Mason

Masons build stone walls, as well as set stone exteriors and floors. They work with two types of stone: natural-cut stone, such as marble, granite, and limestone; and artificial stone, made from concrete, marble chips, or other masonry materials. Using a special hammer or saws, workers cut stone to make various shapes and sizes. Some stonemasons specialize in setting marble, which is similar to setting large pieces of stone. The Capitol construction employed many individuals performing various types of stone and stone-related work. 

For more information see:

Unites States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics at:http://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/brickmasons-blockmaso...

Work Day Minnesota-Artistry and Activism: Stonecutters have made Their Mark in Communities, Workplaces at:http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4283

Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Local 1, Saint Paul, MN at: http://www.bac1mn-nd.org/

Henry A. Ostedt

Occupation: 
Mason

Henry A. Ostedt family

Henry A. Ostedt family

Ostedt home at 781 E. Magnolia St., St. Paul

Ostedt home at 781 E. Magnolia Ave. E., St. Paul

Henry and Tilda Ostedt

Henry and Tilda Ostedt in their later years

Henry and Tilda Ostedt in their later years

Tilda, Gayle, Joseph and Warren Ostedt, 1939

Tilda, Gayle, Joseph and Warren Ostedt, 1939

1904 City Directory. Henry A. Ostedt was born in Sweden in 1859 and moved to St. Paul in 1889. He and his Swedish born wife, Tilda Muhrbeck (1862-1942), were married and raised their family here. The couple had eight children, four who died before the age of six and four, among them Henry Jr. and George, who lived to be quite old. Their other children were Esther (1886-1892), Hannah (1908-1909), Joseph (1888-1974), Julius (1891-1892), Martin (1896-1898) and Myrtle (1903-1996).

Henry A. Ostedt family
Ostedt family (left to right): Henry A. Ostedt (sitting), Joseph Ostedt (standing behind his father), George Ostedt (little boy center front), Henry Ostedt Jr. (young boy behind George), Tilda Ostedt (wife and mother), Myrtle (daughter and youngest child)
Photo courtesy of Dave and Gayle Alberg
Ostedt home at 781 E. Magnolia Ave. E., St. Paul
Henry Ostedt did all of the brick work on the family home at 781 E. Magnolia Ave. E., St. Paul
Photo and family information courtesy of Gayle Ostedt Alberg, great granddaughter of Henry and Tilda Ostedt
Henry and Tilda Ostedt in their house. Henry was said to be an avid reader, as evidenced by the many books displayed behind the couple.
Photo and family information courtesy of Gayle Ostedt Alberg, great granddaughter of Henry and Tilda Ostedt
Henry and Tilda Ostedt in their later years
Henry and Tilda Ostedt in their later years
Photo and family information courtesy of Gayle Ostedt Alberg, great granddaughter of Henry and Tilda Ostedt
Tilda, Gayle, Joseph and Warren Ostedt, 1939
Tilda holding her first great-grandchild, Gayle Ostedt, born May 7, 1939 with her oldest son Joseph (left) and grandson Warren (left). Tilda lived to be 82 and died in 1942.
Photo and family information courtesy of Gayle Ostedt Alberg, great granddaughter of Henry and Tilda Ostedt

John Quinn

Occupation: 
Mason

1897 Grant Payroll and City Directory. John Quinn was born in Ireland in 1863 and emigrated in 1882. He worked on the foundation of the Capitol for the George Grant Co. Quinn and his wife, Margaret, raised a large family here in St. Paul as he worked as a mason. According to a report in the St. Paul Globe, Quinn joined the Stone Masons Union in April of 1899.

Jacob Schwartz

Occupation: 
Mason

1905 Payroll, St. Paul City Directory and Census. Jacob Schwartz (1858-1951) emigrated from Germany in 1870. He worked as a stonemason on the Capitol and was an activist in the Union and was elected to the executive board of the Local in Dec 1904 and ran for Local President in 1907.

Patrick Wheeler

Occupation: 
Mason

1897 Payroll and City Directory. Stonemason Patrick Wheeler was born in Ireland in 1863 and emigrated in 1883. He worked for George Grant on the construction of the foundation of the Capitol. Wheeler was an early member of the Stonemasons' Union. He and his wife, Nora, raised a large family here in St. Paul.

Ambrosio Zavattoni

Occupation: 
Mason

1905 Payroll and 1904 St. Paul City Directory. Stonemason Ambrosio Zavattoni was born in 1857 in Italy and emigrated in 1895. He was naturalized in St. Paul in 1904 and worked on the Capitol that year then left without a trace.

Peter Molin

Occupation: 
Mason

1905 Payroll and 1904 St. Paul City Directory. Peter J. Molin was a mason who had a farm in Chisago County where his family lived as he was working on the Capitol in St. Paul. He was born in Sweden in 1858 and emigrated in 1878.

William Bardon

Occupation: 
Mason

1904 Payroll and City Directory. William Bardon (1855-1937)was born in Minnesota to German parents. He and his wife raised a large family at this address while he worked as a stonemason. He died in St. Paul in 1937.

Adolph Valley

Occupation: 
Mason

This is approximately where 161 Pleasent Avenue was located. The July 8, 1904 Union Advocate reported that A.Valley had been elected to the executive board of the Stone Masons Union.

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