Civil War Recruiting Station

Civil War Recruiting Station. Preserving Minnesota's Civil War History. , This small limestone building was built in 1855. It is most well known as the last remaining Civil War recruiting station in Minnesota. The Wasioja Grange and Old Settlers Society were instrumental in its preservation in the 1960s. A Legacy Grant funded restoration in 2018., Over 100 men enlisted through the Wasioja recruiting station, answering Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey's call for volunteers in the spring and summer of 1861. The majority served in the Minnesota 2nd Volunteer Infantry, pictured here at Fort Snelling in St. Paul., Wasioja saw a building boom in the late 1850s. One of the first buildings erected was a small limestone building that served as an office for two town founders: Captain James George, a Mexican War veteran-turned-lawyer, and his partner, Curtis Moses, a banker. Their office quickly became the center of town affairs., After the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey promised President Abraham Lincoln 1,000 recruits from Minnesota. When Captain George heard of that pledge, he vowed to recruit a company of 100 from Wasioja. To fill his company, he turned to the brand-new seminary in Wasioja. it is said that after a day of particularly patriotic speeches, many of the students marched from the seminary to Captain George's law office, which served as a recruiting station., These students formed the core of Company C of the Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry -- led by newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel James George. George's daughter Helen acted as the "social media" of the day, corresponding by mail with Wasioja soldiers about town happenings, and reporting back on the war to loved ones at home. The building remained a recruiting station for the duration of the war. Wasioja sent 104 young men to fight. Nine died in the war., The building served by turns as a home, an office, and as storage for an auto parts dealer. The Dodge County Historical Society bought the building in 1960. In 1961, it was dedicated as the Civil War Centennial Project. In 2018, exterior rehabilitation was completed.