Opened in 1933 on St. Paul’s West Side, the Castle Royal was publicized as the “World’s Most Gorgeous Underground Nightclub” by local newspapers. Performers such as Cab Calloway, the Dorsey Brothers and Harry James performed at the club during its heyday. Rumor also has it that patrons of the club included gangland legends such as […]
Ramsey County
Lincoln Court Apartments – St. Paul
On March 31, 1934 around 10:30 AM, John Dillinger, along with Mary Evelyn “Billie” Frechette, and Homer Van Meter, were involved in a shootout with two FBI agents and a local police detective at the Lincoln Court Apartments in St. Paul. During the exchange of gunfire, Dillinger was wounded in the leg and escaped to […]
Highland Park Water Tower
Sitting in the shadows of two modern, sky-blue water towers in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood is the most visible symbol of the city’s water utility. The Highland Park Water Tower has been a fixture in the neighborhood since 1928 when the city constructed the 134-foot structure to supply water to nearby residents. [Go to […]
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial
Shortly after news of Fort Sumter’s fall reached Washington D.C. on April 14, 1861, Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey, who had been visiting the nation’s capitol to address conflicts within the Minnesota Republican party, immediately offered 1000 men to the Secretary of War on behalf of the State of Minnesota. With this commitment, Ramsey became the […]
Old Main Hall at Hamline University
Just a half block east of the intersection of Snelling and Hewitt Avenues in St. Paul sits one of the Twin Cities most unique and historic buildings. Mostly shielded from busy Snelling Avenue traffic with only its weather vane visible, most people likely drive right by and never know this building exists. Since it was […]