Willard Bunnell House, Gothic Revival house museum in Homer Township, Minnesota.
The Willard Bunnell House is a two-story residence built from unpainted eastern white pine with peaked windows and a full-length veranda facing the river. The structure displays Carpenter Gothic design elements including decorative bargeboards and board-and-batten siding throughout.
The house was built in the 1850s as one of the first permanent residences established south of Saint Paul in Minnesota territory. Its construction marked an early step in European settlement moving down the Mississippi River valley.
The house reflects building preferences that early settlers brought from the Ohio Valley region, visible in its carved bargeboards and wooden board-and-batten exterior. Visitors today can observe how these design choices shaped the home's appearance.
The property sits roughly three miles east of Winona along U.S. Route 61 on a visible hilltop. The local historical society manages the site and you should contact them in advance to arrange a visit.
The building combines Carpenter Gothic details in front with flat-roofed rear sections that reflect mixing construction techniques from both northern and southern river communities. This hybrid approach reveals how builders adapted practical methods from different regions.
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