A photograph from 1907 in the John Runk Historic Photo Collection captures one of the largest Decoration Day celebrations in Stillwater’s history. Crowds gathered on the west lawn of the Washington County Courthouse, now known as the Historic Courthouse, for an event that reportedly drew more than 10,000 people.
The celebration included a 15-block parade, speeches, and 273 schoolgirls forming a “living flag” on the courthouse grounds. Schoolchildren traveled from across Washington County to take part in the observance, which honored military veterans through what was then called Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day.
One detail in the background of the photograph continues to connect past and present. The home at 518 South Fourth Street, with its large front porch, still stands today just west of the courthouse. According to local historian Don Empson, the Italianate-style house, built around 1877, was first owned by Nicholas Hefti, a Stillwater builder and businessman. Over the years, the home was expanded and remodeled, including the addition of the distinctive front turret in the early 1900s.
The John Runk Historic Photo Collection can be viewed in the St. Croix Collection Room whenever the library is open.