History
The town of Forestville was settled in 1852 and organized in 1855, receiving this name in honor of Forest Henry, the first probate judge of Fillmore County. Henry settled in Forestville in 1854. The town was incorporated in 1891 and had a post office from 1855 until 1902. [2]
Brothers-in-law William and Felix Meighen were some of the first settlers. Felix saw the need for a general store and stocked it with $700 worth of goods from Galena in October 1853. As more people arrived in Minnesota territory, the town gained a blacksmith shop, a cabinet shop, saw mills, farms, stores, grist mills and hotels. [3]
The town's population began to drop after the railroad bypassed Forestville in 1868; many families began leaving for more prosperous areas. By 1880, the town's population was only 55 and most businesses had closed. [4] As families left town, the Meighen family began buying up cheap property, and by 1889, they owned the entire town and its surrounding area. [5] By the early 1900s, even the Meighen family had left Forestville, and their general store's doors were closed in 1910, marking the end of the town's life. [6]
Mower County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,029. The county seat is Austin. Mower County comprises the Austin Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Rochester-Austin Combined Statistical Area. Lake Louise State Park is in southeastern Mower County, near Le Roy.
Fillmore County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,228. Its county seat is Preston. Fillmore County is included in the Rochester metropolitan area.
Good Thunder is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States, situated along the Maple River. The population was 560 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Forestville Township is a township in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 356 as of the 2010 census. It contains historic Forestville, which is now a living history museum within Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park.
Le Roy Township is a township in Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 396 at the 2000 census. The town in the township with the largest population is Le Roy with 925 people. The township is also home to Lake Louise State Park, the only Minnesota State Park in Mower County and the southernmost in the state. The Old Village of Le Roy was the first area in the township to be settled.
The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota Constitution. It is headquartered in the Minnesota History Center in downtown Saint Paul.
Forestville Mystery Cave State Park is a state park in Minnesota. It contains the village of Forestville, which has been restored to a 19th-century appearance. The Minnesota Historical Society operates it as a historic site. Below ground the park contains Mystery Cave, the state's longest cave, which is open to the public. The park is between Spring Valley and Preston, Minnesota.
Greenleafton is an unincorporated community in York Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States.
Camden State Park is a state park on the Redwood River in southwestern Minnesota near Marshall. It is used for picnics, camping, hiking, and other outdoor recreation.
San Francisco is an abandoned townsite in San Francisco Township in Carver County, Minnesota, United States.
Godahl is an unincorporated community in Brown and Watonwan counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota.
Nininger is a ghost town in section 18 of Nininger Township in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States.
Homedahl is an abandoned townsite in sections 29 and 30 of Seely Township in Faribault County, Minnesota, United States.
Pomme de Terre is an extinct town in section 24 of Pomme de Terre Township in Grant County, Minnesota, United States. Content referring to Fort Pomme de Terre or the stockade have been removed as they were not at the same location. The fort site was located about 1 1/2 miles east of the village site.
Whitewater Falls is an abandoned townsite in sections 27 and 34 of Whitewater Township in Winona County, Minnesota.
Leaf River, or Leafriver, is a ghost town in section 22 of Leaf River Township, Wadena County, Minnesota, United States.Today the town has a population around 50. There is a restaurant, a golf course, an old school house and a residential community.
Etna is an unincorporated community in Bloomfield Township, Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. Etna is located within ZIP code 55975 based in Spring Valley.
Coopers Corner is a locality within the city of East Bethel in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Fillmore County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.
Leavenworth is an unincorporated community located in Leavenworth Township in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The elevation is 1,004 feet. It was situated on two locations in Brown County, one before the Dakota War of 1862, and in section 27 of the township along the Cottonwood River after the war.
