The Susan S. Welch Residence Then and Now
1896
Sitting proud on the corner of Dayton and Avon, this lovely Greek Templed Mini-Mansion was built in 1865 as a winter home for Thomas and Susan Welch. Born in Ireland in 1828, Thomas came to Henderson, Minnesota in 1853 and was married to Susan S. Segers in 1857. The marriage helped him to obtain his start in America and enabled him later on to accumulate a snug fortune. The couple had eight children. In 1875 he established the Sibley County Bank at Henderson. In 1881 he organized the Pacific Elevator Co., which did business on the railroad from Minneapolis to Watertown. He also founded the Bank of Gaylord, of which he was president. Welch said he never desired public office, but in 1882 was elected state senator and re-elected in 1886. Coincidentally Mr. Welch was one of the heaviest government contractors in the Northwest and was involved with such men as Col. J. L. Merriam and A. H. Wilder. In the 1890′s he moved to Saint Paul to be closer to proper medical treatment. Mr. Welch died at his winter residence on Dayton Avenue in 1893. After her husband’s death Susan S. Welch became President of the Sibley County bank at Henderson until She died in the same house nine years later.
2011
Too bad the porch is now gone, but good that the building still stands.