The East Side Historic District: A Walking Tour
E. Main Street

The similar plans and details of the houses in the 1100 block of E. Main St. suggest a common builder or plan book. Many builders worked from standard plans in this period, with variations in the detailing of the roof, a porch, or windows adding desired variety. Hip or cross-gable roofs were popular, along with a projecting front gable and canted bay (one with clipped corners) like that seen on the Jorgenson House (left). The builder of the Olson House (right) arranged a bay with canted corners under broad overhanging eaves. According to Lisa Root, the current owner, the original roof and chimney were destroyed by a lighting strike in 1907.

Louis Jorgenson, at 1100, was employed as a painter. The property was in the family until the 1950s. Mons Olson was the first owner of 1108, followed by Lars Kravik in the 1920s. From the 1930s until the 1970s, it was owned by Aagot Sannes. The Sannes family owned the Stoughton bakery that is now Fosdals.

1124
Henry and Mary Severson
1903
Attributed to Frank H. Kemp, architect
A prominent landmark at an eastern gateway to Stoughton, the Severson House is a fine example of the Classical Revival Style. The two-story portico has colossal columns crowned with Ionic capitals, and graceful balustrades.

A brother of Sever H. Severson and uncle of Abraham (921 E. Main), Henry Severson was raised in Dunkirk Township. Severson operated two tobacco farms and reportedly owned the first automobile in Stoughton. Henry married Mary Halverson in 1882. One of the Severson’s children, Della, lived here for many years and the building was locally known as “Della’s House.” The house remained in the Severson family until 1976. The current residents, the Lewis family, are only the third owners. At the interior, intact features include many of the original light fixtures and even the maid’s bell (although the Seversons reportedly had no servants). The carriage house--one of few surviving in the district--is now used as a garage but the location of the old horse stalls can still be seen.