>> CATHY: THERE COULD BE A NEW HOME FOR THE JUSTUS RAMSEY HOUSE.

THAT'S THE HISTORIC LIMESTONE COTTAGE WHICH WAS BUILT IN THE EARLY 1850S ALONG WHAT IS NOW WEST SEVENTH STREET IN ST. PAUL.

LAST YEAR, IT WAS TAKEN APART AND PUT INTO STORAGE.

A PROPOSAL UNDER CONSIDERATION AT THE LEGISLATURE WOULD ALLOCATE $500,000 TO REASSEMBLE THE COTTAGE AT THE MINNESOTA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM.

ONE OF THE PEOPLE BACKING THAT PLAN IS FRANK WHITE.

HE'S ON THE BOARD OF THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION HISTORIC ST. PAUL.

WELL, WELCOME BACK.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> OH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.

>> Cathy: THAT LITTLE COTTAGE IS ADORABLE.

IT'S BEEN AROUND FOR SO LONG.

BUT WHY IS IT HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR FOLKS WHO MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND THE STORY?

>> WELL, I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE MAJOR PIECES IS THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY HOME TO A NUMBER OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILIES FROM ABOUT 1880 TO 1930.

IT ALSO WAS ABOUT -- THERE WAS ALSO BUSINESSES THERE UNTIL THEY WIDENED THE STREET.

IN ABOUT 1933 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND THEY TOOK AWAY THE BUSINESS THAT WAS IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING.

I THINK WHAT IT ALSO DOES, IT ALSO IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT SHARES THAT AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE WERE IMPORTANT THAT THEY LIVED HERE, THEY HAD BUSINESSES HERE.

IN DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL.

PRIOR TO THE RONDO AREA.

EVERYBODY REMEMBERS -- TALKS ABOUT RONDO.

AND MAYBE THE TRAGEDY OF THAT.

BUT THERE AS A PLACE BEFORE.

AND IT WAS DOWNTOWN ST. PAUL.

AND SEVEN CORNERS WAS ONE OF THOSE AREAS.

THERE ALSO WAS AN AREA IN LOWERTOWN THAT ALSO WAS A NEIGHBORHOOD OR A COMMUNITY OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS.

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PIECES I THINK THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.

IT HELPS TELL A LARGER STORY OF ST. PAUL'S HISTORY.

THE SUCCESS OF PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE.

ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE.

WHETHER THEY LIVED OR HAD SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES.

>> Eric: ISN'T THIS ALREADY ON SOME HISTORIC REGISTRIES?

>> WELL, IT WAS.

UNFORTUNATELY NOW IT'S NOT BECAUSE ONCE YOU MOVE IT -- >> >> Eric: IT'S JUST BRICKS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT?

>> YEAH.

>> Eric: HOW DO YOU ENVISION GETTING IT WHOLE AND GETTING IT IN THE MUSEUM?

WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?

>> WELL, THERE'S A COMPANY RIGHT NOW THAT'S BEEN TALKED TO.

ONCE THE -- IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE MONEY, THAT THAT COMPANY WILL COME IN AND RESTORE IT BRICK BY BRICK.

EXACTLY TO WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE.

ONE OF THE WALLS WAS MISSING.

IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE BUILDING, WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE, THE WALL ON THE WEST END, WHICH WAS WHERE THE REED PLACE WAS, WAS GONE.

SO THAT ALL WILL HAVE TO BE ENTIRELY RECONTRACT OF CONSTRUCTED.

BUT THERE ARE PIECES OF LIMESTONE THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT'S THERE THAT WILL HELP COMPLETE THAT.

THAT WALL.

>> Cathy: JUSTUS RAMSEY, WE SHOULD SAY, WAS HE NOT A RELATIVE OF ALEXANDER RAMSEY?

>> HE WAS, HE WAS A BROTHER.

BUT HE OWNED THE LAND AROUND THERE.

HE NEVER LIVED IN THIS HOUSE.

IT'S INTERESTING WHY THEY WOULD HAVE NAMED THE HOUSE AFTER HIM.

I THINK THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN THAT LIVED THERE.

AND I THINK HE WOULD GO ON TO BE A MAYOR OF ST. PAUL FOR A PERIOD OF TIME TOO.

BUT JUSTUS RAMSEY NEVER LIVED IN THIS HOUSE.

SO HOW THEY CAME UP WITH THAT NAME, WHO KNOWS.

>> Cathy: NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM, BECAUSE THERE IS A PIECE TO THIS STORY THAT'S INTERESTING.

YOU MENTIONED AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOLKS LIVED THERE.

BUT WHAT'S THE TRANSPORTATION PART OF THIS STORY?

>> PEOPLE THAT CAME HERE EARLY ON, EITHER WORKED ON THE RIVER, OR FOR THE RAILROAD.

AND THEY WERE PORTERS.

SO A NUMBER OF THE FAMILIES THAT LIVED IN THE HOUSE WERE CONNECTED TO THE RAILROAD.

MOST OF THEM WERE PORTERS.

BUT THERE WERE OTHER SERVICE THINGS.

IN FACT, WHEN THEY TOOK THE BUILDING AWAY, THERE WAS AN ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG THAT WENT DOWN AND I DON'T REMEMBER HOW MANY FEET, BUT THEY FOUND, THERE ARE RIGHT NOW ROUGHLY, AND I MIGHT GET THIS NUMBER WRONG, ABOUT 70 ARTIFACTSES THAT IN FACT HAVE RAILROAD INSIGNIAS ON THEM SO REALLY KIND OF CONFIRMS GAIN THE CONNECTION TO THE RAILROADS.

>> Eric: IS THE LEGISLATURE GOING TO HELP YOU OUT HERE?

>> THEY ARE.

THERE IS A BILL RIGHT NOW BY REPRESENTATIVE HUSSAIN.

THAT HAS PROPOSED BILL, $500,000.

MAY NOT GET THAT WHOLE AMOUNT.

BUT WHATEVER WE GET, WILL AGAIN GO TO RESTORING THE BUILDING.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT HERE, FRANK, AND AS A HISTORIAN AND HISTORY BUFF, WHEN SOMEONE LOOKS AT THAT LITTLE PLACE OR ANY OLD BUILDING AND THEY SAY, WHY SPEND $500,000 ON SOME OLD BUILDING?

WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO JUST SAVING HISTORY?

>> I THINK IT'S SIGNIFICANT, AGAIN, TO TELL OUR COMPLETE HISTORY.

IF WE TALK ABOUT DOLLARS, I MEAN, WE COULD TALK ABOUT GENERATIONAL WEALTH THAT'S BEEN LOST OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.

BUT TO REPLACE THAT BUILDING AGAIN GOES BACK, AGAIN, AND HELPS COMPLETE THE STORY OF ST. PAUL.

>> Eric: GREAT.

>> Cathy: IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> Eric: GOOD LUCK