From The Archives

Welcome to one of the northern Twin Cities’ original homes, situated on the serene bluffs above the mighty Mississippi River. This historically recognized home has been remodeled with loving care, superb craftsmanship and a touch of class.Originally built in the mid-1850s by Thomas A. Howell, the Anoka historical society shows the home was purchased by Albert Bisbee and his family in 1858 and housed at least seven people under their name by 1860, according to census figures. Records describe how barges used to ferry coal down the Mississippi River to the house where laborers shoveled it into four doors of a walkout basement.

Following the Civil War, the Howell family eventually reclaimed the home from the Bisbees in 1893, but had actually returned to the house sometime earlier – with some 9 children in tow!In the late 1990s, Han and Marquell Madsen purchased the home. Having weathered long-term neglect, they chose to restore the house to its original condition of understated elegance.