Individual Stories

Louis Eschenbacher

Occupation: 
Stone cutter

Louis Eschenbacher was born in Germany in 1857 or 1858 and came to America in 1879. He and his wife raised a family in St. Paul as he worked as a stone cutter. He died here in 1926.

Joseph Eschenbacher, great grandson of Louis, provided the following information.

"Louis Eschenbacher arrived in St. Paul in the 1870's and married Amelia Frei (Feb 8, 1860 to July 13, 1936) on Sept 11, 1882 in St. Paul. They had four children, Emil (1882 - ?) Louis G. (1884-1969), William Christian (March 10, 1886- December 22, 1969) and John (Hans) (1882 to ?).

S.O. Felt

Occupation: 
Painter - Artwork and Decorative

1902 Beam painting payroll. S.O. Felt was born in Sweden in 1836 and emigrated in 1878. He worked on the Capitol as a painter. Fellow painter Joseph Wampach also lived at this address.

Most of the workers who constructed the Minnesota Capitol belonged to unions. However, it is not clear whether painters working in Minnesota were organized during the period when the Capitol was built between 1896 and 1907. So this worker's union status is currently unknown.

John Foley

Occupation: 
Laborer

1905 Payroll, 1904 City Directory and 1905 Census. John Foley was born in Minnesota in about 1876 and died in St. Paul in about 1915. He worked on the Capitol as a laborer. His step-son, Charles Cox, also worked on the Capitol.

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