Historic Homes and Businesses in Carver - Carver County Historical ...

later at the 1860 U. S. Census for Carver he is found with the occupation of tailor, and
married to Margaret (probably the daughter of George Herdt who died in 1871), an
immigrant from Hesse in the German States, who was born about 1834. Kult is named
on the Pole Tax list of eligible voters in Carver for the years 1863-64. In 1864 Kult
acquired a portion of the land of the neighboring Temperance Hotel complex from hotel
owner Ferdinand Strache. One report states that this land was payment for a gambling
debt. In the Minnesota Gazatteer and Business Directory for 1865 Stephen Kult is
advertised as a saloon operator, though the location of his establishment is not noted. A
Weekly Valley Herald newspaper item in Oct. 1868 noted that Stephen Kult was running
the Rutli Saloon and selling liquors and cigars. Sometime during the period 1864-1869
Kult erected a large brick store on this site, which by 1869 was being occupied by Dr. C.
E. Rogers, a Carver physician. In May 1869 Dr. Rogers was appointed postmaster in
Carver, Kult‟s building perhaps then serving as the post office for Carver. In September
1869 Dr. Rogers expanded into an additional venture by opening a dry goods and grocery
store in the building.
On Thursday morning May 12, 1870 Kult‟s building was discovered on fire and
subsequently burned to the ground with little saved. Kult had $2,000 in insurance on the
building and Dr. Rogers had $1,000 in insurance, though Roger‟s losses were described
as quite heavy. At the 1870 U. S. Census Stephen Kult was yet living in Carver, but in
that year he is called a farmer, with a sizeable net worth of $4300. In August 1871 Kult
sold Dr. E. H. Lewis a Carver lot for $300 that contained John Samberg‟s blacksmith
shop. Dr. Lewis was replacing Dr. Rogers in Carver and planned on erecting a two-story
brick building the following spring. Kult probably needed to sell the blacksmith property
for funds to rebuild his fire-destroyed building, for in August 1871 he was hard at work
rebuilding his destroyed brick building, with plans to occupy it himself with a store that
was stocked with ready-made clothing. To augment the store he included a tailor shop
and hired a cutter from St. Paul. In October 1871 Kult opened his new clothing store, his
motto, “Quick sales and a small profit”. In the Minnesota Gazatteer and Business
Directory for 1872 and 1873 Kult was advertised as a clothing store proprietor. In
January 1874 the Weekly Valley Herald newspaper wrote that “a good stock of goods
have been put in the Kult‟s Building opposite the Anderson and Sundine Store. No word
on who the proprietors will be”. The Kults then sold the clothing store to Carver
businessman Enoch Holmes in 1874 and apparently moved from Carver to St. Paul the
following year. The Kults also owned a home at 100 Fifth Street West in Carver from
1866-1875.
Enoch Holmes owned the store for 5 years, until 1879 when he transferred ownership to
Carver merchant John Sundine who ran a general store out of the building. In 1880
Sundine‟s store was advertised on a Carver County map, which showed that he stocked
dry goods, groceries, hats, caps, boots, shoes, and also that Notary Public service could
be had there. Sundine held title on the store until 1880 when it was sold to Peter A.
Johnson who owned it for the next 24 years.
General store owner Peter (P.A.) Johnson was born in Gammalkil, Östergötland, Sweden
in 1841 and immigrated with his parents to St. Paul in the Minnesota Territory in 1852.