HENRY A. CASTLE:

Henry Anson Castle's career, which spanned more than fifty years, was characterized by many diverse activities and interests. He was noted for his roles as a Civil War veteran, lawyer, journalist, real estate and railroad developer, politician, and author, and for his involvement in St. Paul civic affairs.

Castle was born in Columbus, Illinois, on August 22, 1841, the son of Timothy and Julia A. (Boyd) Castle. The family moved to Quincy, Illinois, in 1859. After graduating from McKendree College in 1862, Castle fought in the Civil War with the 73rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment as a private and a sergeant major. He was wounded in the hand during the battle of Stone River in 1863 and chose to accept a medical discharge from the Army when he learned that he would not be commissioned. In 1864 he raised the 137th Illinois Volunteer Regiment and served as its captain.

Castle was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1864. He married Margaret Jaquess in 1865. They had seven children: Harry, Charles, James, Margaret, Helen, Ann, and Mary. They lived for a short while in Quincy, Illinois, where Castle practiced law, but Castle's health problems (described as a severe lung hemorrhage in biographical sketches in the Castle Papers) caused them to move to Minnesota in 1866. Between 1866 and 1868 the family lived in Anoka and St. Cloud. While recuperating, Castle wrote editorials for both the Anoka Union and the Quincy Daily Whig newspapers. In 1868 Castle moved to St. Paul, where he established a branch of Comstock, Castle & Company, of Quincy, Illinois, a stove manufacturing business that was co-owned by his family.

During the 1870s and 1880s Castle established himself in political and business spheres in St. Paul. An avid Republican, he developed associations with many Republican politicians. Cushman K. Davis became a life-long friend and associate whom Castle actively promoted for political offices. Castle was elected to a one-year term in the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 24 (1873) and served as the state's adjutant general (1875-1876) and oil inspector (1883-1887). He was secretary and treasurer of the Republican State Central Committee at various times from 1875 to 1883 and was chairperson in 1884. Through his Decoration Day speeches and other political and patriotic addresses, he established a reputation as a popular and eloquent speaker and proponent of the Republican party.

In 1874 Castle returned to practicing law, but his attention gradually was drawn back to the newspaper business. In 1876 he and several associates formed a stock company that bought the St. Paul Dispatch, with Castle as company president. He also served as the newspaper's publisher and editor-in-chief (1880 to 1885), and under his leadership it became a recognized voice of the Republican party.

By 1885 Castle's attention had been diverted again, this time from the newspaper business to suburban real estate development. He resigned from the Dispatch to devote all of his energy toward a new enterprise: the establishment of a planned manufacturing city. Prior to this time, Castle had been acquiring land adjacent to Silver Lake northeast of St. Paul, near to what was then called New (Little) Canada Township. From 1875 to 1880 he and a partner had operated the North Star Seed Farm on this land. In 1885 the Wisconsin Central Railway Company laid a line across Castle's land, connecting it with St. Paul, thus providing the transportation link necessary for him to implement his plan. In 1886 Castle platted an area on the south shore of Silver Lake and named it "Castle." The following year he and St. Paul business associates formed the North St. Paul Land Company, and they subsequently renamed the town site North St. Paul. From 1887 to 1892 and again from circa 1909 to 1916, Castle focused his efforts on developing property in North St. Paul, and some of the streets there are named for him and other members of his family.

During the 1890s and early 1900s Castle was involved largely with postal affairs. His real estate career was interrupted in 1892 when he was appointed postmaster of St. Paul by President Benjamin Harrison, a position he held until 1896. During these years he continued to be involved in other business ventures and in civic affairs. He organized the St. Paul and White Bear Railroad Company (1892) and served as its secretary; he was president of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and treasurer of the St. Paul Citizen's Executive Committee for Relief of the Poor (1893); and he served as president of the Minnesota State Soldiers Home (1897-1909). In 1897 Castle was appointed auditor of the United States Post Office Department and moved to Washington, D.C. He served as auditor until 1904. He remained in Washington and practiced law until circa 1909, when he returned to St. Paul and resumed his involvement in North St. Paul real estate development, politics, and civic affairs.

During his lifetime, in addition to his many other activities, Castle wrote profusely on a variety of topics. Civil War stories were a favorite subject. His "The Army Mule and Other War Sketches" was published in 1897. His positions with the St. Paul Post Office and the Post Office Department generated an avid interest in postal issues. Second-class mail rural free delivery, C.O.D., railway mail service, and postal fraud were some of the topics that he explored in articles that were published in magazines and newspapers. He also wrote two multi-volume books, A History of St. Paul (1911) and A History of Minnesota (1915). Castle died in St. Paul on August 16, 1916.

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The papers include considerable material on the Grand Army of the Republic, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, the Army of the Tennessee, the presidential campaign of Cushman K. Davis in 1895-1896, and the military training of Henry's son Charles at West Point and his services during the Spanish-American War.

A portion of these materials, as well as additional clippings the originals of which were not retained, were microfilmed.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Access Restrictions:

Microfilmed volumes are closed to general use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Henry A. Castle Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Microfilm Production:

St. Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society, 1986.

Microfilm available for sale or interlibrary loan from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 1895C; 13,666

Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 990017332900104294

Appraisal Information:

Fifty three volumes were microfilmed in order to permanently preserve their informational content. After filming, the volumes consisting entirely of newspaper and magazine clippings: volumes 21, 26, 40-52 and clippings from volume 19, were disposed.

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The volumes are organized into two series: Articles, Speeches, and Other Writings, 1852-1904 (volumes 1-15); and Scrapbooks, circa 1850s-1915 (volumes 16-53). Volumes 1-15 contain manuscript versions of articles, speeches, and other writings that Castle wrote between 1852 and 1904. They are arranged in chronological order. Castle's descriptive titles were retained for volumes 1-13. The title "Miscellaneous Writings" was assigned to volumes 14-15.

Volumes 16-53 consist of scrapbooks that are grouped into three units. The materials in volumes 16-39 (1850s-1915) document Castle's professional and personal activities and interests, and Castle family history. The volumes are arranged chronologically according to the dates Castle assigned to them. These scrapbooks consist of clippings of newspaper and magazine articles by and about Castle, pamphlets and other printed items containing articles written by Castle, memorabilia from events that he attended, and family photographs. Most of the clippings are from St. Paul and other Minnesota newspapers; however, most of the clippings in volume 17 are from Quincy, Illinois, newspapers. Some volumes contain items (mainly railroad passes) that predate the assigned dates; they appear to have been added at a later date in order to utilize empty space in the volumes.

Volumes 40-52 contain newspaper clippings that focus exclusively on the campaign of Cushman K. Davis to secure the Republican Party presidential nomination in 1895-1896. The clippings in volumes 40-41 are from both Minnesota and non-Minnesota newspapers and are arranged chronologically. Volumes 42-45 contain clippings that were published in non-Minnesota newspapers, arranged alphabetically by state. The clippings in volumes 46-52 are from Minnesota newspapers. They are arranged according to legislative district, and within each district alphabetically by county. Volume 53 contains invitations, menus, and other memorabilia from events sponsored by the Grand Army of the Republic (1880) and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion (1885-1895, 1910).

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Access restricted. Closed to general use, researchers are directed to use the microfilm.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Oil inspection -- Minnesota.

Postal service -- Finance.

Postal service -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Postal service -- United States.

Real estate development -- Minnesota -- North Saint Paul.

Spanish-American War, 1898.

Unemployed -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Persons:

Castle family.

Castle, Charles W.

Davis, Cushman K., 1838-1900.

Organizations:

Commercial Club of St. Paul (Saint Paul, Minn.)

Grand Army of the Republic.

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Minnesota Soldiers Home (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Republican Party (Minn.)

Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )

Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce (1867-1904).

United States Military Academy.

Places:

Minnesota -- Politics and government.

North Saint Paul (Minn.)

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.

Titles:

Saint Paul Dispatch.

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