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

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!

Last week, we showed the house in 1913. Today, we'

Last week, we showed the house in 1913. Today, we're showing it in 1995! We think it's wonderful to see how much the house has changed, yet how much it has stayed the same!

As the weather is (hopefully) warming up, we thoug

As the weather is (hopefully) warming up, we thought that we could show off some of the plants that have called the Cox House their home. In this picture, bright red tulips are growing. In the Victorian Era, tulips could represent charity, love, and rebirth. Red tulips, as seen here, usually represent a deep love and passion.

Happy National Historic Marker Day! National Histo

Happy National Historic Marker Day! National Historical Marker Day is a relatively new day, only becoming one in 2022, but we thought that we could share the marker outside of the Cox House!

Let the Wedding Bells ring! On this day, Edna Virg

Let the Wedding Bells ring! On this day, Edna Virginia Cox married William Francis Markoe in 1884 in Saint Peter. Together, they had two sons, Eugene William Markoe and Stuart Francis Markoe. Edna died in 1950, and William died in 1935.

#historylovers #historyinpictures #history #SaintPeterHistory #History

Happy National Siblings Day! The Cox children (all

Happy National Siblings Day! The Cox children (all six of them!) were a busy bunch of people. Their names were Edith, Edna, Eugene, Lillien, Irene, and William.
All of the children completed high school, some being schooled in
Faribault and some also completed college. Lillien lived here with her two
sons. She was the first woman mayor in St. Peter and the first woman
mayor in Minnesota. She also taught Sunday School well into her 90's.
The Coxes belonged to the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion and
Lillien was the first woman to go hatless in her church. Irene was one of
the first women to be admitted to the Bar in Minnesota.

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