Captain Austin Jenks House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Capt. Austin Jenks House
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The Captain Austin Jenks House from the east
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 504 South 5th Street, Stillwater, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1871 |
| Architectural style | Italianate/Gothic Revival/Second Empire |
| MPS | Washington County MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003085 |
| Designated NRHP | April 20, 1982 |
The Captain Austin Jenks House is a special old house in Stillwater, Minnesota. It was built way back in 1871. This house belonged to Austin Jenks, who was an important businessman and a river pilot. He helped move huge rafts of timber down the Mississippi River and St. Croix Rivers.
This house is important because it shows us about the history of building styles, how industries worked, and how people traveled by water long ago. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This means it's a recognized historical landmark!
Contents
What the House Looks Like
The Jenks House is made of brick and has one and a half stories. It also has a tall tower that is two and a half stories high. The house looks unique because it mixes three different building styles.
Architectural Styles
- Italianate style: You can see this in the square entry area with brackets and the cross-shaped roof.
- Second Empire style: Look for the flat porches, the oval stained glass window, and the special sloped roof on the tower (called a mansard roof).
- Gothic Revival style: This style shows up in the steep gables (the triangular parts of the roof), the pointy decorations called finials, and the stone around the windows.
The Story of Austin Jenks
Austin Jenks was born in New York City. When he was young, he worked as a schoolteacher. Later, he moved west to Illinois and then to Stillwater in 1855.
Jenks the River Pilot
In Stillwater, Austin Jenks became a river pilot. His job was to guide large rafts of lumber down the rivers. This was a very important job because the lumber industry was huge back then.
In 1871, he became a ship owner. He had a steamboat named Brother Jonathan. It was only the second steamboat ever used to move timber rafts on the Upper Mississippi River. A few years later, he joined a big lumber company.
Jenks the Businessman
Austin Jenks also became a very successful businessman. He was a director for two of Stillwater's main banks. He also helped run the Stillwater Dock Company and the Stillwater Electric Light Company.
He cared about his community too. He was the president of the Stillwater Board of Education. He also served on many other important boards.
Austin Jenks was married three times. His first two wives passed away early. With his third wife, Harriet Bennett, he had two daughters named Genora and Grace. Austin Jenks passed away in March 1902 when he was 68 years old.
The House After Jenks
The Jenks family lived in the house for about 20 more years. However, his daughter Genora and her husband moved to Canada in 1916. Harriet and Grace moved to Seattle in 1920.
After the family left, the house had many different owners. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was even divided into separate apartments. But a later owner fixed it up and turned it back into a single-family home.
