For immediate release
Jessica Kohen • Marketing and Communications • 651-259-3148 • jessica.kohen@mnhs.org
Megan Lawson • Marketing and Communications • 651-259-3141 • megan.lawson@mnhs.org
Craig Johnson • James J. Hill House • 651-296-9396 • craig.johnson@mnhs.org
Event: Irish Heritage at the James J. Hill House
Date: Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 16, 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Address: 240 Summit Ave., St. Paul MN 55102
Cost: $9 adults, $7 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for children age 5 and under and MNHS members.
Reservations: Recommended call 651-297-2555
Website: http://www.mnhs.org/hillhouse
Celebrate Irish Heritage with Special Tours at the James J. Hill House in March
Mary Theresa Mehegan's parents came from Ireland to St. Paul in 1850. At the age of 21, Mary wed James Jerome Hill, an up-and-coming young man of Scotch-Irish heritage. The couple lived in what is now known as the James J. Hill House, where they raised 10 children. Hill and his family achieved great financial success through Hill's transportation empire, the Great Northern Railway.
Celebrate Minnesota's Irish heritage by exploring Mary Hill's Irish roots and the stories of family life at the James J. Hill House.
Irish Heritage tours offered Saturday, March 15, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 16 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. They include favorite Irish songs, organ music and needlework demonstrations. Stories of the Hill family and their servants (many of them Irish) will illustrate the history of Irish-Americans in Minnesota. Tours cost is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and college students, $6 for children ages 6-17, and free for children under 5 and MNHS members. Reservations for the Irish Heritage tours are recommended and can be made by calling 651-297-2555.
James J. Hill House
Completed in 1891, the Gilded Age mansion was the residence of James J. Hill, builder of the Great Northern Railway, and his family. The home is located one-half block west of the Cathedral of St. Paul at 240 Summit Avenue. It is open for regular tours year-round, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sundays. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 651-297-2555.
The Society’s calendar of events is posted online at www.mnhs.org/calendar. The website also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites.
The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.
The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.