Friday Fun: My Childhood Home

I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of my childhood home today (no, it wasn't one of these gorgeous mansions!). My dad was the caretaker for the Musser & Weyerhaeuser Estate (above) and we lived in the carriage house below the hill. It sounds a bit like Sabrina, doesn't it? :) The estate wasn't quite as elaborate, but it was still a very magical place to grow up. I had a unique upbringing, to say the least, and it greatly impacted my love for history. 



This was my childhood home, the carriage house

 Here's a bit of the history of the estate:

Charles A. Weyerhaeuser and Richard “Drew” Musser came to Minnesota in 1891 and managed the Pine Tree Lumber Company, which was founded in 1890 by their fathers.

The Weyerhaeuser Home (green house) and Musser home (white house) are neighboring mansions that occupy nine acres of wooded land on top of a small bluff called Linden Hill, overlooking the Mississippi river. These homes were designed by Clarence H. Johnston, the most significant architectural figure in Minnesota, and they were built in the shingle style in 1898.

 

In 1920 the Pine Tree Lumber Company closed and the Weyerhaeusers moved their business to Washington State, where the company is still prominent today. Drew Musser stayed in Little Falls and went into banking. His daughter, Laura Jane, took over the green house in the 1950's after returning from New York City where she attended Juilliard. Laura Jane Musser was the last family member to live on the estate and when she passed away in 1989, the property was given to the city and is now operated as Linden Hill Historical Event Center. Laura Jane was a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz and her amazing collection of memorabilia is still in the green house. She and Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West) met in New York City and became life long friends. Margaret visited Laura Jane many times at her home.



Margaret Hamilton (left) and Laura Jane

We moved into the carriage house when I was three years old. I have wonderful memories of Laura Jane and our time on the estate. It's still one of my favorite places on Earth.

Two weeks ago it was just my hubby and the twins and I, so we took out the Jeep and visited my old stomping grounds. You can see why this place is still very magical to me and I love sharing it with my own family - and now you. 



My handsome men



The school house

 

The pool house, which has now been filled in, was the
location we had out Groom's Dinner. Before the
twins were born my mother & mother-in-law
held a shower for me in the white house and over seventy
friends and family came with gifts and love (we didn't
 need to buy diapers for four months!). I continue to
make great memories on this estate.

The "barn" at the bottom of the hill. This was my dad's
"office" so to speak and I have memories of planting the
garden here and picking eggs in the chicken coop.

 

This was my backyard, at the bottom of Linden Hill where
my sister and I would play house every day. There was
a little garden gnome that held a book and I used to
sit in front of him and pretend he was reading to me...

 

There are nine acres of land and we had the run of

almost half of it (the part that was at the bottom of

the hill). We enjoyed skating on the pond, sledding
down the hill, playing baseball in the yard and imagining

what it would be like to live in the mansions.

This was our sledding hill in the winter. My parents
always had a huge New Year's Eve party here. You can

see part of the white house through the trees. Our house

was to the left of this picture.



The view from our backyard... The Mississippi River





This is "The Point," which is falling into disrepair. There
used to be a chimney in the middle where we roasted
marshmallows and popped Jiffy Popcorn.



I hope you enjoyed a little trip down memory lane with me today! I have an amazing story brewing in my head for this estate...I can't wait to share it someday.

What about you? Where did you spend your childhood? Do you ever go back and visit?

~ ~ ~ ~

Don't forget, if you haven't entered the drawing for the wonderful gift basket from Author Donna Pyle, head over to My Guest, Donna Pyle (With An Amazing Giveaway!). The drawing ends on Sunday, August 26th at 11:59 p.m. You won't want to miss it! Donna is giving away two of her Bible Studies, including her new release, The God of All Comfort, a mug, $15 iTunes gift card and $50 Amazon gift card!