OUR STORY

A Timeline of Owners

A Mr. Fosse owned the stone building until the mid-1930s when a Mr. Wilson became operator. The business continued until 1950, after which the stone building and the wood frame building just east of it were used by Lanesboro Grain, owned and operated by the Hager family.

The Lamon-Mortimer family purchased the facility in October 1999, our hope being to restore and preserve much of the building’s history and structure while providing a comfortable, elegant, and most importantly a fun lodging experience for our guests.

The Hagers Remember

Leo & Lucille Hager came to Lanesboro in 1935. Leo had a partner, Ed Heim, who lived in Winona. They built the elevator, office, etc. and it was called the Lanesboro Grain Co. When Ed Heim died, Leo bought out his share. Bob grew up with the place, and worked there from high school until October 1, 1999, except for two years in the army. Blaise and Beryl Hager both worked there during high school, and Beryl continued to work there until October 1, 1999 when it was sold.

Leo bought the Stone Building later. Bob remembers chickens in big crates upstairs in the Stone Building. In the basement they butchered chickens and candled eggs for market.

An Introduction to the Mill

The building which is now Stone Mill Hotel & Suites was completed in 1885 by Peter A. & Samuel A. Nelson. Both men were involved in general merchandising. The limestone that gives this building its outer structure was quarried from the nearby and surrounding bluffs.

We believe that after the Phoenix Hotel burned in May of 1885, much of the limestone was saved, recycled, and brought here to be used in the construction of this building.

We always welcome you to take a free tour of this building. There are nine rooms, each decorated to reflect the unique history of this building and the charm of Lanesboro. Brochures are available on the front desk with detailed information and room rates. There are four floors. Our lobby and breakfast area are on street level, third floor.

Take your time as you tour this lovingly restored building. We are more than happy to answer your questions or help with a reservation. We hope that you enjoy your time with us and come back to see or stay with us soon.

4th Floor

The last use of this building before the Lamon / Mortimer Family purchased the building in 1999, was for grain storage. The auger that brought the grain in from the outside is still hanging from the ceiling in the Grain Room and can be seen on the outside of the building.

A wood floor was added on this level from the top of the stairs to the back east wall as the bins extended the length of 3rd and 4th floor. The grain was stored here. The grain was then taken by augurs next door to the Red Wood structure for grinding, sacking and purchasing

In the ceiling above, you will see the remains of the freight elevator that extended all four floors of this building. The elevator was a manual push button elevator. Due to the high cost of renovation and safety codes, it was not cost effective for us to restore the elevator to working order.

3rd Floor

These old front doors have been welcoming folks to the Mill for many years. They are the original doors with slight modifications made. As with many features within this building we have worked to either maintain historical accuracy or restore as much of the original structure of the building as possible.

The scale on this level is original to the Grain Storage facility. The grain was weighted here before being sold. The scale is currently about 50 lbs off making it a great scale to be on for checking your weight. We believe the scale would have also served a purpose in the Egg and Poultry Processing Business.

As you can see, the stairs and the railings are original to the building. The silver is original and we have added the black wrought iron to bring them up to code. Please take note the stairs are narrow and steep.

2nd Floor

A train spur was located on the edge of town. Passenger trains would go to the depot that is now the Visitors Center and the freight trains would come here to the FEED MILL. Just outside the double doors on this level there is a loading platform and the original freight depot can be seen across the alley. The trains would run between the two buildings for loading and unloading goods. If you stand just east of Stone Mill and the FEED MILL looking west you can see how the building was built at an angle because of how the rail line was positioned.

Much of the area on this floor was comprised of large beams. Their purpose was to support the large bins that held the grain on the two floors above.

When this building began its use for feed storage, the loading platform behind became storage for a large barrel of molasses which was mixed into the grain to make feed for local farm animals.

1st Floor

This level of the building was originally part of the cold storage facility. Items that needed to be kept cold were brought and stored here. Ice was cut with manual crosscut ice saws from the local “Mill Pond”. The items were loaded on rail cars for transport east. The walls on this level are approximately 4 feet thick and have an outward slope to the top of 4th floor.

Years later, the Fosse Poultry & Egg Processing Plant was housed in this building. In the Crate Jacuzzi Suite you will notice several items left in the room that were used as part of the processing of chickens.

Can you detect which items were left? Our staff will be happy to answer this question for you.

When we visit with many of the towns folk from Lanesboro, they are quick to remind us of their time in this building. We often hear: “ I remember candling eggs there..”, “I remember butchering chickens there…”, “I remember bringing in the chickens from the farm here with my dad.”