Preston in Fillmore County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Heritage of Downtown Preston
Walking Tour
Photographed by McGhiever, October 5, 2025
1. The Heritage of Downtown Preston Marker
2.🙠Historic Preston School Building The large brick building on the hill overlooking the trailhead is the Preston School Building built in 1923 and housed both elementary and high school. In 1922 the original school building burned down. Today it is apartments and lodging. Can be viewed at 112 Pleasant Street NW.
3.🙠101 Fillmore Street W The Fillmore
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4.🙠105 Fillmore Street W Looking across the street on this corner stood the Tibbetts House from 1885 until the mid 1940's, which was Preston's most exclusive hotel. Torn down to make way for the present building which was once a car dealership. In 1957 became a grocery store as it still is today.
5.🙠129 Fillmore Street W "Grand Opera House" (circa 1903) the upstairs with its wide stairs, was the center of cultural activities, traveling movies, political meetings, dances and indoor athletic events. The Preston Tigers baseball was the second best ball team in the United States in the early 1900's. The first level has always housed businesses as it does today. In 1903 First National Bank and Gartner Grocery Store were located here. Gartner built this series of brick buildings.
6.🙠141 Fillmore Street W is the oldest building on the block as shown in an 1894 picture, when a fire
Photographed by McGhiever, October 5, 2025
2. The Heritage of Downtown Preston Marker (left) on the freestanding chimney at the Preston Trailhead
7.🙠157 Fillmore Street W The corner brick building (circa 1890) was always a funeral home and furniture store through the years, today it is still a funeral home.
10.🙠121 St. Paul Street As you walk South from the library this next building was once known as Keehn's Meat Market.
10.[sic]🙠125 S St. Paul Street At one time this was a confectionery shop and later a popular restaurant.
11.🙠192 St. Paul Street is now one business. Once it was the Victory Cafι on the North end and later the post office and later yet a doctor's office. On the N.W. corner of St. Paul and Main Street was the 1st National Bank, one of the three banks in Preston. It was closed after finding funds had been misappropriated.
12.🙠200 St. Paul Street Built in 1907, this building once housed a hardware store with the central office for NW Bell Telephone Co. upstairs. The upstairs has now been remodeled into apartments.
13.🙠209 St. Paul Street Here was a thriving men's clothing store. The first owner's names are still on the cornice of each building.
14.🙠212 St. Paul Street A pool hall with a nine pin bowling alley was once in this building. Later it became the post office with the Servicemen's Club located upstairs. When the post office built a new building the Servicemen's Club moved downstairs in its present location.
15.🙠235 St. Paul Street Was once the Preston Republican Newspaper office.
16.🙠220 St. Paul Street Originally there were four businesses in this building before being torn down. On the corner was Creamery Produce which purchased eggs and sold feed; Schuhbursky's shoe repair shop; a dry cleaner; and a dentist office.
17.🙠216 St. Paul Street SW was Andy's Candy Store. Eventually it was remodeled in 1933 to become Andy's Cafe after prohibition ended. It later became a tavern and then a restaurant/pizza shop.
18.🙠208 St. Paul Street The Preston Bakery was located here until 1970's.
19.🙠206 St. Paul Street SW Is probably the narrowest storefront in downtown. Many small businesses have existed in this building. In the early 40's it was a cafι; in 1948-1960 it was an optometrist office before becoming a reality business and now a beauty shop.
From St. Paul Street turn right onto the Main Street, with the Court House to the left.
20.🙠152 W Main Street was known as the Syndicate Building circa 1881. 136 W Main was called "Old Reliable" Mercantile Store of Hard and Kuethe. At one time there were eight sewing machine operators on the second floor. The beautiful brick work was covered in a modernization upgrade.
21.🙠124 W Main Street circa 1920 the Grey Sandstone building was originally the Farmers and Merchants State Bank.
22.🙠116 W Main Street The Masonic Hall circa 1922 is of tile construction.
23.🙠104 W Main Street The Kruppenbacher building sometimes called the Gingerbread House or the Storybook House, is an old frame structure dating back to the 1850's and one of the oldest buildings in Preston. Early occupants were of the barber trade. It has also been a hat shop, candy store, homemade crafts, bookstore and antiques.
24.🙠100 W Main Street circa late 1800's. In 1905 it was the I & N Smith Poultry and Egg house. One of the long time business was the Green Lantern Cafe from 1926 to 1944, and later the Sip and Nibble Cafe. In most recent years there was plumbing and a heating business.
25.🙠100 E Main Street Across the street is the Ebert Building. This building was the Shaffer Bros. Hardware from 1890-1910, and Eberts "Our Own" Hardware Store 1911-1990. A specialty was making tin cupolas.
26.🙠104 E Main Street The brick house is one of the oldest buildings in Preston circa 1853. This building is built with soft brick which was made in one of the three brick yards in Preston. From 1890 to 1910 Sammy Wong ran a Chinese laundry business from this building. It was a residence for many years, until in the 1990's thru 2007 it was The Brickhouse on Main Coffeehouse. It is now a private residence.
28.🙠132 St. Anthony Street was the Fillmore County Bank from 1889-1898, when it closed its doors because of embezzled fundsClements served ten years in the state's prison. It was also an abstract office. The original bank vault is intact and was recently restored (as a bathroom) along with the historic high ceilings and cut-glass front windows and doors.
29.🙠126 St. Anthony Street once was a millinery shop in 1860's. Many business were in this building and was purchased in 1945 to become Pugh's Paint & Wallpaper until early 1970's; it was later remodeled for a restaurant.
30.🙠120 St. Anthony Street A children's clothing store was on one side and a jewelry store on the other. Kelly Printing, the Fillmore Co. Journal and the National Trout Center had its beginnings here.
31.🙠The Popcorn Stand was established in 1934. Each summer it was pulled to the fair grounds where popcorn was sold at the Fillmore Co. Fair. Now it is stationary and open for business during the summer.
32.🙠110 St. Anthony Street A jewelry shop was located here in the early 1950's. Later Tony's Pizza was opened here until it was purchased again and reopened as a sandwich shop.
33.🙠108 St. Anthony Street This was the location of one of Preston's seven gas stations, the Standard Oil 1932-1960's.
Fillmore County Fairgrounds
34.🙠 In 1875 the Fillmore County Fair was permanently placed in Preston. This entryway was constructed in 1919 as a memorial to the veterans of World War I. In 2019, on its 100th birthday, the structure was restored and night time lighting added.
35.🙠 On the grounds of the fairground is the O'Hara country schoolhouse from Amherst Township. Established in 1870, the school closed in 1961 due to consolidation. The school has been restored as a typical one room school by the Preston Historical Society. It is open during the County fair.
36.🙠 Going back over the bridge and following the bike trail North, you will be walking on the original railroad bed which went up through the Preston Brewery which started production in 1859. The beer produced was "Forget Me Not" beer, which was distributed to all the neighboring communities. When prohibition was declared the sheriff and deputies dumped all the beer. During this time they made soft drinks before closing for good. It is now a private residence.
Acknowledgements
Publications:
Coming Home Preston's 125 Anniversary
Preston Images of America by Al Mathison
Articles:
"I Can Still Remember" by Dick Wildgrube
Cover image by Charles A. Capek
Erected by Preston Historical Society and Preston Public Utilities.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 43° 40.238′ N, 92° 4.751′ W. Marker is in Preston, Minnesota, in Fillmore County. It is at the intersection of Fillmore Street E. (County Road 12) and Center Street NE, on the right when traveling west on Fillmore Street E.. The marker is at the Preston Trailhead, on the freestanding chimney. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 112 Center Street, Preston MN 55965, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Minnesota and in Greater Rochester. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and in the Driftless Area Bluff Country. 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 walking distance of this marker: The Milwaukee Road in Preston / A Day on the Railroad (here, next to this marker); Welcome to Preston: Area Attractions (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Preston (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Agriculture and Angling (about 300 feet away); Preston All-Wars Memorial (about 500 feet away); Preston Public Library (approx. 0.2 miles away); Jesse Potter Nehring (approx. Ό mile away); Preston Overlook (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Preston.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 21 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 22, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
