Outside Looking In

One name got lost in the story about the former Anderson Home that Bette Johnson now lives in on the southeast corner of Second and Jackson Streets in Minneota.
We featured the story of the mansion built in 1896 for J.S. Anderson in last week's Mascot. The designer of the home, Cass Gilbert, also designed the State Capitol building in St. Paul.
Johnson has owned the home since 1975. Now a duplex, Johnson lives on the east side of the home and rents out the west side.
Anderson was a wealthy Icelandic immigrant who only lived in the home for a short while before moving to Texas where he was an oil tycoon. He spared no expense when he had the home built. Even the wood for his fireplace was imported.
The home was sold several times, but somehow the records we obtained skipped over the Hansons.
Darlene and Cliff Hanson bought that home, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places, from Don Werpy in 1967 for $12,000 and lived there for three years.
"We loved that house," said Darlene, who now goes by Darlene Sigurdson. "When we lived there, we lived on the same side that Bette lives in and we rented out the other side."
The winding stairs that would reach the large attic were still in place when Darlene lived there.
"My boys used to play in the attic all the time because it was huge," she said. "You had to go up a winding staircase to get to the second floor and then up to the attic from there. They were good solid stairs."
The original ornate carved columns on each side of the fireplace are still in place. Benches on each side of the fireplace, which still remain today, held wood or were used for storage.
Darlene shared a story about the benches.
Darlene's son, Mark, and his neighbor and friend Dane Nordquist once put the babysitter in one of the benches, closed the lid, and sat on top so she couldn't get out.
Cliff Hanson took a job in Fergus Falls in 1970 and the Hanson sold the home to Lucille Fadness for $16,000.
"Cliff was driving a truck with our belongings and I was driving the car," Darlene told. "I remember being in the car and I was about to leave. I leaned over the steering wheel and cried because I didn't want to leave that house ... or Minneota."
Sigurdson mentioned several times that she would love to see the inside of her former home when she returns to Minneota.
Cliff Hanson died in 1984. Darlene, whose second husband also passed away, still lives in Fergus Falls. Mark Hanson was killed in a motorcycle accident this past May.

Vehicle services scam
While most scams occur via phone calls, one of the recent scams currently hitting homes is in the form of a mailed letter.
It comes from Vehicle Services Department and is quite easy to detect because it has no return address; just a number for you to call.
The letter states: "We have been advised there will be a price increase to our Extended Vehicle Service Plan (EVSP) effective Dec. 18, 2020. After that date we will not be able to honor the service contract quote designed specifically for your vehicle."
The letter then tells you to call a certain 800 number IMMEDIATELY so they can hold your EVSP contract at the lowest rates.
The letter is signed Jessica Bork, Vehicle Protection Coordinator.
Don't be tricked into this scam.

SPMH donations
The Society for the Preservation of Minneota's Heritage is fundraising to repair the historic O.G. Anderson & Co. Big Store, including the Opera Hall.
Tuck pointing needs to be done to repair the brick and mortar exterior.
For those wishing to help preserve this historic building, an ad appears in this issue with all the information.