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Dr. William W. Mayo House

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Dr. William W. Mayo House

Come explore a piece of Minnesota history at the W.W. Mayo House in Le Sueur, Minnesota. It was the birthplace of Dr. William James Mayo in June of 1861.

Dr. William Worrall Mayo hand-built this small Gothic-style home in 1859. Dr. Mayo set up his first medical practice in Minnesota form this home. Later in Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. W.W. Mayo and his two sons William James and Charles Horace founded the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. Between 1874 and 1920, it was the home to three generations of Carson Nesbit Cosgrove family of the Green Giant Company

history. Seven children form the second and third generations of the family were born in the home including two Green Giant Company Presidents. From 1936 to 1967, the home served the community as the first Le Sueur Public Library. The Mayo House is owned and was restored and warmly furnished to the 1860 time period by the Minnesota Historical Society. The Mayo House is open by appointment on Saturdays, June 1 to Labor Day.

03/31/2026

To celebrate women's history months we're remembering the women of the W.W. Mayo House. This week we're focusing on Margaret Elizabeth Briard Block. She served as librarian for the last several years of the Mayo house's time as the Le Sueur Public Library.
Come visit this summer and take one of our tours to learn more about these women.

03/25/2026

To celebrate women's history months we're remembering the women of the W.W. Mayo House. Ms. Carrie Cadwell served as the first librarian in Le Sueur, beginning in 1905. Her job moved to the Mayo House in 1935 where it remained until her retirement in 1953.
Come visit this summer and take one of our tours to learn more about these women.

03/17/2026

To celebrate women's history months we're remembering the women of the W.W. Mayo House. Louise Cosgrove and her husband Ward moved into the Mayo House in 1914 at her suggestion. She recalled, "I had had my eye on the little Mayo House which was all scallopy and just adorable."
Come visit this summer and take one of our tours to learn more about these women.

03/10/2026

To celebrate women's history months we're remembering the women of the W.W. Mayo House. This week we're remembering Elizabeth Eunice Bradley Cosgrove. She and her husband Carson Nesbit Cosgrove lived in the house during the early years of their marriage.
Come visit this summer and take one of our tours to learn more about these women.

03/06/2026

To celebrate women's history months we're remembering the women of the W.W. Mayo House. The first woman to live in the Mayo house was Louise Mayo - wife of Dr. William W. Mayo (founder of the Mayo Clinic).
Come visit this summer and take one of our tours to learn more about these women.

02/07/2026

Do you, or anyone you know, remember visit the W.W. Mayo House when it served as Le Sueur's Public Library? Staff at the house are currently working on collecting stories and memories of people who remember visiting during the library years (1935-1968). If you, or anyone you know, would like to participate in our interviews please let us know by commenting or sending us a message!

01/28/2026

No school buses were around in the 1800s to take children to schools. Instead they usually walked; for many miles and through the snow to make it school on time. If your family or neighbors had a sleigh you were especially lucky and could get driven to school.
(Image curtesy of the MNHS: Horse drawn sleigh)

01/21/2026

What was a Minnesota winter like for the Mayo family living in Le Sueur in the mid 1800s? Besides the normal household tasks for Louise and Dr. Mayo’s medical practice there was plenty of fun to be found. One girl, living along the Minnesota River at the same time as the Mayo, remembered skating on the mill pond. She recalled, “We often skated on rubber ice so clear that we could see every little pebble on the bottom of the river.”
(Image curtesy of the MNHS: Boys skating on the river, Hutchinson, MN)

01/14/2026

Household tasks were never done in the 1800s; even in the winter there were endless chores for Louise Mayo. Sewing was an especially necessary task; as Gertrude, Phoebe and baby Will would all need clothes for the coming summer. Many people still did all their sewing by hand, as many couldn’t afford the newly invented sewing machines. Women also used scraps, leftover from clothing, to make patchwork quilts for the families beds. One quilt would have taken 100, or more, hours of labor to complete depending on its size.

01/07/2026

In January of 1936, Le Sueur was experiencing not just freezing cold temperatures but also living through the Great Depression; during this time the Le Sueur Public Library became a place of solace and escape. Hundreds of books, fiction and non-fiction alike, were crammed into the Mayo House. Ms. Carrie Cadwell was available to help patrons sort through the many choices to select their next read.

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays from the staff at the W.W. Mayo House!

We're looking forward to another year of sharing about the history of the Mayo Family, Cosgrove families, and the Le Sueur Public Library.

Image: Notice of the holiday closer of the Le Sueur Library (in the Historic Mayo House) from the Le Sueur News-Herald, December 19, 1945.

12/10/2025

Our very popular candlelight Christmas Tours are this weekend!

Address

118 N. Main Street
Le Sueur, MN
56058

Opening Hours

Saturday	10am - 4pm
Sunday	1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+15076653250

Website

https://www.mnhs.org/mayohouse?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=yext, https://www.mnhs.org/mayohouse

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