Fillmore County Journal

"Where Fillmore County News Comes First"

Historic memories of Fillmore County: A treasured painting resides in Fountain, Minn.

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As promised, from last week’s column regarding your having a chance to see at least one of the treasures from Aaron L. Sleyster’s Studio located in Preston, Minn., well over 125 years ago – it actually awaits you just a few miles away, up the road from Preston on Highway 52! Please take a trip soon to the Fillmore County Historical Center in beautiful Fountain, Minnesota and … [Read more...]

Historic memories of Fillmore County; Bird’s eye view of Preston 125 years ago

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Today we’re viewing the Mighty Root River from afar and not only that, it is 125 years ago when the scene looked liked this! We all know by now that our poet and photographer friend, Aaron L. Sleyster, spent much of his time writing about and photographing his beloved Root River and the iron bridges that once spanned it. The picture you see today accompanied his lovely poem … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County: The mighty Root River is a much loved river

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Today we are once again reminded of how much our poet friend Aaron L. Sleyster loved the Root River. He wrote so many poems about it as well as about the iron bridges that spanned it. There are four pictures included for you, each one taken in a different town in beautiful Fillmore County! Before you read the poem, here are some “fun facts,” about that body of water, … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County: The Old Mill

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In recent weeks our good friend, poet and photographer,  Aaron L. Sleyster, has taken us to the small towns of Forestville and Canton and entertained us with interesting poems about these very old towns. Today we have arrived in Fillmore County’s Seat, beautiful Preston, Minnesota, the poet’s town of residence for the very few years he lived in Minnesota before returning to … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County: The Canton Mystery

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Here is another poem about a southeastern Minnesota town written by our good friend, Aaron L. Sleyster. He lived briefly in Preston in the late 1800s to early 1900s. But he left a rich legacy of poems, stories, paintings, and fabulous, historical photographs of which we are all lucky benefactors! Sometimes his poems were accompanied by one of his photos. Sometimes, not. So … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County “A Trip to Forestville, October 26, 1895”

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This week will see a change in our planned journey into exploring the history of Drury’s Furniture Store in Fountain, Minn. Don’t worry though, that story will be just around the corner! In light of the current world situation and the ongoing pandemic, many folks are planning to stay closer to home this summer, perhaps taking short day trips. We have an awesome, spectacular … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County “Main Street, looking north, in Fountain, Minn., over 100 years ago!”

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Last week found us looking south on Main Street in Fountain, Minn. We are still in town, have come to the end of the street, and are now heading back, traveling north. And oh what a view it is! The first building on the left, well I don’t pretend to know what was behind those doors so long ago. But I do know up until the time it closed in the 70s or 80s, it was the home of The … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County “Main Street, looking south, Fountain, Minnesota,” at least 100 years ago.

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Leaving Preston and traveling north on 52, we arrive at the idyllic town of Fountain, Minn. Isn’t it fun when looking at these old photographs, that in spite of the fact that most of the buildings are gone, enough of them remain, enabling us to know exactly where we are and what we are seeing! There’s so much to take in as we study each one. The one entitled, “MAIN STREET, … [Read more...]

Historic Memories of Fillmore County A very famous preacher once visited an old Preston Church

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Continuing on, (decades ago), my siblings and I have almost reached the Preston Elementary School! At the intersection of Fillmore and Pleasant Streets, two beautiful churches sat on opposite corners. We walked on the north side of the street allowing us to pass by a splendid red brick building, the glorious Preston Presbyterian Church. Even at a young age we were struck by its … [Read more...]