1895
The new year brought a great loss to the village in the destruction of the Lutheran Seminary building by fire on January 11, 1895. It was a severely cold, windy disagreeable day and the flames spread rapidly; in less than an hour only a smoldering ruin remained. The loss of the building and its contents, valued at $30,000 was total. No insurance was carried. Professor Stub’s large library and elegant piano were lost as well as nearly all the possessions of the students. Many were injured by bums and others had frozen hands or feet. Arrangements were made to house the students in private homes and at the Hotel Georgia for the rest of the year. School was held at the hotel. The Seminary students worked at roadwork and helped lay the street car tracks. At election times (between 1889 and 1895) some citizens grumbled because the students had the right to vote—after all they “don’t pay taxes and aren’t interested in the affairs of the village,” according to Jack Coulter. The school was rebuilt on Como Avenue in St. Paul.
This post is part of a series based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett.