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Photograph of Pipestone Public Library
Photograph by Glorioussandwich, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Pipestone Public Library

Built in 1904. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

From the record

“Pipestone Public Library in Pipestone, Minnesota, United States, is a Carnegie library that was built in 1904. It was an important work of architect Joseph Schwartz.”

Wikipedia article Pipestone Public Library, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 16 National Register listings published here for Pipestone County · listed in 1980 · category: Building · built in 1904.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 3rd St., SE and S. Hiawatha Ave., Pipestone, 56164
  • When was it listed? March 1980
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Pipestone County MRA
  • City. Pipestone city
  • When was it built? 1904
  • National Register reference number. 80002122 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

7,107 words

The chapter on Pipestone City in An Illustrated History of the Counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, published 1911 names Pipestone. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

ON THE mountains of the prairie, 4G west). The elevation of Pipestone on the great red l'ipest(jne quarry, above sea level is 1740 feet.' As a railroad where, the poet tells us, in ages center it takes high rank, four .separate past the Great Spirit stood and called the systems having lines to the city. In the tribes of men together, is the city of state of Minnesota are only two cities - - Pipestone, capital of Pipestone county. Minneapolis and St. Paul - that have History records that wherever the North greater railroad facilities, and only two American Indians were in the habit of others - ilankato and Albert Lea - that gathering in large numbers, for places of have as many railroads as Pipestone. The residence, council, or worship, those spots railroad com]>anies that operate lines to have invariably Ijeen selected by white Pipestone are tlie Great Northern, the Chimen on which to locate their centers of cago, Milwaukee & St. P'aul, the Chipopulation. There is scarce an instance cago. Rock Island & Pacific, and the Chito the contrary, and, indeed, it would cago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, have been remarkable had a city not been The city, therefore, enjoys excellent shipfounded at the famous quarries. For ping facilities, a circumstance to which wliere is now the modern city of Pipestone, is due much of Pipestone's ]>rosperity and the aborigines were wont to gather to re- growth.

Passage source: An Illustrated History of the Counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, published 1911.

Centennial streets. On June 4 nf tlie same year D. E. Sweet, his wife and little son, and John Lowry took up their residence at the point where it was determined to found the town, a point fortyfive miles from the nearest railroad and also a long distance from the nearest white settlement. ]\rr. Sweet tore down the Bennett cabin, wliich had been donated him l)y Jlr. Bennett, and erected a more substantial home, and in December Mr. Jmwry erected the town's second building - a small cabin. In August, 1874, when there was only one building in Pipestone (and in Pipestone county), through the instrumentality of Mr. Sweet, the Pipestone postoffice was established and Mr. Sweet received the commission as postmaster.-

Passage source: An Illustrated History of the Counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, published 1911.

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 Pipestone City - 7,107 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

1 since 2017

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Pipestone Public Library in 2017, burning about 40 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
Smoking1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
28 November 2017Smoking40 acresPipestone National MonumentPIPESTONE LH40

Every fire recorded in Pipestone County

Mines and quarries near this property

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Pipestone Public Library: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Pipestone QuarryClayProducer

Every working recorded in Pipestone County

Storms near this property

60 of 70 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Pipestone, the town this property stands in, in 70 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 36 hail, 20 thunderstorm wind, 8 flood, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1997HailPipestone$100,000no account filed
September 2019Flash FloodPipestone$75,000Within three hours of the start of heavy rainfall, the river gage on Pipestone Creek at Pipestone rose quickly over flood stage. Several homes on the northeast side of Pipestone were inundated with flood water.
May 2012FloodPipestone$30,000Heavy rain caused brief but record flooding of Pipestone Creek. Fields, parkland, and roads were flooded, including the Pipestone County fairgrounds. One street in the city of Pipestone caved in. The creek crested at 5.71 feet above flood stage on May 6th.
June 2011LightningPipestone$25,000Lightning struck an apartment building, starting a fire in the attic which heavily damaged an upstairs apartment. Another upstairs apartment suffered water damage, while two basement apartments were undamaged. Six residents home in the apartments at the time of the lightning strike escaped uninjured.
June 1996HailPipestone$10,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindPipestone$5,000Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines near state highway 30 just east of the South Dakota state line.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Thunderstorm wind gusts blew down a large tree and knocked out power across much of Pipestone. There was not much rain, but a couple minutes of very strong wind.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Thunderstorm winds were measured by the Redstone RAWS site RPPM5 1 miles north of Pipestone. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindPipestone-RAWS site 216901 (Redstn) 1 mile north northwest of Pipestone measured a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
June 2019Tornado (EF0)Pipestone-A brief and small landspout occurred in the northwest side of Pipestone, causing minor damage to three buildings. Two metal sheds sustained damage to small sections of roof and door panels. The tornado then crossed a street and hit an apartment building where a 10 foot by 5 foot section of the south facing roof was removed. The average path width was 10 yards.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Numerous power outages were reported around Pipestone with tree limbs down.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindPipestone-A tree fell onto a car in town.
June 2014FloodPipestone-Repeated heavy rains caused brief moderate flooding of Pipestone Creek, with farmland and some roads flooded. The river crested at 2.15 feet above flood stage at Pipestone on June 15th.
June 2013FloodPipestone-Heavy rain caused Pipestone Creek to briefly flood on June 23rd, with lowlands including a few rural roads affected. The creek crested at 0.9 foot above flood stage at Pipestone on June 23rd.
May 2012FloodPipestone-Heavy rain caused moderate flooding of Pipestone Creek, with flooding of parkland and a few roads. The creek crested at 2.78 feet above flood stage on May 26th.
June 2011FloodPipestone-Heavy rain caused moderate flooding of Pipestone Creek, with lowlands along the creek and a few roads affected. The creek crested at 2.5 feet above flood stage at Pipestone on June 14th.
July 2011FloodPipestone-Runoff from heavy rain caused minor lowland flooding along Pipestone Creek. The creek crested at 1.2 feet above flood stage at Pipestone on July 11th.
March 2010FloodPipestone-Rapid melting of a heavy winter snowpack caused minor flooding of farmland and other lowlands along Pipestone Cree. The creek crested at 1.9 feet above flood stage on March 14th.
September 2010FloodPipestone-Heavy rain caused Pipestone Creek to rise quickly above flood stage to a record level. The creek fell quickly also, but some effects of the flooding including standing water continued. The flooding reached some homes and businesses in and near the town of Pipestone, and farmland was flooded.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several large trees blown down.
May 2007HailPipestone-Large hail was mostly penny size with a few golf ball size stones.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including at least two trees blown down.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several trees blown down. At least one fallen tree blocked a street. Trees falling on power lines caused a power outage.
May 2004Flash FloodPipestone-Rainfall of around 3 inches caused flooding of several roads and basements in Pipestone.
May 2004HailPipestone-Large hail covered the ground and caused significant damage to corn, soybean, and other small grain crops. The amount of damage was unknown, because many of the early stage crops were expected to grow back, and others could be replanted.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several trees blown down. The amount of damage was not known.
July 2004HailPipestone-Large hail fell in a swath from west central to south central Pipestone County. Towns affected included Pipestone and Trosky. The hail caused significant crop damage along its path, including stripping the leaves off corn and soybean plants and bruising the stems. A large loss of yield was expected in spite of some expected recovery of damaged crops.
June 2002Flash FloodPipestone-Heavy rain caused flooding of county roads and lowlands in the Pipestone area.
May 1993Thunderstorm WindPipestone-Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several trees.
September 2025HailPipestone-no account filed
May 2022HailPipestone-no account filed
July 2019Thunderstorm WindPipestone-no account filed
July 2014HailPipestone-no account filed
May 2012HailPipestone-no account filed
April 2011HailPipestone-no account filed
April 2011HailPipestone-no account filed
April 2011HailPipestone-no account filed
July 2010Thunderstorm WindPipestone-no account filed
July 2009HailPipestone-no account filed
July 2009HailPipestone-no account filed
August 2009HailPipestone-no account filed
August 2009HailPipestone-no account filed
August 2007HailPipestone-no account filed
August 2007HailPipestone-no account filed
May 2007HailPipestone-no account filed
May 2007HailPipestone-no account filed
May 2007HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2006HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2006HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2006HailPipestone-no account filed
September 2006HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2005HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindPipestone-no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindPipestone-no account filed
May 2004HailPipestone-no account filed
April 2004HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2003HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2003HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2003HailPipestone-no account filed
June 2003Thunderstorm WindPipestone-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Pipestone County

Map coverage status

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.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

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 PropertyDistance Listed
Pipestone County Courthouseunder 500 feet1980
Calumet Hotel0.1 miles1976
Pipestone Commercial Historic District0.2 miles1977
Pipestone Water Tower0.4 miles1980
Burlington Cedar Rapids and Northern Depot0.5 miles1980
Cannomok'e-Pipestone National Monument1.2 miles1966

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 80002122 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Pipestone CountyAll 16 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.