New Ulm review., 1922-08-16
.KIEH ING HOUSE
5 TANDING INTACT
OLD LANDMARK PRACTICALLY
! UNCHANGED SINCE INDIAN
MASSACRE DAYS.

MONSTER GRAPEVINE NEARLY
sixty YEARS OLD, is
'oLD SETTLER.
The home Of Mr.. and. Mrs. Fred w.
Peuser, standing back off North Min
nesota street, right back of their store
at No. 22O, is the only house on Mime
sofa street still standing in practically
the same condition as it was in 1862.at
the time of the India Massacre. The
house was then the home of Mr. and
Mrs.4F. w. Kiesling, the parents of
Mrs. Peuser. The parents of Mr..
Peuser lived a number of blocks farther
north. At the time of the Indian
attack. on New Ulm, the Peusers had
come inside the barficades and the
women of the town, including Mrs.
Nesling, were all huddled together in
the Erd building, now Eibner's bakery,
on Minnesota street, where barrel of
powder was kept in the cellar ready to
blow up the building and the occupants
to keep them from falling into the
hands Of the Indians in case the red
skins should overpower the defenders
of the town.
| Peuser's Father Shot.
/ 2. !. )
| Fred w. Peuser was at that time
baby of four months. His father,
Frederick Peuser, was one of three
men who were detailed on Wednesday,
Aug. 10, 1862, to go out and try to
locate the whereabouts of the Indians.
They went as far as to the corner of
Minnesota and Third North street,
when the Indians opened fire from the
hill where the Methodist church now
stands, killing one of the three, Fred
serick Peuser getting bullet through
the throat, the third man escaping
,mhurt. Mr.. Pueser lived about Ia
years after that, but died from choking
sas result Of that wound. They were
the first people shot in the Indian at
tack on New Ulm.
Filled With Hay.
There was a house on German
street, back of the present Peuser
home, of which the Indians gained pos
session. After that, every white man
who yentured into the back yard Of
the Kesling place was shot by the
Indians. Two rooms in the Kiesling
house were filed with hay ready to
burn in case the Indians should gain
ground and force evacuation of the
house. The purpose of this. was to
keep the Indians from using the house
from which to snipe the whites. A
sally was finally made to the house on
German street and that. was burned
/ lin this way by the defenders preventing
j. its further use as sniping nest for the
q Indians.
! House Well Preserved.
8 The Kiesling houseis we'll preserved.
It was built of Minnesota elm and the
y years have hardened the wood so that
j lit lis now almost like rock and nails
rlcannOt be driven into it. For this
i reason, the house has been left in
4 practically the same condition as in
q 1862 and serves as the cozy home of
u the Peusers. Mrs. Peuser was born
i and married in this house and has lived
4 in it all her life.
j Monster Grape Vine.
i A monster grape vine covers the
house entirely and has grown over to
the store, covering the rear end of that
j building as well as the Williams build-
ling next door. The grape vine now
y covers more than $50 square feet Of
q 1space. At the root it is about eight
. inches thick. This grape vine has
been there almost sixty years and is
& therefore entitled to be known as an
Z, "old settler" It's roots go down into
Ian old well, where it gets its water
supply and which accounts for its
g luxuriant growth. About three bush
els of grapes have been picked off from
lit already this year and there are
II probably three or four bushels left,
n This old house Of Indian Massacre
FL times, and its old grape vine covering
should be one. Of the most interesting
T show places of New Ulm this week and
2 citizens will do a favor to strangers by
q calling attention tolit and its history.
Henry Rooster, and sons Edwin ane
7 sRudolph Of st. Paul are visiting in tht
7 old home town this week. They ar
q rived here last Wednesday. The!
= visited with the formers brother
OIL John w. Koester in Linden township
Y and are now visiting at the homes .
I. his sisters. Mrs. Sophia Stolz. Mrs. An