Godfrey House in Minneapolis, MN

Godfrey House in Minneapolis, MN is the oldest wood frame house in Minneapolis that's still standing. It was build in the mid 1800s and was owned by millwright Ard Godfrey and his wife Harriet Godfrey.

The house is built in a Greek Revival style in 1848. It was originally located at the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue Southeast. It arrived in the Cute Square Park in 1909 after being moved several times.

Ard Godfrey is a noteworthy person to the history of Minneapolis because he built the first dam and sawmill of the area. The dam allowed the waterfall of St. Anthony to be used. Ard Godfrey was also the first postmaster of St. Anthony, a village at the time.

His wife, Harriet, has the somewhat dubious honor of being the individual to bring dandelions to Minnesota. She receives this credit because she imported dandelion seeds from Maine to use in her recipes. She liked to make dandelion bread and dandelion tea.

The Ard Godfrey House is a historical building that's maintained by volunteers from the Women's Club of Minneapolis. This group has been maintaining the house since 1990.

The Ard Godfrey House has been maintained by volunteers from the Women's Club of Minneapolis since 1990.

The house is open to the public mostly in the summer. Summer hours are from Friday through Sunday, 12 pm to 3:30 pm. Donations are welcome, but there is no admission fee charged.

Special tours of the building are available year round. Arrangements for special tours can be made by contacting the Minneapolis Woman's Club at 612-870-8001.