Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
One of 10 National Register listings published here for Meeker County · listed in 1975 · category: Building.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The chapter on Litchfield City in Album of History and Biography of Meeker County, Minnesota, published 1888 names Litchfield. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
At the regular election held November 2, 1869, tlie question ot the removal of the county seat from Forest City to Litchfield was submitted to the qualified electors of the county, and by a majority of 89, in a total vote of 927, it was decided in tlie affirmative, and the latter city became the seat of justice of Meeker county. The court-house, of whicli a descrijJtion is given in another place, adorns the north part of the town, and is really a very handsome and complete edifice. The location of the seat of justice at Litchfield and the presence of the railroad have both been important factors in the I'apid growth of the place, and have established it upon a firm basis.
Passage source: Album of History and Biography of Meeker County, Minnesota, published 1888.
The pioneer physician of Litchfield was Dr. George W. "Weisel, who came to this place from Forest City in the fall of 1869. He remained here in practice, according to the regular or alloi)athic school, for some years, but is now living in Williamsport, Lycoming coimtv. Pa. The second was Dr. F. E. Bissell, still a resident of the village. The third physician was a Dr. Bell, a follower of the homeopathic school, but who ditl not long remain in the place.
Passage source: Album of History and Biography of Meeker County, Minnesota, published 1888.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Litchfield City - 13,775 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Trinity Episcopal Church between 2012 and 2015, burning about 244 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 2015 | Debris and open burning | 217 acres | Litchfield Wetland Management District | STONE LAKE WF |
| 29 November 2012 | Debris and open burning | 26 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 November 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Litchfield Wetland Management District | LITCHFIELD WF |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Litchfield, the town this property stands in, in 51 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 27 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 funnel cloud. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | 3 hurt | Fire and rescue officials reported that high winds overturned a trailer camper at Lake Ripley Campground. Three people were pined inside and were transported to the hospital after rescue. A woman and a man in the trailer suffered minor injuries and the third victim, a retired police officer, suffered cracked ribs and numbness in his legs. Two other unoccupied campers were overturned nearby and others were damaged. Trees were also downed around town. A wind gust of 55 MPH was recorded at the Litchfield airport at 3:55 PM CDT. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Multiple trees down in Litchfield. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Public works responded to 1 large branch across the road. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | The county courthouse sustained roof damage. Numerous trees were uprooted around Litchfield. Time estimated based on radar. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Wind gust reported by RAWS station LFSM5, Litchfield 3S, operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. |
| June 2016 | Heavy Rain | Litchfield | - | A rainfall report of 2.76 inches occurred south of Litchfield in less than 6 hours. |
| July 2016 | Tornado (EF2) | Litchfield | - | The tornado near Litchfield was rated an EF-2 with peak winds of 115 mph. It had a maximum width of 100 yards and traveled approximately 3.2 miles. The tornado caused a lot of tree damage, though three single family homes received significant roof damage, and a double wide manufactured home, and garage were flipped and rolled. Another garage and shed were destroyed near Highway 12 on the north side of town. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Several large tree branches were blown down in Litchfield. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | A measured wind gust at the Litchfield RAWS site. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | A large tree fell near Southside Park in Litchfield. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Several large tree branches were blown down on the east side of Litchfield, Minnesota. |
| July 2008 | Funnel Cloud | Litchfield | - | The funnel cloud dropped briefly out of the parent thunderstorm, then quickly went back up. |
| September 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Numerous trees were felled, including some 22 inches in diameter. One tree fell on a mobile home in the north side of Litchfield. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Litchfield | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Litchfield | - | Hail covered Highway 22. |
| June 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Litchfield | - | The Sheriff's department stated that several motorists reported seeing a funnel cloud. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Trees were downed near Round Lake. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | A pontoon boat was flipped and a dock was destroyed along the Lake Ripley shoreline. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Litchfield | - | Quarter to golf ball sized hail was reported by a trained spotter. The county sheriff's office reported that several squad cars sustained hail damage. The windshield on one patrol car was broken by the hail. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | A tree was downed. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Two turkey barns were slightly damaged along Route 23 near Long Lake. |
| June 2002 | Hail | Litchfield | - | Ground white. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Litchfield | - | Damage survey indicated brief tornado on the west side of Lake Ripley, downing trees and ripping apart sheds and outbuildings. Tornado was accompanied by a large swath of damaging wind. |
| June 2001 | Hail | Litchfield | - | Wind blown hail dented houses, vehicles, and hundreds of structures. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Estimated winds. Several docks and boats flipped on Lake Minnie Belle. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | Large branches blown down. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 2025 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| September 2007 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Litchfield | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Grand Army of the Republic Hall | 0.1 miles | 1975 |
| Litchfield Commercial Historic District | 0.2 miles | 1996 | |
 | Litchfield Opera House | 0.2 miles | 1984 |
 | Henry Ames House | 1.9 miles | 1984 |
 | Brightwood Beach Cottage | 2.3 miles | 1978 |
| Ness Lutheran Church and Cemetery | 4.4 miles | 2025 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 75000996 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Meeker County | All 10 listed properties in this county. |
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