You’re looking for a bold, red-brick mansion with a tall turret on the right and a grand porch wrapping around the front-just look for the house that looks fit for a storybook, standing proudly beneath the open sky.
Alright, adventurer, you’ve just landed in front of one of St. Cloud’s crown jewels: the Nehemiah P. Clarke House! Imagine it’s 1893, and a fresh winter wind rattles through the lumberyards while the sound of saws and hammers fills the air. Old Nehemiah Clarke, a true St. Cloud pioneer, is about to move into this Queen Anne marvel-an architectural style as fancy as the name suggests. Clarke, who strolled into town in 1856 with ambition in his pocket, built his fortune trading goods and making deals in lumber. Locals used to whisper about how he could sell mittens to a moose! The house became a symbol of his success: ornate brickwork, stylish towers, and every detail chosen to impress both neighbor and competitor. Gazing at this place, you can almost hear the clinking glasses from lively business parties and taste the smoky air from the old wood stoves. In 1982, the nation finally agreed it was unforgettable-it officially became a piece of living history. So as you stand here, picture this house at its most vibrant, a place where fortunes were made and St. Cloud’s story took shape one brick at a time.
