Bank of Litchfield

G.A.R. Hall & Meeker County     Historical Society

Litchfield, Minnesota
Text Box: Litchfield, Minnesota Text Box: Litchfield was named after Mr. E.D. Litchfield, an English capitalist and stockholder of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, who lived in London. In 1869, a wheat field in Meeker County became the community of Litchfield. The field belonged to George Wheeler, and he built the first house in town. Before this time in Minnesota, the railroads built to the existing communities. Litchfield was one of the first communities to follow the railroad. In November, 1869, it was decided that Litchfield would be the county seat. Litchfield was the first town built on the Minnesota Prairie northwest of the Big Woods. The first hotel in the community was the Litchfield House, which opened in August, 1869. It was also the final hotel to be torn down, in 1986. It had served for many years as an apartment building. By 1870 downtown Litchfield featured a general store, lumberyard, lumber business, photography studio, livery stable, hardware, a doctor and three lawyers. In 1888, there were six hotels in Litchfield. The Album of History and Biography of Meeker County from 1888 describes Litchfield in this way: “Litchfield is beautifully located on portions of sections 11, 12, and 14, and reaches north from the shores of lovely Lake Ripley… The entire city is well laid out with wide streets and avenues, and the site is dotted all over with handsome residences, many of them surrounded with elegant and well-kept grounds. The business portion of the city presents a substantial and thrifty appearance, owing to the large number of fine brick stores, offices, hotels, etc., all in fine taste.” Most of the buildings on Sibley Avenue, Litchfield’s main street, were built between 1882 and 1945. Most of the brick buildings in the 200 block were built with bricks from the Ames brickyard north of town in 1885 and 1886. 1885 was also the year that the G.A.R. Hall was built. The first concrete sidewalk was laid in 1895. Today Litchfield’s downtown caters more to specialty stores that sell gifts, knickknacks, and antiques. The recent arrival of a Wal-Mart on the edge of town is one of the most significant changes on the retail scene of Litchfield in some time. Downtown Litchfield gatheringThe Red Castle in LitchfieldLitchfieldLitchfield Opera HouseLitchfield HomesLitchfieldTrainText Box: POSTCARD PICTURES Click Here DepotText Box: Brightwood Beach resort, on the south side of Lake Ripley, was an amazing place even though it only was open from 1889-1893. It catered to wealthy travelers on the train from all around Minnesota and around the county. It boasted two steamships to carry guests across the lake. Before travel to the northern lakes was available, it was considered one of the, if not the, premier resorts in Minnesota. More pictures of Brightwood Beach Click here for information On a resort called BRIGHTWOOD BEACH Brightwood BeachA very early Mail truck Text Box: 1 Front Page Text Box: 2 Home Page Text Box: 3 The G.A.R. Text Box: 4 The Main Room Text Box: 5 Meeker County Text Box: 6 Litchfield, MN Text Box: 7 Resources Text Box: 8 Links Text Box: 9 Come Again!