Historic Forestville - Preston, Minnesota

Historic Forestville - Preston, Minnesota

Forestville was a community founded during the MinnesotaTerritory days, it had a grist mill, school, and two sawmills, a blacksmith shop, brickyard, post office, general store and a cabinet shop.  Then the railroad chose a different route for their track and Forestville was left with just one family owning the town and supplying the employment for those that remained behind when the majority of the townsfolk’s moved on.

By the 1890’s the only store that was still in town was the general store owned by Thomas Meighens.  Due to the manner of business done by Thomas Meighens he acquired much of the land in the area eventually owning 1000 acres of farmland.  He employed the people from the area to run the farms.  In the later years he moved to Preston with his family and closed the store and the community of Forestville ceased to exist.  It was his wish that the town would become part of the state park system and be remembered, this was done in 1963, years after his death.

Today, Historic Forestville is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society and portrays a town set in the year 1899.

Located within Forestville Mystery Cave State Park, the living history program at Historic Forestville involves the use of first-person role-playing, which allows visitors to see what the town was like through the eyes of the Meighen family and their paid workers in 1899.

Visitors are guided through interpretive stations that include the store, house, kitchen, garden, granary, carriage barn, and barn and cornfield, where they meet a variety of characters from the town. In each area, the costumed interpreters talk about their characters’ lives, usually using (or talking about) significant artifacts that relate to their areas. Guided tours take about 45 to 60 minutes.

Location:
Inside Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park boundaries.
Between Preston and Spring Valley, about 30 miles south of Rochester.

Admission

$6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 children ages 6-17. Free for children age 5 and under and MHS members. State park vehicle permit required.

Hours

Memorial

 Day weekend through Labor Day: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Weekends in Sept. and Oct.: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Phone

507-765-2785