Summit Hill

Since I grew up in St. Paul, James J. Hill's mansion has long provided a fantasy backdrop for how I'd hope to live...someday. (Haven't quite made it, but you just never know!) I, along with oodles of young gals, toured this landmark as a Camp Fire Girl; we volunteered to be "servants" during MHS seasonal events. As grade-schoolers, we'd tour the house and then be quizzed on the history of St. Paul. In high school we worked catering parties, getting a chance to investigate the more functional rooms in the house. We grew up passionate about F. Scott Fitzgerald and the gilded mansions of Summit, and learning about the legacy families that built St. Paul. We loved having opportunities to physically surround ourselves in history—especially "high society" history!