08/28/2026
This is kind of an interesting picture. It was found on the property at 425 Island Avenue by the construction workers, who gave it to me last week. There is no caption, nothing written on the back, or any other obvious clues as to what it is.
That property on Island is one of the largest lots in Ramsey and was managed as a farm for many years. The photo presents an immediate mystery as to why it was there. It's certainly not Ramsey, showing a building in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style with a coaching club omnibus parked out front. Driving four-in-hand coaches was a Victorian-era leisure sport that took off during the post-Civil War industrial boom.
The architecture gave us our biggest clue. The building matches the 1892 Federal Building in Duluth, Minnesota, which served as a post office, courthouse, and custom house. That building is no longer standing, having been replaced by a new civic center around 1930. The writing on the side of the coach offers another hint: behind a well-dressed man's hat, the letters "TH", "ING", and "CLUB" are visible across three lines, which could very well read "DULUTH COACHING CLUB."
If there's a member of the Bielen family out there (the last residential owners of the house, I believe, before the development companies bought it) who thinks, "Hey, those are my great-grandparents on vacation," please get in touch via Messenger! And also a big thanks to them again for donating the two punched tin lanterns from their barn to the May Barn at the Old Stone House.
