Hastings Star Gazette

The Ramsey Mill was built by Alexander Ramsey and Dr. Thomas Foster in 1856–1857 on the Vermillion River in the town of Hastings in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The river had a head of 19 feet (6 m) and a width of 50 feet (15 m) near the 4 story gristmill. An addition included a cooper shop and storage facility. Although Ramsey sold his interest in 1877, it retained his name. Maximum output was achieved in 1894, at 125 barrels per day. On December 22, 1894, the building burned, possibly due to arson.

The William G. LeDuc House, also known as the LeDuc Historic Estate, located at 1629 Vermillion Street in Hastings, Minnesota, United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built over several years, and completed in 1865, by William Gates LeDuc who came to Minnesota in 1850 from Ohio. He was an attorney who represented a party to a suit involving Vermillion Falls, 1,500 feet (457 m) southeast of the homesite. As payment for his services, Le Duc received the land where he built his house. LeDuc was a Civil War veteran and U.S. Commissioner of Agriculture under President Hayes (1877–1881). The estate is an unusually complete example of the Carpenter Gothic style of Andrew Jackson Downing, a pioneer in American landscape architecture. William, and his wife Mary, used Downing's book, Cottage Residences, as inspiration for their home (Downing himself had died in 1852). The home was the first property to be acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society in the late 1950s but sat empty until 2005, when it was acquired by the City of Hastings. The Dakota County Historical Society partnered with the city to provide programing and interpretative services. $1.2 million was raised to restore the home and grounds to their former glory. Construction on the LeDuc house began in 1862 and was completed in 1866. Following LeDuc's service as Quartermaster in the Civil War, the family moved into the unfinished home in August, 1865. In March, 1865 he had been brevetted a brigadier general for "efficiency, intelligence and zeal in the discharge of his duties". William G. LeDuc came to St. Paul, Minnesota Territory in 1850 from Ohio to open a book store and law office. In 1854 he purchased a quarter share in the town of Hastings from Alexander Faribault. In 1856, he and his wife Mary Bronson LeDuc, with their two daughters moved downriver to Hastings, where they had also acquired two wheat farms and 160 acres with a small grist mill on the falls of the Vermillion River. It was on this property that William and Mary decided to build their dream home. They chose a Gothic Revival home featured in a later edition of Andrew Jackson Downing's Cottage Residences. Downing was a landscape architect and author, whose reputation as a horticulturist was widespread. He inspired Americans to surround their homes with the beauty of nature and encouraged the use of good design even in planning farmsteads. William and Mary chose three Downing designs for their rural home site; their residence, Carriage Barn and Ice House. The estate is an unusually complete example of the Gothic Revival style of Andrew Jackson Downing. Carroll Simmons, a friend of the LeDuc grandchildren, purchased the home in 1940 for his antique business. In 1958 he donated the home and outbuildings with 4 acres of land to the Minnesota Historical Society, with the agreement that he would continue using it for his antique business until he retired, which wasn't until 1986. Between 1986 and 2003 the future of the property was uncertain. Although it was the first property acquired by MHS, they had opened other house museums by the time they took possession. Needed repairs were done on the house and carriage barn, but the property stood empty. Citizen groups actively sought out ways to fulfill Carroll Simmons' vision of having the LeDuc house open to the public. In 2002 the Minnesota Legislature apportioned 1.2 million dollars in bonding funds for MHS to preserve the house and bring it up to current building codes. Agreements were executed between the Minnesota Historical Society, the City of Hastings and the Dakota Country Historical Society, which resulted in city ownership and DCHS management of the site. The site opened for tours on May 22, 2005. June 24, 2005, the Society deaccessioned the LeDuc House to the City of Hastings. As part of the agreement, the Society transferred $604,000 of net assets provided by Carroll Simmons for endowment, repairs and maintenance of the LeDuc House.

KDWA (1460 AM/97.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a hyperlocal News/Talk format, licensed to Hastings, Minnesota. The station is currently owned by K & M Broadcasting, Inc. and features national news programming from the USA Radio Network at the top of each hour. Locally, KDWA is especially known for its coverage of local news and high school sports for both Hastings and Prescott.

Lake Isabel (also rendered Lake Isabelle and Lake Isabell) is a lake in Dakota County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota.Lake Isabel was named for a daughter of the founder of Hastings.

The Rudolph Latto House is a historic house in Hastings, Minnesota, United States, built 1880–1881. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for local significance in architecture for its transitional Italianate/Eastlake design. It was built in white Chaska brick.

Hastings Methodist Episcopal Church is a church building located at 719 Vermillion Street in downtown Hastings, Minnesota, United States, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant for its Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, and Italianate architecture. The building exterior is clapboard with a characteristic tower including abat-sons and emphatic eaves supported by corbels. It is the oldest church building in Hastings, originally built in 1862 on 5th Street, it was moved to its present location in 1871; at that time the tower was added. The building is currently used by the Life Tabernacle Pentecostal Church.

The Byron Howes House (also known as the Howes-Graus House) is a historic house located at 718 Vermillion Street in Hastings, Minnesota.

St. Luke's Episcopal Church is located at 615 Vermillion Street in historic downtown Hastings, Minnesota, United States.

The VanDyke–Libby House, located at 612 Vermillion Street in Hastings, Minnesota is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1868 by William J. Van Dyke, a banker and merchant. In 1880 the home was bought by Rowland C. Libby who was part-owner of a saw mill and door and sash factory. He lived there until 1911; in 1914 the building was converted to a sanitarium. Originally known as Hope Sanitarium, its name was later changed to St. Raphael's Hospital, which in 1929 moved to the Thompson-Fasbender House.The building's Second Empire architecture is reflected in its mansard roof and imposing size. The original cost to build the house was an exorbitant $25,000.

First Presbyterian Church, known also as First United Presbyterian Church, is a church located at 602 Vermillion Street in downtown Hastings, Minnesota, United States, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant for its Romanesque architecture. The building is characterized by its massive quality, its thick walls, round arches, large towers, and decorative arcading. The congregation was established in 1855 by Reverend Charles LeDuc, the brother of William LeDuc. The congregation built a stone church at that time, then decided to build a new, larger church in 1875. It was designed by Charles N. Daniels. Because of financial difficulties, it took nearly seven years to finish the building, although it was complete enough to host its first services in 1881. In 1907 the tall steeple was struck by lightning, which started a fire that left the church gutted. Architect Harry Wild Jones from Minneapolis was hired to design the restoration. He was asked to make the new church resemble the original as much as possible, so both the interior and the exterior are his work.

The MacDonald–Todd House is an 1857 home in Hastings in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Greek Revival-style house was built by A.W. MacDonald in the utopian town of Nininger when he relocated to Dakota County from New York. He came to become the managing editor of the Emigrant Aid Journal. The paper was owned by Lieutenant Governor Ignatius Donnelly, who also founded the community of Nininger. In 1866, the home was moved across the ice in the Mississippi River to its present location, by Irving Todd, who had bought it for $385.

The Ignatius Eckert House is historic house in Hastings, Minnesota, United States. It was built in Nininger, Minnesota, in the early 1850s and moved to Hastings in 1857 by then-owner Thomas Reed. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its local significance in architecture as an exemplary specimen of an Italian Villa-style house with a cupola. It is an example of the "Country Homes" style of Andrew Jackson Downing, a pioneer in American landscape architecture. The original owner, Reverend G. W. T. Wright, was a minister at the nearby Hastings Methodist Episcopal Church. Ignatius Eckert, a retired farmer, bought the home around 1909.