Who Built Our Capitol? - Stone worker

Albert Swanson-Scaffolding Photographs

admin — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 16:13:49 +0000

Albert Swanson-Albert Swanson, a 20-year-old mold caster from Sweden, was killed in a strange accident. A St. Paul Globe headline summarized, “Passing Wagon Drives Over Rope Used to Hoist Material, and Scaffolding, on Which Men Stood, Falls.” Swanson and fellow worker Frank Thiery both plunged forty feet. Swanson collided with timbers and died before hitting the ground. But Thiery landed in a pile of sand and miraculously got away with only a broken leg. He checked himself out of the hospital and went home that night.

The following photographs are from the New York Historical Society, Cass Gilbert Papers.

The following photographs show the exact spot where this accident occured:

Image courtesy of the New York History Society. Used with permission.

Image 1-this photograph shows the side of the building where the scaffolding was standing. This shot was taken earlier on the same day as the accident, when the scaffolding was still in place.

Scaffold showing the spot from which Albert Swanson and Frank Thiery fell when the structure was accidentally pulled down on April 28, 1900. Swanson died in the fall and Thiery suffered a broken leg.

Image courtesy of the New York History Society. Used with permission.

Image 2-this is a close up photo that has an "X" marked on it to indicated the exact spot where Swanson and Thiery were standing when the scaffolding was suddenly pulled down. The X in the photograph was added by George Carsley, an assistant of Cass Gilbert's. The pulley, connected to the ropethat pulled down the platform, is visible.

Image courtesy of the New York History Society. Used with permission.

Image 3-this is a photograph of the backside of the photograph. It says the following:

"X 2 men Swanson + Pherry [sic],"
"fell from scaffold at this point,"
"the same afternoon this was taken,"
"Swanson was killed."

Occupation:

Stone worker

Related person:

Albert Swanson

Michael Strom

admin — Wed, 09 Oct 2013 21:08:46 +0000

Last name:

Strom

First name:

Michael

Occupation:

Stone worker

Michael Strom was an active member of the Journeymen Stone Cutters' Association dating back as far as 1890 when he was elected recording secretary of the local Branch. He was born in Illinois of German parents in 1865 and moved to Minnesota in about 1885. In 1899 he helped build an elaborate float for Labor Day parade which featured marble from the Capitol. Strom and his wife, Sophia, raised a large family in St. Paul. He died here in 1918 and is buried in Elmhurst Cemetery, St. Paul, as noted in a Find a Grave entry.

Address:

722 Delaware Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55107

Union member:

yes

Gender:

Male

John McMurtry

admin — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 21:47:04 +0000

Last name:

McMurtry

First name:

John

Occupation:

Stone worker

Ethnic group:

African American

1905 St. Paul City Directory and Census. John H.McMurtry was an African-American born in Georgia in 1866. He was experienced in working with marble and moved his wife and large family to St. Paul during the Capitol construction.
Fellow Capitol construction worker, Ernest Jones and his family was also living at this address in 1905.

Address:

331 W Lawson Ave, St Paul, MN 55117 St Paul, Minnesota, US

Residence from date:

1905

Gender:

Male

tag:

African American

Judge Jarrett

admin — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 21:41:46 +0000

Last name:

Jarrett

First name:

Judge

Occupation:

Stone worker

Ethnic group:

African American

Photo:

Judge Jarrett church image

Image Credit:

Image from Library of Congress Historic Newspapers

Related person:

Judge Jarrett

Related occupation:

Stone worker

Tags:

St. James AME Church

Judge Jarrett (1880-1965) was one of the African Americans from Georgia recruited by the Butlers to work on the marble in St. Paul. He arrived in 1902 and his name is found in the payroll records of 1904-5. His mother and sister and her family also moved to St. Paul. At the time of the 1905 Census, Jarrett was living at 886 Park with fellow Capitol worker Issac Suddeth. After the completion of the Capitol, Jarrett went on to work in the quarries at Kasota and then for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Jarrett is listed in the 1902-1904 St. Paul City Directory and 1905 Payroll.

Most of the workers who constructed the Minnesota Capitol belonged to unions. While a specific union affiliation has not been found for Jarett, most stone workers wereorganized in St. Paul at the time the Capitol was built, and especially because of his skill, Jarrett was most likely a union member.

Address:

561 Broadway St St Paul, Minnesota, US

Residence from date:

1902

Residence to date:

1904

Gender:

Male

tag:

African American

Alfred Magnuson

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:27:15 +0000

Last name:

Magnuson

First name:

Alfred

Occupation:

Stone worker

Ethnic group:

Swedish

On June 25, 1900 Alfred Magnuson, also a stone mason and nephew of Nils Nelson, became the fourth death on the job when he fell while setting roof trusses over the Senate chamber. He was brought to the hospital but died four days laterat the age of 23.[1] Magnuson, the son of Nil’s older brother Magnus Jeppsson, was unmarried and he had only been in the country four years. He was five years old when Nils struck out for America back in 1882 so he may have had some memory of his uncle and read some “America letters” from him. His family moved around within the parish of Ivetofte during his childhood and his mother died in 1895, the year before he left for America.[2] Magnuson is buried in an unmarked grave in Union Cemetery in Maplewood not far from Nelsons plot. The nephew’s gravestone must have been something that Nils just never got around to.

Fellow Capitol workers John L. Olson and Ole Moe were also living at this address in 1900.

[1] Pioneer Press June 26 and 30 , 1900, St. Paul Globe, June 30, 1900, NYHS

[2] Swedish Church Records

Address:

607 Jackson St, Saint Paul, MN

Fatality:

Yes

Gender:

Male