Shieldsville in Rice County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
General James Shields
Photographed by McGhiever, October 3, 2025
1. General James Shields Marker
May 12, 1806 - June 1, 1879
Born in Altmore, County Tyrone, Ireland
Died in Ottumwa, Iowa
He is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Carrollton, Missouri
He founded the town of Shieldsville, the first organized Irish settlement in Minnesota, and was one of the original proprietors of the town of Faribault.
He organized the townships of Shieldsville, Erin, Kilkenny, and Montgomery in Rice and LeSueur Counties.
He was a soldier, a teacher, a lawyer, a judge, an associated justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, a state auditor, a railroad commissioner and U.S. Senator of three states; Illinois, Minnesota, and Missouri.
General Shields fought in three wars including the Mexican War and Civil War. He was a lieutenant, brigadier general and brevetted major general.
"A brave man finds every land a fatherland"
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Immigration • Military • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1806.
Location. 44° 22.162′ N, 93° 24.506′ W. Marker is in Shieldsville, Minnesota, in Rice County. It is at the
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shieldsville Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Historic Dodd Road 1853 (approx. 0.6 miles away); Nicolaus Gustafson (approx. 5 miles away); Christdala Swedish Lutheran Church 1877 (approx. 5 miles away); Millersburg & the Northfield Bank Robbery (approx. 5.7 miles away); A Flour Milling Revolution (approx. 8.1 miles away); Bishop Henry B. Whipple (approx. 8.4 miles away); The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour
Photographed by McGhiever, October 3, 2025
2. General James Shields Marker (right) at the Shieldsville Veterans Memorial
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 113 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 2, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2. submitted on October 22, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
