E. ST. JULIEN COX HOUSE | Nicollet County Historical Society

Vintage Victorian living room interior with ornate dark wood furniture, floral wallpaper, and antique decor including a piano, curio cabinet, and portrait paintings.

Family History

Architecture

Trivia

Garden Sundial

The Sundial in the garden was given by Helen Churchill and the Minnehaha, the Chapter 111 Questers, in loving memory of departed members.

Pauline (Polly) Meredith
Doris Wetherill
Ramona Kruse
Natalie Nelson
Dorothy Siebert
Olive Strathern
Patricia Poncin
Lucille Engstrom
Dr. Melva Lind
Marjorie Halvorson
Nina Miller Burgess
Agnes Halvorson
Aileen Peterson
Helen Churchill
Marion Lampert
Carol Langsjoen
Margaret Keller
Nadine Stewart
Theresa “T” Mollert
Lois Pettis
ReVae Nygard
Beverly (Bev) Wetherill

estjuliencoxhouse

Wow, what an amazing summer here at the Cox House!

Wow, what an amazing summer here at the Cox House! In our summer season, 157 people walked through the front door to take a step back in history to look at the house and the artifacts inside. We are so grateful for the donations that we received - nearly $300!

We hope to host more events or tours in the coming months, so stay tuned!

From all of us at the Cox House, thank you for the great summer season!!

This Saturday, August 17th, is the second to last

This Saturday, August 17th, is the second to last weekend that the Cox House is open for self-guided tours! Take a peek at the exhibit there Marian Anderson: A Brush with Nature while you're there!

In the master bedroom, there lies a hat on the van

In the master bedroom, there lies a hat on the vanity. Hats started to replace bonnets in most parts of the Victorian woman's day, save for the most formal of events. As seen in this hat, feathers were a common way to decorate hats. In the late 1870s and 1880s, whole birds were used as decoration.

Today is National Mahjong Day! To celebrate, we're

Today is National Mahjong Day! To celebrate, we're showing off the Mahjong set that can be found in the family parlor. Mahjong is a Chinese game that was played in the late 19th century in China and came to America around the 1920s. The tiles, usually made of bamboo, ivory, or bone, are divided into three suits that consist of characters, bamboo, or circles. Some sets, like this one, have eight bonus tiles, which include four flowers and four seasons.

Want to see this Mahjong set? The Cox House is open for self-guided tours on August 3rd and August 20th!

The Saint Paul Globe promoted an exciting 1901 bas

The Saint Paul Globe promoted an exciting 1901 baseball game between the Litchfield and Waseca teams, featuring Eugene "Chesty" Cox as the Waseca pitcher.

Experience the Cox House this summer! Take a free,

Experience the Cox House this summer! Take a free, self-guided tour on Saturday, July 20, from 1 pm to 4 pm. No reservations are required.

Birds were popular pets for people, especially wom

Birds were popular pets for people, especially women, and girls who didn't have enough room to raise larger animals, like dogs. Some of the most popular birds that were kept as pets include wrens, jackdaws, canaries, and even more exotic animals, like parrots!

Next to our mahjong set lies a peculiar piece – a

Next to our mahjong set lies a peculiar piece - a pincushion that can be clamped to the edge of a table! Clamp pincushions like these usually had bird figurines next to the pincushion itself and served as decoration.

The Cox House is open for self-guided tours and Ma

The Cox House is open for self-guided tours and Marian Anderson: A Brush With Nature today from 1-4. We hope to see you there!

Did you know the stereoscope, a popular item on ou

Did you know the stereoscope, a popular item on our open house tours, is a 19th-century invention that offered a glimpse into the future of 3D technology?

Much like the View-Master, the stereoscope uses two nearly identical photographs, but with slightly different perspectives, to create a magical illusion of depth when viewed through the device.

Stereographs were a popular way to "travel the world" from your armchair back then. People collected views of famous landmarks, exotic locations, and even family portraits, experiencing them in a new dimension!

Come explore the wonders of the stereoscope and other fascinating artifacts at our self-guided tours this Saturday, June 22, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.!

Happy Father's Day! Today, we're taking a look a l

Happy Father's Day! Today, we're taking a look a look at the father of the Cox family in Saint Peter, Eugene St. Julien Cox. Born on February 21, 1834, he served in the Union during the Civil War, and when peace was made, he led a volunteer regiment and served as its captain. He had a prominent law career of being an attorney, then a judge, that ended when he was removed from the bench due to his liquor habit. He moved to Los Angeles, where he succumbed to cancer of the tongue on November 3, 1898.

Explore the Cox House and its summer exhibit, "Mar

Explore the Cox House and its summer exhibit, "Marian Anderson: A Brush with Nature," during self-guided tours offered every other Saturday from June 8th to August 31st. https://www.nchsmn.org/visit/e-st-julien-cox-house/

Today, we're focusing on a particular item that ca

Today, we're focusing on a particular item that can be found in the master bedroom. This small purse, known as a reticule, held small items, such as calling cards, money, and toiletries. Before reticules, women would have large pockets that they would tie around their waists. To access these pockets, women would reach through their layers of fabric. The reticule was an easier way to store items while keeping the smooth figure that was common throughout the time period.

Happy National Doughnut Day! We thought that it wo

Happy National Doughnut Day! We thought that it would be fun to share some doughnut recipes that are in a Gold Medal All Purpose Flour cookbook that's in the kitchen of the Cox House! If you try making these, let us know how it goes!!

We're hanging the final artwork for opening day of

We're hanging the final artwork for opening day of our exhibit "Marian Anderson: A Brush with Nature." We'll see you Saturday afternoon.

As the days grow sunnier (and more wet), we wanted

As the days grow sunnier (and more wet), we wanted to talk about parasols! The history of the parasol actually goes back well to around 500 BCE, and its purpose was to give shade to its user. The parasol was widely used during the Victorian Era. The first image is from the Cox House, an umbrella stand filled with walking sticks, umbrellas, and a parasol. The following images are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showing a parasol in their collection, and used under their Open Access Policy. The parasol from the Met features a crook at the top so that it may be carried more elegantly when closed than just holding it. It also features tiers of lace and ruffles.

Ever wonder what the Cox House and Carriage House

Ever wonder what the Cox House and Carriage House looked like in 1993? Well, wonder no more! This picture was taken in the 1993 Christmas at the Cox House, At this time, the house would have been about 122 years old!

The books shown here are from what is known as the

The books shown here are from what is known as the Delphian Course, a ten-book series meant to educate women. Published in 1913, both Lillien and Irene had a set. The green books on the upper shelf are Irene's, and the brown books below are Lillien's. Both series are complete, with the remaining books not pictured on a different shelf.
The books, in order, are:

Book one: "Land of Pyramids, Babylonia and Her Neighbors"
Book two: "Hebrew Literature, Greek Mythology, Life and Art"
Book three: "Greek Drama, Philosophy and Literature, and the Story of Rome"
Book four: "Roman Social Life and Literature, Age of Chivalry"
Book five: "Medieval Studies, History of Music, Conduct of Life"
Book six: "The Renaissance, Education, Art of Conversation, and Modern Italy"
Book seven: "Story of the Drama, Nature Study"
Book eight: "English History, Poetry and Prose, Western Europe"
Book nine: "History of Art, Art Galleries and Museums, Modern Fiction"
Book ten: "American History, Art, Literature, Poetry and Fiction, Expeditions"

Happy International Family Day! We're in the mood

Happy International Family Day! We're in the mood to keep sharing family pictures of the Coxs! This is actually a combination photo of the Cox, Gault, Buell, and Daniels family! On the back, "On the back
Standing from left to right: Uncle Frank, Irene Cox Buell, Mr. Markoe, your father, Edna Cox Markoe, Aunt Marie, Mr. Gault, Lillien Cox Gault, Uncle Dick, Aunt Minnie, Edith Cox Clouston.
Seated on bench: Dr. Daniels, Mrs. Cox, Other Papa (?)
Seated on ground Pearl Clouston, Raymond Buell, Meo." is written.

Happy Mother's Day! As we celebrate mothers everyw

Happy Mother's Day! As we celebrate mothers everywhere, we thought that we would also like to celebrate Mariah Mayhew Cox. Wife of E. St. Julien Cox, and mother of Lilian Cox Gault, Irene Cox Buell, Edna Virginia Cox, Eugene Cox, and William Cox, Mariah had her hands full!

Happy Mother's Day to all the hardworking Moms out there!

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