Side view of Comstock House
Side view of Comstock House
Cities across America continue to expand in every direction, while quaint rural towns are being deserted. However, if one would travel around the country, trying to experience the culture and heritage of these individual cities, it might be quite difficult. The disturbing factor is, no matter the location, all cities seem to look alike. And the same is becoming true of the Fargo-Moorhead area.
The Fargo-Moorhead area is booming. Both of these cities, like many around the country, are seeing new businesses and housing developments appearing everywhere. But because of modern and commercial architecture, the Red River Valley area is losing personality.
Kevin Carvell from the Fargo Heritage Society says, ."It doesn't matter where you go in America, most cities seem to be the same. That is the discouraging part of American life. There is no sense of individuality. There is something to be treasured here in this area, and we should appreciate it and enjoy what we have.."
Fargo and Moorhead do have something unique that is hard to overlook. What makes Fargo-Moorhead different from all the other cities in this country?
Right here in this area there is a history and culture waiting to be discovered. Much of the heritage is available to anyone who has the curiosity to take a look around them.
Get into your car, hop on your bicycle, or put your walking shoes on, and discover what is hidden in the past. Much of the area's history can be traced by simply looking at the buildings. Many of the original businesses and houses built when these towns were getting started are still standing and ready to be explored.
There are many unique areas in both Fargo and Moorhead that signify the energy and enthusiasm that was here back in the 1870's and '80's. Fargo-Moorhead was being developed and the legends that remain can be found in the first homes that were built.
The most famous of these houses, constructed only about a year apart, are the houses of Charles A. Roberts of Fargo and Solomon G. Comstock of Moorhead. Both these men came to the area with great dreams and aspirations of the future that lie ahead.
Front view of Comstock House
Charles A. Roberts was a lawyer from Minneapolis. He traveled with his wife Matilda and son Willie to the Dakota plains in 1872. They traveled to their destination where the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Red River crossed. Roberts having a great vision for this area, and knew it would one day be a miniature Minneapolis. He was adventurous and had much energy that was put towards new and exciting visions.
The Roberts were the first family to settle in what is now Fargo. Tents, barns and log cabins were the homes of these pioneers. But as the area flourished and more people moved in, C.A. Roberts aspirations flourished also.
C.A. Roberts bought a quarter section of land at 611 8th St. South and Matilda, Fargo's pioneer mother and first white woman, went to work on her dream home.
In 1884, Mrs. Roberts designed and built Fargo's first mansion. The bricks used on the house were made at the brick yard that had quickly become a family business.
The details of the Roberts house were high Victorian Gothic style. The design had great detail and the house was decorated with spindles, brackets, spiked ornamentation, decorative brickwork, high ceilings and steep roofs. The house was three stories plus a basement, with approximately 2,000 square feet on each level. It had a total of 20 rooms and eight fireplaces. The architecture of the building, inside and out, was amazing.
Charles and Matilda Roberts, held the first Fargo organizational meeting in their new mansion. Charles became a key benefactor of the city, as well as Fargo's first city attorney. He and Solomon Comstock formed a partnership and began a law firm in Moorhead, but Roberts later went back to Fargo.
The Roberts lived in their mansion until they moved from the area in 1904. Since the Roberts left, the house has had many owners and gone through many structural changes.
When the Roberts moved out, the house was made into a rooming house. The Neal Institute took over the house from 1909 to 1911. There they claimed to cure alcoholism in 3 days. It closed and The Stone Sanitarium and Hospital was opened to all sick people.
Until it became a hospital, the house had not been altered. But with the sanitarium and hospital came additional bathrooms and hospital rooms. Many more changes occurred, however, after the hospital was closed and the Roberts house was made into an apartment building. Many walls were added, stairways changed and doors built onto the home.
Roberts House
As time passed the house was beginning to need costly repairs. In 1984 plans to restore the house into condominiums fell through because of lack of funds. The house was then sold to Roger and Margaret Nelson in 1987. They moved their family in and for almost ten years the Nelsons have worked to restore the house to its original state.
Margaret said, ."We had an interest in older houses. It looked like a doable project and excited us."
The Nelsons have tried to find and keep as much of the original house parts as possible. They were able to keep some of the fireplaces, with the front room and living room's being originals. Margaret says, "They all work but we don't usually burn them."
Some of the other original pieces are the window casings, stairways, rails and posts. The columns used on the porch are also the original ones. The Roberts house interior had all rounded corners, and the Nelsons restored it in the same unique manner.
The house now has 16 rooms, five baths and two half baths. Although the restoration project has taken many years and still isn't complete, the Nelsons have enjoyed their home and the history it holds.
The house has seen many phases and there are numerous stories about it. "People are always telling us things about the house. It's amazing the number of people that say they lived here or had piano lessons or dance lessons here," Margaret says.
Back in 1884 when the Roberts built the house it was unique for its time, and it still has the same amazing qualities even today. Solomon G. Comstock was also a lawyer traveling westbound, looking for a future in the Red River Valley. He moved to the Moorhead area in 1871 and went to work for the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad.
Comstock quickly became a key influence and founder of the town of Moorhead. He worked as a lawyer and an entrepreneur throughout his life.
Comstock was introduced to Sarah Ball of Canada, who had come to the valley to visit her sister. They were married in 1874. Together they worked, along with others, building the prairie lands into the thriving community of Moorhead.
As the little town grew the Comstocks' vision of expanding south was clear. He plotted out his land in the middle of a field and in 1882 began to build a house for his new wife and family to come. The house was built on what is now 506 8th St. South, Moorhead. At the time nothing was there but open prairie, and the center of the city was far from the area. The small town was just getting started, but Comstock, who had a vision and a feeling of optimism about the area, was willing to take the risk of building his house south of the city.
Comstock received the plans for his home from an architect in Minneapolis, but constructed the building himself. The house was a Victorian stick style, which was much more elaborate than other buildings and homes being built in Moorhead during that period.
The entire house was decorated in much ornate ornamentation and the furniture and decorations were in vibrant colors. The oak and butternut woodwork through out the house gave a rich elegant look. It had beautiful detail work and turnings and the exterior had two toned banding along with partitioning. The great detail of this house made it stand out in the community.
Solomon Comstock was elected as the first court attorney and worked there 9 years. He also worked with The Northwest Land Company in 1883 as a land developer.
Comstock spent his life serving the community through civic booster clubs and city organizations. He also played a major role in starting Moorhead State University.
Sarah Comstock also was active in the community. She was involved in the Ladies Club and worked with the benevolence society, helping those less fortunate than herself. Her influence and hard work was a key factor in getting the Library of Moorhead built with the financial assistance of Andrew Carnegie.
The Comstocks lived in their house until they died--Solomon in 1933 and Sarah in 1941. They had three children, two girls and one boy. Their younger daughter, Jessie, took care of her parents during their older years, and she continued to live in the house for 10 years after they died.
George Comstock, the Comstocks' only son and middle child, and his wife took care of the house from 1950 until it was turned over to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1965. Nothing was done with the house for several years.
Dr. Loftler took over the job of being site manager of the Comstock house in 1974. He said, "I just fell into it." He took on the project and the house was renovated and opened for tours in 1975. The roof and shingles were replaced, a new furnace was put in, and ceilings were replaced. New wall coverings were put up about ten years ago.
Dr. Loftler said, "What made the house unique for its time was the size. It wasn't the most attractive house, but it was the largest residence in Fargo-Moorhead."
The house displays the Comstocks' original furniture, and everything that has been replaced was done to reflect what it would have looked like back in the early years. Books line the walls, china sits in the cupboards, and clothes hang in the closets and lie on the beds, just as if the Comstocks had left it.
The Comstocks were warm, friendly people and loved to entertain in their home. Dr. Loftler said, "The Comstocks were not showy people. The house was not built to show off their wealth." But they did enjoy sharing it with others.
The feeling of warmth and friendliness can still be felt at the Comstock house. The kind of life they lived and the kind of people they were can be seen in every room.
These two houses were built by two important families of this area, and later became monuments of the history in Fargo-Moorhead. Both are unique and beautiful in their own way, and represent an outlook of optimism that was here in the late 1800's.
Steve Martins, professor of Architecture at NDSU, says, "These houses are good examples of a time period that is past. We can understand how people lived as well as giving us perception of the time period. Houses and old buildings also give us a sense of community uniqueness. They give you an impression of Fargo-Moorhead, and images and impressions are what you take with you."
We do have something unique that separates us from all other cities in America. We have something that will never be forgotten.
Carvell says, "There is nothing finer in Fargo than to drive down 8th Street South and take in all the enormous elm trees and enjoy the character of the street lights. That is representative of Fargo. We do have something to celebrate. Something that will bring us back yet celebrate faith in the future." That is what these two great houses do.
The history told by these two houses share the excitement and energy of the families that lived in them. That same energy has kept Fargo and Moorhead thriving as they are today.
Story by Jessica Rodenburg
Photography by Terri Mogen
Design by Derek Wilde and Joel Schneider