Como Neighborhood History Project
Your Voices : Our Stories
From apple orchards to parks & neighborhoods.
Committed to the power of place & change over time – It is a St. Paul cross roads.
Our oasis preserves rich land resources in service to and enjoyment for its residents & those afar.
The results – past & present recognition, a lively intersection with the state fair; commerce, residential care, nature, cemeteries, the Street Car line, and the border with Roseville, St. Paul’s first northern suburb.
District 10 – A community on the cusp of change for & seeking vision from its citizens.
The Latest Como Neighborhood History Posts
Readers of the April 3, 1888 Saint Paul Globe might have noticed this tidbit in the paper that day. “The public schools reopened yesterday after the regular Easter vacation with a full attendance. The new McClellan school, Oxford and Stinson, schools being occupied for the first time.” McClellan school took several years to transform from the “Comoville” school, temporarily located on Front Ave in a rented building, to the two story eight room building that stood for 87 years.
This week, the City of Saint Paul joined the Just Deeds coalition to help home and property owners discharge discriminatory racial covenants on their property deeds.
By Brianna Blake Edward and Alma Thomas moved into their home at 1376 Frankson in the 1930’s. Edward was a bookkeeper for a company that imported coffee. He enjoyed fishing on area lakes. He knew many people in the neighborhood whom he met while walking his dogs. Alma was a homemaker and a stay at home mom to James and Marjorie.
How You Can Get Involved:
Help us explore the history of our Como neighborhoods! Help collect stories from our neighbors that have lived here for most of their lives. We are more than the State Fair and Como Park! We are a neighborhood of shops, institutions and families. Let’s collect those stories together!!
- Dig through your old photos! Share pictures of our neighborhood from the past. We are especially looking for old pictures of businesses, street scenes, homes, or schools that used to be here and are now gone like Sugar Dan’s Drive-Inn at Como and Snelling!
- Help us find neighbors to interview! Suggest a family member, friend, or neighbor that has lived in the D10 community for most of their lives. Help us interview them or we can help with the interview to get their memories saved.
- Design a walking tour! Keep us healthy and fit while we are walking past interesting houses, pieces of art or cool institutions.
- Research and write a story! Help us research the many buildings, institutions, and past events that have shaped our community. Do you have old documents about the history of Como Elementary or Tildon School? Have a story about the old corner store or garden nursery business in your neighborhood, know a house that had interesting or famous folks living there, share them with us!
The goals of this project:
- Use the “Know Your Como” platform to collect and share, oral histories, documented memories, researched stories of the people and institutions of this community.
- Create walking tours for each sub district to highlight the many places, institutions and people who shape our community to this day.
- Hold informed community conversations regarding our history and its impact on our community.
- Acknowledge our past and recognize the significance with public art and historical signage
- Sponsored by the Neighborhood Relations Committee.
What’s New!
- Summer of 2022; Two St. Kate’s Summer Scholars completed Oral History interviews with neighborhood residents.
- TBD roll out of St. Kate’s “Story Map” and “Time Line”
- Fall 2022; St. Kate’s Data Visualization and Art & Technology classes collaboration with D10 Neighborhood History Project.
- MNHS Legacy Grant submission for transcription of Oral History Interviews
- Continuation of Oral History Interviews and Neighborhood Research by community members.
- Writers and Advisory Team! Let us know if you are interested in working and shaping the project.
Advisory Team:
- Laura Oyen – Lead SubDistrict 1
- Marcia Anderson – SubDistrict 2
- Sarah Reuter – D10 Neighborhood Relations Committee – SubDistrict 1
- Lija Greenseid – SubDistrict 2
- Duane Dial – SubDistrict3
- Jean McRoberts – SubDistrict 3
- Open SubDistrict 4
- Open
Resources:
Rachel Neiwert – St. Kate’s University
Kristine West – St. Kate’s University
Fill out a Volunteer Form and let us know how you can help! Check the box for “Como Neighborhood History Project”
Contact us at: history@district10comopark.org