ROCHESTER, Minn. — History isn't just written in the pages of a book, but in buildings that dot the landscape.
That is most certainly true just south of Rochester, where our recurring drone series KARE in the Air flew above a slice of the mid-1800s known as the Historic George Stoppel Farmstead.
George Stoppel came to the U.S. in 1848 after leaving his native Germany, first setting in New York and then Cincinnati. The History Center of Olmstead County says it was there a minister told him about Minnesota, promising "all good land, where the wind don't blow."
After arriving George and his brother Joseph found a plot they liked in Rochester Township, and walked to LaCrosse, Wisconsin where the nearest land office was. After hoofing it for three days and 70 miles, the Stoffels reached their destination and paid $200 for 160 acres, or $1.25 per acre.
At that time, says the history center, the government required homesteaders to build a house on their land, but with winter fast approaching George dug a cave in the hillside.
Brother Joseph Stoffel was a trained mason, and he and George quarried 'limestone' to build their houses. Besides the unique house, the George Stoffel Farmstead features a unique barn with underground stables for horses and cattle (with a water pump in each), a special room for cleaning grain and a chicken house.
One of the most forward-thinking features of the property was a wine cave George dug under the bluff near the home. The family used it for storing wine... and potatoes.
Because of their quality and structural integrity, the original Stoppel buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, before the Olmsted County Historical Society acquired the farm in 1976–1978. Operations to restore the farmstead are currently underway.
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