E. St. Julien Cox House

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E. St. Julien Cox House Visitors experience a unique blend of history and hospitality on a journey back to Victorian times. St. Julien Cox House. Eugene St. Peter, an attorney, St.

Visitors are immersed in aspects of Victorian daily life through tours, programs, meetings, and social events at the E. This historic house museum is a place to relive history, and gather for community discussion, entertainment, and fellowship. Julien Cox and his wife Mariah built this home and raised their family here. The women raised in this house made local and state history. The Cox House interprets the lives and experiences of Victorian women and tells those stories in dynamic ways to diverse audiences. Eugene Cox was one of the earliest settlers of St. Peter’s first Mayor, and a representative to the State House and Senate. The home was built in 1871 and is one of the few fully restored Italianate homes in Minnesota. His daughter Lillien Cox Gault followed in her father’s footsteps and eventually became Minnesota’s first female mayor. In addition, her sister Irene would be one of Minnesota’s first female attorneys. The Cox House was donated to Nicollet County Historical Society and restored before it reopened to the public as a house museum in 1971. The Cox House is a prime example of a Carpenter Gothic-Italianate Cottage, a combination of styles that were all the rage in the latter half of the nineteenth century in the cities of the American East but would have stood out for its exuberance and style in 1870s pioneer Minnesota. The architecture shows vertical board & batten siding, pillars, long windows, and cathedral cupolas that lend an imposing look to the structure. The house is as it was on the original blueprint. The wallpaper was matched as closely as possible with the original first layer on the plaster. The woodwork is pine and still shows plane marks - evidence of the use of early tools.

Feeling cute. May move across the room later.
10/22/2026

Feeling cute. May move across the room later.

“Don't give up the ship!”You've probably heard those famous words from the War of 1812. But did you know the father of E...
10/22/2026

“Don't give up the ship!”

You've probably heard those famous words from the War of 1812. But did you know the father of E. St. Julien Cox was there when they were spoken?

On June 1, 1813, William S. Cox was serving aboard the USS Chesapeake when it engaged the British warship HMS Shannon off the coast of Boston. When Captain James Lawrence was mortally wounded, Cox helped carry him below deck. Lawrence's reported command, “Don't give up the ship!” became one of the most famous phrases in American naval history.

But the Chesapeake was captured, and Cox's troubles were just beginning. He would face a court-martial, dismissal from the Navy, and a controversy that continued long after his death.

in 1875, the St. Peter Tribune published Cox's death notice, remembering him as a gentleman of the “old school” who had spent his later years in Minnesota.

There's much more to W. S. Cox's story, including an extraordinary development nearly 140 years after the battle.

Would you like to hear the rest of his story? Let us know in the comments!

📰 St. Peter Tribune, October 21, 1875. Minnesota Historical Society collections.

They're safely on their way to get ready for Dolls of the Dark. Come meet them on Halloween eve.
10/18/2026

They're safely on their way to get ready for Dolls of the Dark. Come meet them on Halloween eve.

Today’s the day! 🗳️Join us from 1–4 p.m. at the Cox House for Celebrate the Vote!Drop in for an afternoon of women’s suf...
09/19/2026

Today’s the day! 🗳️

Join us from 1–4 p.m. at the Cox House for Celebrate the Vote!

Drop in for an afternoon of women’s suffrage history, hands-on activities, nonpartisan voting information, button making, historic hats and sashes, a reenactment or two, and cake and lemonade on the lawn.

Come for a little while or spend the afternoon with us.

📍 Cox House, Saint Peter
🕐 Today, 1–4 p.m.

Details: https://www.nchsmn.org/event/celebrate-the-vote/

Voting is one way we take part in our communities, and its history is worth remembering.Join us tomorrow at the Cox Hous...
09/18/2026

Voting is one way we take part in our communities, and its history is worth remembering.

Join us tomorrow at the Cox House for Celebrate the Vote! Explore women’s suffrage history, enjoy hands-on activities, make a button, learn more about voting today, and catch a historical reenactment during the afternoon.

We’ll also have cake and lemonade on the lawn.

📅 Saturday, September 19
🕐 1–4 p.m.
📍 Cox House

Come celebrate with us!

https://www.nchsmn.org/event/celebrate-the-vote/

Voting is something many of us can easily take for granted.But the right to have a voice, cast a ballot, and participate...
09/17/2026

Voting is something many of us can easily take for granted.

But the right to have a voice, cast a ballot, and participate in our democracy was hard-won, and its history is worth remembering.

This Saturday, join us at the Cox House for Celebrate the Vote!, an afternoon exploring the history of voting rights and celebrating the importance of civic participation.

Come for the history. Stay for the reenactments, activities, nonpartisan voting information, cake, and lemonade.

🗳️ Saturday, September 19
🕐 1–4 p.m.
📍 Cox House

Learn more: https://www.nchsmn.org/event/celebrate-the-vote/

in 1963, Lillien Cox Gault Wolfe died in St. Peter at the age of 98.Born October 26, 1864, Lillien was the third of si...
09/15/2026

in 1963, Lillien Cox Gault Wolfe died in St. Peter at the age of 98.

Born October 26, 1864, Lillien was the third of six children born to E. St. Julien and Mariah Mayhew Cox. She grew up in the Cox House, attended St. Peter schools, and began teaching before completing her senior year. She later taught in Traverse des Sioux and St. Peter.

In 1891, Lillien married Andrew Kelsey Gault. They raised two sons, Norman and Hubert, and spent many years in Omaha, where Lillien became active in civic and women’s organizations. After returning to St. Peter, she organized the Nicollet County chapter of the American Red Cross and served as its first president. Andrew died in 1920, leaving Lillien a widow.

Lillien believed deeply in citizenship and public service. After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, she helped women throughout Nicollet County understand the ballot, register, and exercise what she called both a “sacred privilege” and “a new duty.” In April 1921, she was elected mayor of St. Peter, becoming the first woman to serve as a mayor in Minnesota.

In 1924, Lillien married J. Pierce Wolfe and moved to Moorhead. Her civic involvement continued there. She remained active in community and church life and ran for alderman in Moorhead’s Fourth Ward in 1929.

More than a century later, Lillien is remembered not only for the office she held, but for her work to help others participate more fully in civic life.

We are open today! We just put out a new puzzle and would love to have some people come by and put it together! We will ...
06/20/2026

We are open today! We just put out a new puzzle and would love to have some people come by and put it together! We will be open from 1-4pm.

Hello, friends! We're looking for a small, gently used oval or rectangular coffee table for the House. It will be used d...
06/09/2026

Hello, friends! We're looking for a small, gently used oval or rectangular coffee table for the House. It will be used during programs or events, so there's no need for an antique or special piece. Please feel free to comment or message us with a picture if you have something that fits this need.

We had a wonderful opening day yesterday! Thank you to our visitors for stopping by and letting us share our history wit...
06/07/2026

We had a wonderful opening day yesterday! Thank you to our visitors for stopping by and letting us share our history with you.

We are open five more Saturdays this summer for Cox House Summer Tours, so plan your visit now.

Address

500 N. Washington Avenue
Saint Peter, MN
56082

Telephone

+15079344309

Website

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