Reuben Freeman House

The Reuben Freeman House is a stone residence with eight gables and decorative bottle glass masonry around its second-story windows. The structure displays local Minnesota construction methods, using stones pieced together in distinctive patterns.

German immigrant farmer Reuben Freeman built this house in 1887 using stones gathered from his own farmland near Inver Grove Heights. The building gained recognition on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, preserving evidence of European settlement methods in Minnesota.

The house blends folk and Victorian architectural styles, showing how rural Minnesota families built their homes in the late 1800s. This mix of approaches reflects how settlers adapted their own traditions to the materials and methods available in their new land.

The house sits on private property and is viewable from the exterior only, with interior access typically not available to visitors. Plan to view the facade and glass details from the street during daytime hours for the best experience.

The entire 1887 house was built from stones Freeman gathered directly from his own land, making it both economical and practical for the time. The decorative bottle glass details show how he creatively transformed waste materials into thoughtful design patterns.