Osmund Osmundson House
Encyclopedia
The Osmund Osmundson House is a historic house in Nerstrand, Minnesota
. The private home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP) on April 6, 1982. The house is significant for its association with a prominent Rice County pioneer and town founder.
, since removed. The white, 2-story gable
d brick house was completed in 1880. The sprawling structure consists of two sections: each with an intersecting gable roof with wooden shingles. The south section, the left section of the front facade, is two bay
s by two bays and has portions that date to 1856. The north section measures three bays by two bays with a -story extension added to the rear (western) facade. Two over two windows are regularly spaced and slightly arched. The structure has two porches: an enclosed porch
topped by a balcony on the rear (northwestern) corner as well as a modified front porch across the front section's three bays facade. The building originally had an elaborate balustraded
full front porch and a red brick color.
in Tysvær
, Norway
in 1826 and immigrated to the United States
in 1850. He settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
before joining the California Gold Rush
. In 1856 he moved to Wheeling Township in Rice County, Minnesota
. He homestead
ed the present site of Nerstrand, and began to envision a town on the site. In 1877, he built a store on what became the right-of-way for railroad tracks on what is now Main Street. In 1885, the Minnesota and North Western Railroad (later the Chicago Great Western Railway) was constructed and Osmundson plat
ted the town on the line, naming it after his hometown. The area surrounding Nerstrand and Wheeling Township became a close-knit Norwegian American community. Osmundson went on the be active in county and state government, serving as Rice County commissioner for two terms and in the Minnesota State Legislature; he died in 1914.
The home was built to replace a log house built at the time he settled in the area, as well as a wood-frame house built in 1861. At the time the building was listed on the NRHP, it was owned and occupied by the third generation of Osmundsons.
Nerstrand, Minnesota
Nerstrand is a small town in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 295 at the 2010 census.Minnesota State Highway 246 serves as a main route in the community. Minnesota State Highways 56 and 60 are nearby.- History :...
. The private home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP) on April 6, 1982. The house is significant for its association with a prominent Rice County pioneer and town founder.
Structure
The Osmund Osmundson House is located in the northeast of the small town of Nerstrand. It is located east of what were the rails for the Chicago Great Western RailwayChicago Great Western Railway
The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad...
, since removed. The white, 2-story gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d brick house was completed in 1880. The sprawling structure consists of two sections: each with an intersecting gable roof with wooden shingles. The south section, the left section of the front facade, is two bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
s by two bays and has portions that date to 1856. The north section measures three bays by two bays with a -story extension added to the rear (western) facade. Two over two windows are regularly spaced and slightly arched. The structure has two porches: an enclosed porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
topped by a balcony on the rear (northwestern) corner as well as a modified front porch across the front section's three bays facade. The building originally had an elaborate balustraded
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
full front porch and a red brick color.
History and significance
Osmund Osmundson was born in NedstrandNedstrand
Nedstrand is a village and a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.The village is located on the south-eastern coast of Nedstrandhalvøya, and its population is 241 ....
in Tysvær
Tysvær
Tysvær is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Haugaland. The municipality is located at the northern side of Boknafjord, east of Karmøy. Tysvær has a population of 9,349 and an area of 419 km². Aksdalsvatnet is a lake in this municipality.Local...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in 1826 and immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1850. He settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
before joining the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. In 1856 he moved to Wheeling Township in Rice County, Minnesota
Rice County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 56,665 people, 18,888 households, and 13,353 families residing in the county. The population density was 114 people per square mile . There were 20,061 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile...
. He homestead
Homestead (buildings)
A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...
ed the present site of Nerstrand, and began to envision a town on the site. In 1877, he built a store on what became the right-of-way for railroad tracks on what is now Main Street. In 1885, the Minnesota and North Western Railroad (later the Chicago Great Western Railway) was constructed and Osmundson plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted the town on the line, naming it after his hometown. The area surrounding Nerstrand and Wheeling Township became a close-knit Norwegian American community. Osmundson went on the be active in county and state government, serving as Rice County commissioner for two terms and in the Minnesota State Legislature; he died in 1914.
The home was built to replace a log house built at the time he settled in the area, as well as a wood-frame house built in 1861. At the time the building was listed on the NRHP, it was owned and occupied by the third generation of Osmundsons.