Take a step back in time. From Victorian commercial architecture to antique stained glass windows. Winona is rich in historical splendor.
Within two years of its founding in 1851 by steamboat Captain Orrin Smith, Winona was a full-fledged river town with a population of 300. Settlers from the east and immigrants from Europe journeyed up the Mississippi to Winona. Wheat became the money crop, and by the 1860’s the nation’s wheat belt was in the Upper Midwest. Railroads were built to improve access to the river for grain shipments. In 1862, the Winona and St. Peter Railroad was constructed west from Winona. This rail line later became the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. River traffic increased as towboats transported lumber from northern Wisconsin forests to Winona. Between 1870 and 1900, Winona became one of the major timber processing and marketing centers in the nation. Wealth was created by entrepreneurs who were in the wheat, western agriculture, and transportation businesses. Many of the mansions built remain, as do the contributions of these financial barons.
Two National Register Historic Districts in downtown Winona make it one of the largest collections of Victorian commercial architecture in the region. James E. Hauser started one stained glass studio in 1946 to restore and repair stained glass church windows. More studios opened and one author has called Winona the “Stained Glass Capital” of the nation.
Examples of buildings which showcase the great partnership of architecture and stained glass include:
- The Winona National Bank (1916), an Egyptian Revival-style building faced in smooth granite with gorgeous stained glass and bronze work by the famed Tiffany Studios of New York.
- Merchants Bank (1912), a Prairie School-style building with splendid terra cotta ornamentation and two great stained glass windows.
- The administration building of Watkins Incorporated, a two-story, block-long structure. It is beautifully detailed, especially on the inside. Watkins Heritage Museum houses Watkins memorabilia, company history, and current products.
- The Winona County Historical Society Armory Museum, housed in a I915 brick fortress, is one of the largest historical society museums in the state. Displays include a stained glass window exhibit. Main Street as it may have been, a timeline of county history, library and archives, an award-winning children’s exhibit
A rich fabric of ethnic identity and heritage is still alive today in Winona!