration work that inspired the quest to uncover information on it’s origins.

Event details: ⬇️

Sunday, October 25th, 2026, 2:00 pm

First English Lutheran Church, 217 W. Grant Street, Spring Valley, MN

Fillmore County Journal article:

https://fillmorecountyjournal.com/spring-valley-garden-club-restores-historic-statue/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUsl1NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAWZkaWQWUPhlSuiiocAIBOGHFF64_ZOP1hJucXNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4PQA4modNrTp38cvbFnbft6LZatumzXq_X_PcFZXnWLCRqb0F6rdfrxPWi0w_aem_ed-5i3Zl2aX-Z41hD7Rb5Q

10/01/2026

The leaves in this picture are putting on quite a show, and while our grounds are tucked in for the season, things aren’t exactly quiet around here.

There’s always something happening behind the scenes at the Spring Valley Community Historical Society and Wilder Site — caring for our collections, working on projects, planning ahead, and making sure the stories of our community continue to be shared for years to come.

And here’s a little secret: just because the doors are closed doesn’t mean you can’t come visit! Private tours of the Wilder Site and Historic Methodist Church Building, or the rest of our grounds, are still available by appointment. Gather a few friends, bring your curiosity, and let us share a little local history with you.

So as you enjoy those beautiful autumn colors, remember that history is still happening right here. 🍂

Give us a shout to arrange a private tour—we’d love to see you! *private tours must be made in advance by emailing [email protected] / private tour booking fees apply.

Photo of the James Wilder barn captured by Wandermore in Minnesota 📸 And as a reminder, the James Wilder barn is owned privately and NOT available for touring.

09/28/2026

A great article from the Root River Current about the fascinating history surrounding grist mills in the Spring Valley area. Definitely worth the read!

Discover the history of Tunnel Mill near Spring Valley, where an ingenious 1871 tunnel through a limestone bluff powered a thriving Fillmore County grist mill. Read more at the link in the comments 👇

09/26/2026

A great deal of how life was lived in Spring Valley in 1898 can be deduced from a careful study of the photo below. ⬇️

The banded arch erected at the Broadway-Courtland intersection was part of the special September event welcoming home the men of Company F Militia from their brief stint in the Spanish-American War. The tall light poles with many crosspieces support wires carrying electric power from the downtown area from the electric plant opened in 1893 on Park Street.

On the right side is the three-story Allard Opera House. Built in 1875, it offered retail space on the ground floor, professional offices on the second, and a large public hall on the third floor. In 1899 the state Marshall declared it a fire hazard and ordered the top floor removed.

Next door was Conley’s Jewelry Store; then John Leuthold’s double building, circa 1893, for men’s clothing and a hardware store.

Other shops included Viall’s Shoe Store, E.G.H. Adam’s’ Print Shop, Sullivan’s Harness Shop and Huntley, the druggist.

In the center, the skyline features the prominent 1885 Molstad School on the brow of the hill. At left and moving south is the Lee Block, circa 1895, that houses countless retail businesses during the years, plus offices and living quarters above, next the Palace Furniture, then two-story, double-wide structures, the first being the John Quincy Farmer Block, built in 1878 and housing a drugstore and post office, then the B.F. Farmer Block, circa 1880, with the set of upstairs bay windows. Two smaller wooden structures were next in line. One was Lawrence Bar’s Boots and Shoes. In the corner was the imposing First State Bank, constructed in 1889 where the Central Hotel had once stood. Across the street south was Lobdill’s Hardware Store.

Take note of the sidewalks lined with iron hitching rails, the shop canopies all rolled out to shelter the shoppers on the east side, and the dirt street, which required daily “watering down” from a horse drawn “sprinkler wagon.”

My, how Spring Valley has changed!

09/21/2026

September 21, 1894, is a day not easily forgotten in Spring Valley history. It had been a hot, sultry day with a brief evening rain shower. Most residents were in bed, but a few hundred were enjoying a play in the Anderson Opera House on Section Avenue, and a few were at a Good Templar’s’ lodge meeting. Suddenly, an ominous roar to the west deepened and at 10:30 p.m. a tornado struck the community with full force, lights went out all over town, the fire alarm sounded, and bedlam ensued.

The storm cleared a path several blocks wide starting west of town heading northeast. It completely destroyed 13 residences, severely damaged countless others, and crushed and scattered 30-40 barns and outbuildings. Five people were killed out-right, more than 30 injured, and approximately 100 left homeless.

Authorities called an emergency meeting to form rescue committees, and an unoccupied house was designated for an improvised hospital. Five local doctors, two from Wykoff and one from Racine, were called to attend to the injured persons, working throughout the night and the following day.

In the photos below, residents are standing at the corner of North Broadway and Huron Avenue (present site of America’s Best Value Inn) looking southeast, and we see graphic evidence of the storm’s destructive power. No buildings remained standing on the north side of town except for a single white house on Warren Avenue, which is still there to this day.

09/19/2026

And just like that, our grounds are CLOSED for the season. The Spring Valley Community Historical Society and Wilder Site would like to express our thanks to all our staff and volunteers, donors and supporters, community members and out-of-town travelers, for supporting the SVCHS during summer 2026. Because of you, we had a record breaking season with outstanding, new programming.

While our doors will remain closed for the season, that doesn’t mean there will be any less activity taking place behind the scenes. Now is the time staff works on organizing acquisitions, exhibits, and other projects ahead of the new year.

And don’t forget, until we open again in May of 2027, our buildings are available for private tours by appointment only. Please email us at: [email protected] for additional information.

Thank you for making summer 2026 such a memorable one! See you next summer! ☀️