IS THIS WARNING COMMON in hotels? Because I don’t stay in hotels all that often—maybe once a year—I’m uncertain.
Apparently theft is a problem at this particular Winona hotel, although I cannot imagine why anyone would steal any of the items on the list.
There’s a Target right next door with comparable or lower prices.
© Copyright 2016 Minnesota Prairie Roots
Driving Fillmore County Road 21 north of Canton toward Henrytown then west to Dennis and Mary Hershberger’s farm. This is deep in Minnesota Amish country. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2012.
THREE SUMMERS AGO, my husband and I explored the extreme southeastern portion of Minnesota that is home to pockets of Amish. During that tour, just north of Canton, we followed back roads to the home of Dennis Hershberger, a gifted carpenter who crafts raw wood into stunning pieces of furniture at his Countryside Furniture business.
An overview of Canton’s historic area. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2012.
Today I am thinking of Dennis and other Canton area Amish suffering the loss of two community members who died in an early Monday morning house fire. The victims have been tentatively identified as a local bishop, Yost Hershberger, 58, and his son, Ben, 18. Three other family members went to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A snapshot of Dennis Hershberger’s farm yard. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2012.
I don’t know whether Dennis the carpenter is related to the two men who died. Hershberger is a common name among the Amish. But Dennis and his family live near the scene of Monday’s fatal house fire along Fillmore County Road 21. Whether connected by blood or by community, the commonality of grief now unites this Amish settlement.
Just last May, 23-year-old Yost J. Hershberger of Decorah, Iowa, died after being trapped between a logging truck and a trailer in nearby rural Mabel. Another tragedy within this tight-knit community of Amish.
On this day, I feel a deep sense of sadness for the Hershberger family, for these Amish of southeastern Minnesota.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
A barge floats near the Mississippi River bridge that connects Minnesota and Wisconsin in Winona. A new bridge is under construction next to the old one shown here and is expected to be completed this year. The old bridge will then undergo renovation. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
IN MINNESOTA’S SOUTHEASTERN most tip, the Mississippi River flows alongside bluffs, edging small towns and cities. Like Winona. The Mighty Mississippi shaped this island sandbar, today a destination for those who appreciate history, art, architecture, stained glass and more. Sometimes folks come just for the river.
Someone chalked the Levee Park sign much to my delight. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
On a brief visit to Winona in September, my husband and I watched river traffic from Winona’s downtown Levee Park as twilight tinged the sky pink.
The Winona Tour Boat offers river cruises. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
There’s something incredibly soothing about water. Mesmerizing really. Like a lullaby or poetry or the refrain of a favorite song.
The White Angel tugs a barge. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
Water transports thoughts to a quiet place.
Winona State University’s Cal Fremling boat also offers river cruises with a focus on education. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
Or a place of adventure, sans Huckleberry Finn. Who hasn’t dreamed of clamoring aboard a raft and leaving everything behind?
As the sun sets, Winona State University’s Cal Fremling boat passes under the Mississippi Rover bridge in Winona. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
Days flow like a river, sometimes straight and true, other times twisting and turning through a torrent of troubles.
Boathouses as photographed from Levee Park in Winona. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo, September 2015.
On this September evening, peace ran like a river past Winona, through my soul…
The old Mississippi River bridge in Winona. Minnesota Prairie Roots photo 2015.
diminishing all thoughts of a bridge over troubled waters.
FYI: Tomorrow I conclude my series from Winona.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Pulling a barge down the Mississippi River in Winona in September 2015.
WINONA IS A RIVER TOWN. A college town. A place of history, historic buildings, memorable businesses. And more, much more.
My award-winning photo taken at the Lakeview Drive Inn. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo 2014.
I’ve savored homemade root beer at the iconic Lakeview Drive Inn in Winona.
Bloedow’s Bakery is located at 451 E. Broadway St. in Winona. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo September 2014.
I’ve tasted a bacon-topped, maple-iced long john from Bloedow’s Bakery.
Worn, vintage business signage always catches my eye.
And I wish I’d had time to duck into Sloppy Joe’s Liquor to grab a beer and maybe a sloppy joe, if the sandwich is served there, and to hear the story behind the bar’s name.
I shot this scene of The Penguin Zesto in September 2015.
The same goes for The Penguin Zesto. What’s with that name? The drive-in was closed when I visited Winona. No ice cream for me on that September day. Only questions. I always have questions.
Winona has some lovely old homes, this one photographed in September 2015.
FYI: Check back tomorrow for another post in my series from Winona.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
The exterior front of Winona National Bank, originally Winona Savings Bank, presents a visual of strength and stability in design and materials.
EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION of Winona National Bank invokes trust, strength and power.
Each column measures 37 feet high, weighs 32 tons and is constructed from a single piece of North Carolina granite.
Granite entry columns.
Green marble from Greece and white marble from Italy are featured inside the bank, here in the lobby and teller area.
Marble everywhere.
The mammoth steel vault door gives an impression of safety and security. It was built by Diebold Safe and Lock Company of Canton, Ohio.
A 22 ½ ton vault door 22 inches thick.
Architect George Maher designed the metal work like these iron window gates which give a visual impression of security.
Iron window gates.
The lion, another symbol of strength and power.
Lion heads are also carved in stone.
The taxidermy display includes a lion, center.
And then, the king of the jungle—the lion—standing atop signage, sculpted and encased in glass. A symbol of strength for a bank that stands as a powerful visual presence in the heart of this Mississippi River town.
The bank was quiet on the morning I visited. Beautiful marble. Note the word “TRUST” on the wall to the left.
On the Friday in September when I toured this 1916 Egyptian Revival style building with Prairie School influences, the bank seemed more museum than business. The atmosphere was quiet, almost shrine-like with few customers. (The bank also has two branch offices.) I felt a sense of reverent awe in the midst of such opulence, such an overwhelming display of wealth.
The largest of the Tiffany stained glass windows in the bank looms above the entry. Architect George Maher’s Prairie School influences are seen in a design that includes a lotus pattern.
Looking up toward the second floor and the area open to the lower level, the white marble from Italy conveys strength. Note the art deco style lights.
Mahogany railings wrap the white marble staircase.
It is difficult for me to comprehend anyone having this much money—to erect this massive building with Tiffany stained glass windows, white marble imported from Italy and mahogany railings. Chicago architect George Maher, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed the building.
Plans for the tile are on display.
The bank formed in 1874 as Winona Savings Bank, later merging with Winona National Bank. J.R. Watkins, founder of The J.R. Watkins Medical Company, still a stalwart business today simply known as J.R. Watkins, is also linked to the bank. In the early 1900s, J.R. acquired Winona Savings Bank as a banking concern connected to Watkins products.
The impressive boardroom.
When J.R. died in 1911, his son-in-law, Ernest L. King, Sr., then the vice president of Watkins, assumed the bank presidency. Eventually his son, Ernest L. King, Jr., would serve on the board of directors.
A Prairie School inspired chair in the boardroom, next to the gun collection.
So there’s a lot of local business history in this formidable bank building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Watkins connection is highlighted in upper level displays. Inside the boardroom, designed in Prairie School style, sleek chairs pull up to hefty, gleaming tables next to a gun collection. Just down the hallway, trophy animals shot by Grace Watkins King (J.R.’s only child) and her husband, Ernest L. King, Sr., are showcased.
A lion trophy from Africa.
I couldn’t help but think of Cecil the lion (killed in Zimbabwe) as I photographed the lion mount inside the bank. I understand, though, that it was a different mindset when this lion and other wildlife were shot in Africa. Yet, in a building of such grand splendor, this taxidermy collection left me feeling uncomfortable and sad.
From an upper floor looking down to the lobby.
That aside, I delighted in the opportunity to tour this remarkable Minnesota treasure.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Even underfoot impresses.
Likewise above…definitely Prairie School influence.
Another view of the lobby from above.
FYI: Free self-guided tours of the bank are available during regular business hours from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The bank is located at 204 Main Street in downtown Winona. Check back next week as I continue with my series from Winona.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
The J.R. Watkins complex of buildings is on the National Register of Historic Places as noted by this marker.
AH, TO WORK in such a splendid place of marble and gold and Tiffany stained glass windows.
Greenery outside the Watkins’ office building.
That’s the setting for employees at J.R. Watkins, a Winona company that sells health remedies, baking products and much more; it’s especially known for its vanilla. Office workers labor inside a monumental building designed by noted Prairie School style architect George W. Maher of Chicago.
Chiseled above an entry into the administrative building.
The sprawling building features a 70-foot high rotunda dome coated with 24-carat gold leaf.
On a September visit to this Mississippi River community, I toured the 1912 office building which anchors a corner on the edge of downtown. It’s an unexpected gem, this stone structure that resembles a government building or art museum rather than the headquarters of a business.
Even the door handles are exquisite.
My husband and I couldn’t just walk inside. Rather, we phoned for access and then signed in.
Inside, looking toward the front doors and the Tiffany stained glass window featuring a rendition of Sugar Loaf.
The Sugar Loaf window up close.
Looking toward a mini-museum display of Watkins items, including a Watkins wagon.
The building features 224 stained glass skylights.
Skylights up close.
And, as you would expect, the space we were allowed to explore was limited to the main lobby area. Still, this was enough to impress as I gazed upon marble walls, the stained glass skylights (of which there are 224) and the custom-made Tiffany stained glass window (there are three) featuring Winona’s noted bluff landmark, Sugar Loaf. Because the windows are covered on the exterior to protect them, they are not quite as impressive as they could be. Still, you can’t leave this building without thinking, wow.
FYI: Check back tomorrow for a post on the Winona National Bank building.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Vanilla has long been a staple bestseller at Watkins.
MY MEMORIES OF THE WATKINS MAN are peripheral. A man at the door of our farmhouse peddling vanilla and spices to my farm wife mother.
Spices have always been a popular product with Watkins customers. These vintage spice containers are showcased in the museum.
It was an era when rural women mostly stayed home to raise their families, when families owned only one car, when the distance from farm to town was traversed but once a month.
Early on in the 1900s, the Watkins man delivered products via a horse-pulled wagon.
Salesmen, like the Watkins man, the Fuller Brush Man and the Schwans man brought goods and/or food to doorsteps. Personal service. Meeting a need.
In September, my husband and I stayed overnight in Winona, a southeastern Minnesota community we’ve visited often given our eldest daughter attended college there. Never, though, had we taken the time to explore the J.R. Watkins Museum & Store and the adjacent impressive administrative headquarters. This trip we did.
This portrait of founder J.R. Watkins hangs in the museum.
The business started in 1868, not in Winona, but in neighboring Plainview where Joseph Ray Watkins made and sold Dr. Ward’s Vegetable Anodyne Liniment. He’d secured the recipe from a Cincinnati physician. Today the company still sells a 96.5 percent natural pain-relieving liniment. (Click here to read a synopsis of Watkins’ history.)
The historic Watkins complex (museum, first floor on left, administrative building on right) is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1885, J.R. moved his business to the growing Mississippi River community of Winona. Through the years, the company flourished, and then floundered as times changed and the door-to-door sales strategy became less effective with more women working outside the home. Consumers’ tastes were also changing. Eventually, the company filed bankruptcy and was purchased in 1978 by businessman Irwin Jacobs. Now his son, Mark, heads Watkins, a thriving business that currently offers 350 products.
Watkins still sells beauty/healthcare items. These samples are in the store.
Spices have always been an integral part of Watkins.
Watkins recently partnered with Kemps.
Today Watkins remains an important part of Winona, not only as a business that markets gourmet, bath and body, health, and home care products, but as an integral part of local family histories. You may not learn this touring the museum or reading the company’s history online. But talk to a museum staffer and you will hear about hometown loyalty.
Various sizes of Watkins vanillas are sold in the museum store. A recipe for Vanilla Coffee Creamer is printed on the package holding the vanilla I purchased.
I learned, for example, that the vanilla in most Winona kitchens is Watkins’ vanilla. It has always been a company top seller. The staffer did not offer proof of this claim. But I don’t doubt her assessment. I purchased a two-ounce bottle of Watkins “naturally and artificially flavored double strength vanilla” labeled as “superior quality since 1868” and “awarded Gold Medal for highest quality.”
There’s a model of Winona, including the Watkins complex, in the museum.
But the most interesting local tidbit she shared is that of “Winona Coffee,” coffee sweetened with a drop or two of Watkins vanilla added to the grounds. This is apparently how many Winonans prefer their coffee. And that says a lot for a company based in this city for 130 years.
ARE YOU FAMILIAR with the Watkins Company and, if so, do you have a favorite product?
BONUS PHOTOS:
Entering the museum up several steps and through a side door.
Watkins spices are well-known and a major part of the company’s business.
Love the art on this vintage can of Watkins baking powder.
The annual Watkins almanac was printed in The Watkins Print Shop, open for 88 years. The shop is now the site of the Watkins museum, where the almanacs are displayed.
This toy truck, displayed in the museum, carries bags of spices.
Watkins produced items for troops during WW II to fulfill government contracts.
An overview of a section of the museum.
Pine cleaner, compared to the smell of the Minnesota northwoods.
Art in a vintage Watkins calendar.
Watkins even sold mouse killer (aka warfarin) at one time.
FYI: The Watkins Museum is open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday – Friday and from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturdays. It’s located at 150 Liberty Street, near downtown Winona. Admission is free. Also consider touring the administrative headquarters around the corner featuring Tiffany stained glass windows. Check back tomorrow for a post on that building as I continue my series of stories from Winona.
The Minnesota Highway 60 viaduct stretches before me, looking to the west toward the heart of Faribault.
EVERY TIME I VIEW Faribault from the Minnesota Highway 60 viaduct, I am mesmerized by this community I’ve called home for 32 years.
Before me, historic Faribault lies:
Old houses constructed of wood, brick and limestone populate residential areas near downtown.
aged wood frame houses jutting from hillsides,
Carriage House Liquors is an example, according to the Faribault Heritage Preservation Commission website, “one of Faribault’s best-preserved stone industrial structures.” Buggies, carriages, wagons and bobsleds were manufactured in this historic building, which later also served as a blacksmith shop.
solid brick and stone buildings anchored downtown,
Steeples of First English Lutheran Church and Congregational Church of Faribault, UCC, are seen in the background of this image.
church steeples poking the skyline,
Buckham Memorial Library, dedicated in 1930 in memory of Faribault lawyer and judge Thomas Buckham by his widow, Anna, sits to the left in this photo. A clock tower landmarks the building. Inside are beautiful stained glass windows designed by Charles Connick.
a signature clock tower marking the Kasota stone library.
Another snippet view of downtown Faribault from the viaduct.
This is a beautiful city of rivers and woods, hills and flatland. It is a place where the past is appreciated, where aged buildings still stand. Strong. Strong in history. Rooted in the past, but growing in the present.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
THE WEATHERMAN PROMISED mostly sunny skies Sunday in southern Minnesota. But predictions and reality don’t always match. Rather than sunshine here in Faribault, grey skies prevailed, matching my mood.
I needed a walk in the woods, an escape. Time to envelope myself in nothing but nature, in the muffled quiet of traversing a snow-covered trail winding through River Bend Nature Center.
There is something about trudging through snow, about pausing to study the bark of a naked tree, about tipping your head upward toward the sky, even if it is grey, that temporarily nudges away heartache.
So I walked with my husband through the sparse landscape of black-and-white. Sparse words. Silence in between. A Robert Frost poem. Only the sporadic cross country skier interrupted our solitude.
Occasionally I stopped to snapshot a scene. When my fingertips ached with cold from photographing birds in 27 degrees, I wove across the patchy ice of the parking lot to our Chevy.
There I photographed my final nature scene on a license plate.
Then our car wound back through River Bend, past snowy woods and a frozen pond, past the razor wire fence and grounds of the Minnesota Correctional Facility, Faribault (which sits right next to the Nature Center), back to reality. Still shrouded by grey skies.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Walking the dogs.
A tag at the base of a tree.
A sign in the woods explains an effort to rid River Bend of buckthorn by utilizing goats to eat the invasive tree.
Goats from Goat Dispatch will also consume these Christmas trees and wreaths dropped off by area residents. The goats will be on-site during River Bend’s January 24 WinterFest.
© Copyright 2016 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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