Edwin S. Drake Farmhouse

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

From the record

One of 76 National Register listings published here for Rice County · listed in 1982 · category: Building.

Sources: 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.
Listed as. Drake, Edwin S., Farmhouse - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. Co. Hwy. 22, Northfield, 55057
When was it listed? April 1982
Category. building
Also known as. Rice County MRA
Township. Bridgewater township
National Register reference number. 82003028 - 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

11,778 words

The chapter on Bridgewater Township in History of Rice County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota and Outline History of the State of Minnesota, published 1882 names Northfield. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

In the meantime the settlement had commenced in various parts of the county. Northfield and vicinity had received a number of settlers,'^and the entire settlement north of Faribanlt was known as "Alexandria," after Jonathan Alexander, who was an early pioneer near Northfield. Other portions of this townhad also begun making evolutions toward civilization, as in the same year, (1854) we find that Edmund Larkins, Job Chester, Joseph Drake, and Daniel Bundy, all made their appearance and began opening farms in the eastern part of the town. This settlement, however, properly belonged to the Northfield section, as they were divided from Dundas by the heavy timber ridge, and it was not until several years after the settlement began that a road was cut and graded through the timber strip.

Passage source: History of Rice County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota and Outline History of the State of Minnesota, published 1882.

A. W. Drake deeded a cemetery ground to Northfield, and his father was the first to find his last resting place in it. .Joseph Drake died in April, 1857, at the age of 63 years. Another early death was the demise of Mrs. Owen, in Dundas, in 1855, early in the spring.

Passage source: History of Rice County, Including Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota and Outline History of the State of Minnesota, published 1882.

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 Bridgewater Township - 11,778 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

5 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Edwin S. Drake Farmhouse between 2001 and 2012, burning about 2 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
Recreation and ceremony	4
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
13 September 2012	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	CEDAR AVENUE
1 May 2001	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.0 acres	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	STOLAF
20 April 2012	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	BLACK DOG
7 December 2012	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	BLOOMINGOTN FERRY 1
29 November 2012	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	SORENSON LANDING 1

Every fire recorded in Rice County

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Edwin S. Drake Farmhouse: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	Sherwin Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
	Shilling Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Rice County

Storms near this property

55 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Northfield, the town this property stands in, in 55 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 19 thunderstorm wind, 18 hail, 9 heavy rain, 4 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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
May 2001	Tornado (F2)	Northfield	1 hurt, $9,000,000	NWS damage survey rated the tornado an F2. Tornado touched down briefly in downtown Northfield, flipping over a semi trailer truck and lifting the roof off of one business. Three-fourths mile later, it touched down again on the east side of Northfield, and then remained on the ground for 11 miles. After being in Rice County for 5 miles, it crossed Highway 19 into Dakota County and then dissipated in Goodhue County 4 miles west of Cannon Falls, for a total of 12 miles. Numerous rear flank downdraft gusts estimated at 90 mph caused damage alongside the southern periphery of tornado track. One man sustained minor injuries when he was blown from a tractor, but did not require hospitalization. A total of 8 homes received major damage, 22 more had minor damage, and a turkey processing plant was destroyed.
August 2006	Hail	Northfield	$50,000,000	Hundreds and possibly thousands of vehicles damaged; many had to be totaled. Significant damage to many buildings and houses. Two car dealerships lost their entire inventory. Buildings on the St. Olaf college campus suffered roof and window damage. Approximately 17,000 acres of crops destroyed in Rice County. Unofficial reports of softball size hail. Damage total includes all storm reports from August 24 in Rice County.
June 2021	Hail	Northfield	$2,500,000	Baseball size hail was reported east of Northfield. The trained spotter emailed the picture of the large hail stone.
May 2017	Lightning	Northfield	$25,000	Lightning struck a home on the 1500 block of Lindberg Court Monday afternoon in Northfield. Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service firefighters responded to the home around 1 p.m. Monday to extinguish the fire that started as a result of the strike.\|\|The homeowner was inside the residence at the time of the strike, but no injuries were reported. Lightning struck the chimney liner on the roof, and followed that down to the mechanical room where it ignited storage items.\|\|There was also smoke damage throughout the home.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	$25,000	The City of Northfield received widespread damage with many trees, some several large trees, were snapped off toward the top. Many power lines were also blown down. \|\|Some of the areas within the city included;\|Highway 19 and Highway 3, \|Highway 3 and 2nd Street,\|Greenvale Avenue west of Highway 3,\|Woodley Street east of Highway 3.
March 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	$10,000	Several power poles and a street light were blown down in Northfield, Minnesota, due to severe thunderstorm wind gusts.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	$5,000	Trees and a few power lines were blown down near Northfield, Minnesota. An automated weather station west of Northfield, had a measured wind gust of 56 mph.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	$1,000	Numerous trees felled. Deck of home torn off.
June 2005	Flash Flood	Northfield	$100	Flooding was reported on the Highway 19 underpass at Interstate 35.
June 2024	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	Nearly 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in northern Rice county.
June 2024	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	A total of 3 to 5 inches of rain fell from multiple rounds of thunderstorms. CoCoRaHS observers measured 5.35 inches near Morristown.
June 2024	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	The storm total was 2.7 inches of rainfall.
August 2020	Hail	Northfield	-	There was a picture of a 1.5-inch hailstone in Northfield.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	A trained spotter measured a wind gust of 75 mph in the city of Northfield.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	There were multiple reports of downed trees, up to three feet in diameter, across parts of Northfield.
September 2018	Tornado (EF1)	Northfield	-	A NWS storm survey, plus areal footage of drone and satellite data, concluded that an EF1 tornado tracked 4.7 miles from southeast of Owatonna, east-northeast across mainly corn and soy bean fields before moving into Goodhue County, north of Dennison. However, near the intersection of 110th Street East, and Jacobs Ave, a barn that was a restaurant and event venue was destroyed. It was called the Red Barn and was completely blown off its foundation. The damage was consistent with EF1 damage with maximum wind speeds of 105 mph and a width of 550 yards.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Several trees were blown down south of Highway 19, near Northfield.
July 2013	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	A measured rainfall amount of 5.05 inches fell in less than 3 hours. In addition, Ames Park near the intersecton of Water Street and Highway 19 was flooded.
July 2013	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	A measured rainfall amount of 4.75 inches fell in less than 3 hours.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Several large trees were blown down at 9th and Water Street.
June 2012	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	A measured rainfall report of 5.51 inches occurred in less than 18 hours.
June 2012	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	A measured rainfall report of 7.13 inches occurred in less than 18 hours.
June 2012	Flash Flood	Northfield	-	The City of Northfield received 6 to 9 inches of rain and closed parts of Highway 19. In addition, cars were half-submerged in flood waters across town.
June 2012	Flash Flood	Northfield	-	Significant street flooding caused some roads to close around Northfield and Dundas.
August 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	A large tree limb, approximately 50 feet in length was blown down near Northfield.
July 2011	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	Minor ponding of water on city street was reported in Northfield, Minnesota, due to heavy rainfall.
September 2010	Heavy Rain	Northfield	-	A cooperative observer measured 5.20 inches of rainfall overnight.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	One foot diameter tree downed.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Trees downed, most one to two feet in diameter.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Six inch diameter tree limb severed near Archibald Lane.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Two and one half foot diameter tree felled.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Light pole and power lines knocked down.
May 2005	Funnel Cloud	Northfield	-	An ambulance driver reported a funnel cloud at the Rice and Dakota County line.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Two foot diameter trees were downed on the St. Olaf College campus. Trees were also downed near the intersection of Lincoln Parkway and Second Street, and on Decker Avenue. A tree was downed onto a house on North Linden Street. A tree felled onto a power line started a fire at Ivanhoe Avenue. A utility pole was broken on Cedar Avenue.
June 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	A number of trees were downed.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Large tree uprooted. Estimated windspeed.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	Measured at the Northfield Safety Center.
June 1998	Flash Flood	Northfield	-	Between 4 and 6 inches of rain resulted in flash flooding in the Northfield area. Portion of county road 78 washed out resulting in train derailment. Highway 19 bridge collapsed under the weight of a semi-truck and trailer. Decker Avenue along Spring Creek washed out between 90th and 100th streets. Extensive flood damage to roadways around Dennison.
September 2024	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Northfield	-	no account filed
August 2012	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
June 2012	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
July 2010	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
August 2007	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
July 2007	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
August 2006	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
August 2006	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
April 2004	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
July 2002	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
May 2002	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
May 2002	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
June 1998	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
June 1997	Hail	Northfield	-	no account filed
July 1997	Lightning	Northfield	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Rice 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.

Property	Distance	Listed
Ault Store	2.0 miles	1982
Church of the Holy Cross-Episcopal	2.1 miles	1982
All Saints Church-Episcopal	2.1 miles	1982
Wiliam Martin House	2.1 miles	1982
Edward T. Archibald House	2.1 miles	1976
Sciver Block Building	2.1 miles	1978

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 82003028 in Record Group 79.
Rice County	All 76 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.