Moritz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse

Bergstein, Moritz, Shoddy Mill and Warehouse
The Moritz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse in their original location in Oak Park Heights
Location Off St. Croix Trail, Stillwater, Minnesota
Coordinates 45°3′4.8″N 92°48′4.7″W / 45.051333°N 92.801306°WCoordinates: 45°3′4.8″N 92°48′4.7″W / 45.051333°N 92.801306°W
Area less than one acre
Built c. 1890
Architect Unknown
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 08000133[1]
Added to NRHP March 05, 2008

The Moritz Bergstein Shoddy Mill and Warehouse are two historic industrial buildings in Stillwater, Minnesota, United States, in which Jewish German immigrant Moritz Bergstein conducted his recycling business circa 1890 to 1910. They were originally built in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, around 1890 and were moved to neighboring Stillwater in 2012 to make way for construction of a new bridge over the St. Croix River.[2] The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its statewide significance in social history and industry as a rare surviving embodiment of Jewish immigration to Minnesota and those immigrants' frequent participation in the waste materials trade.[3]

History

The owners, Moritz and Bertha Bergstein, settled in Oak Park Heights (then known as Oak Park) in 1890. They were in the business of recycling waste material. The shoddy mill, a rubble stone building, was used to recycle waste fabric into material to stuff mattresses.[4]

Moritz Bergstein was known as the "junk man" in Stillwater, and in addition to making mattresses he also operated a salvage business.[5] He recycled waste paper, rags, scrap metal, and wood shavings, and he built a machine that tore up the rags. He employed several women to fabricate the mattresses. Later Bergstein entered into a partnership with his brother, Ignatz, to form a mattress-making firm. Although Moritz eventually discontinued making mattresses in Oak Park Heights, he continued to buy and sell waste materials, mostly scrap metal. When he died in 1923 he left behind "about 500 tons of iron and old junk", valued at about $3000. The Stillwater Daily Gazette called him "one of the best known men in Stillwater" and noted that he was "always honest and straight forward in his dealings."[6]

There were few Jewish settlers in Minnesota in its pioneer days, so the story of the Bergsteins provides insight into early Jewish life in Minnesota.[5] The Bergsteins emigrated from Europe in 1880, during a time when many Jews were emigrating from eastern Europe, but Moritz was born in Germany and Bertha was born in Bohemia. While many Jewish immigrants dealt in used goods and recycled materials, the Bergsteins were atypical because they lived in a town distant from other Jews, engaged in light manufacturing, owned property soon after they moved to Minnesota, and hired non-Jewish workers.[7]

Relocation

The buildings were most recently used by an auto repair business. The business is slated to close at the end of October 2009, and the buildings will be moved to a site in nearby Stillwater to clear the right of way for a new Minnesota State Highway 36 bridge over the St. Croix River.[5] The new site is known as the Aiple Property, and is being developed as a city park. While the relocation of buildings on the National Register is discouraged, the parties involved agreed that relocation is preferable to demolishing the structures. The new setting was chosen to be similar to the old setting.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. ↑ Mador, Jessica (2012-11-15). "Shoddy Mill moves to Stillwater". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  3. ↑ Zellie, Carole S. (2007-04-16). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Bergstein, Moritz, Shoddy Mill and Warehouse". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  4. ↑ "WCHS: History of Oak Park Heights, MN". Washington County Historical Society. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Divine, Mary (October 6, 2009). "Last shop makes way for the bridge". Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  6. ↑ Strasser, Susan (2000). Waste and want: a social history of trash. Henry Holt and Co. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-8050-6512-1.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Bergstein Property Relocation Mitigation Project". Minnesota Department of Transportation. January 2005. Retrieved 2009-10-09.