Andrew John Volstead House

Andrew John Volstead House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
The Volstead House in 2019
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Location	163 9th Avenue, Granite Falls, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°48′33″N 95°32′24″W
Area	Less than one acre
Built	1878[2]
Architectural style	None specified
NRHP reference No.	74001046[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 30, 1974
Designated NHL	December 8, 1976[3]

The Andrew John Volstead House is the historic house in Granite Falls, Minnesota, of ten-term United States Congressman Andrew Volstead (1860–1947). It is now managed as a museum and the organizational headquarters of the Granite Falls Historical Society.[4] Volstead became nationally synonymous with Prohibition in 1919 when, as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he was obliged to author the Volstead Act, enabling enforcement of the recently ratified Eighteenth Amendment. Volstead was a moderate progressive who coauthored the Capper–Volstead Act in 1922, which legalized agricultural cooperatives.[5]

The house in 2018

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 for having national significance in the areas of agriculture, politics/government, and social history.[6] Two years later the house was declared a National Historical Landmark.[3]

The 1878 home is a wood-frame structure with a large two-story stairwell tower that was added on by Volstead shortly after he purchased the property in 1894. During Volstead's time, the first floor had a large screened porch; this has now been replaced by an open porch. The interior is adorned with oak woodwork and stained glass.[5] Volstead moved to a new home in Granite Falls in 1930.[5] The first Volstead House remained privately owned until 1974, when it was listed on the National Register and converted into a historic house museum. Five years later it was donated to the city.[4]

See also

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Andrew John Volstead House". Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress. Retrieved November 5, 2007.
3. "Andrew J. Volstead House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
4. "The Granite Falls Historical Society". Granite Falls Historical Society. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
5. Adams, George R.; Ralph Christian (August 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form: Andrew J. Volstead House". National Park Service. Retrieved June 12, 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 4 images from 1974. (2.32 MB)
6. "Volstead, Andrew J., House (National Historic Landmark)". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2015.

External links

• Andrew Volstead Home Museum - Granite Falls Historical Society
• Andrew John Volstead House – Historic American Buildings Survey