Glenwood Manor

The Glenwood Manor subdivision in Robbinsdale was developed in the 1920s on the site of the Horatio Stillman farm. Stillman had arrived in Minnesota Territory in 1854 and homesteaded a tract of land for farming in Crystal Lake Township. In 1864 he went off to serve as a soldier in the Eleventh Regiment during the Civil War. After returning home, Stillman took part in civic affairs and served in various positions, including Township Supervisor, Justice of the Peace, and School Board member.

After Stillman’s death in 1920, the executor of his will worked with Confer Brothers Realtors to purchase and create the second Glenwood Manor addition. They began advertising the disposal of a 40-acre estate that had been the Stillman farm. The subdivision was touted as an unusual opportunity in suburban acreage, no farther from the business district of Minneapolis than Lake Harriet. The property was cut into a limited number of lots, offered at remarkably low prices. Sam Confer and his wife, Mary, appear as the sellers on many of the area’s properties.

Many people in numerous Robbinsdale neighborhoods, property deeds contain an exclusionary covenant. In Glenwood Manor the language is usually,

premises shall only be sold, rented or otherwise disposed of to people of the Caucasian race.

Racial covenants like this can be found in the deeds of properties throughout the city of Robbinsdale. These discriminatory clauses were inserted to prevent people who were not white from buying or renting homes. These covenants were legally-enforceable and anyone who challenged them risked forfeiting their claim to the property. They were designed to keep neighborhoods segregated. Developers often worked with park commissioners to make land adjacent to racially-restricted neighborhoods into public green space. The use of racial covenants was legal in Minnesota until 1953

The Robbinsdale Historical Society and Robbinsdale Human Rights Commission are committed to researching and sharing the history of racial covenants and their impact on our community. Resources are available to promote a greater understanding and build networks of people who wish to get involved and address how racial covenants impact our cities today.

Just Deeds is acting now to help homeowners and cities by providing free legal and title services, along with access to online tools and volunteer opportunities.

Mapping Prejudice is a team of historians, geographers, librarians, digital
humanists, and community activists seeking to expose structural racism. You can see the 26,000 racial covenants Mapping Prejudice volunteers have found so far, and download shapefiles, spreadsheets, and static cartography on their website.