Hopkins A-Z
Hopkins is a fascinating city!

How would you describe Hopkins?

What set of words could represent our town and its history? Help the Hopkins Historical Society create a list of people, places, things or events that portray Hopkins. It's easy:

1. Fill out the form on the right.

2. Now—read through our growing list. Do you have a question about any of the topics? E-mail your questions to the Hopkins Historical Society and we’ll research it and post a brief answer on this site. (Then you can visit the Historical Society later to find more information.)
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3. Additionally, we welcome and encourage you to send us your stories about any of these topics!
American Legion: Old location on Excelsior Blvd. & Washington Avenue. 4th of July they would have a service in the front yard with a 21 gun salute. Kids would collect the shell casings for whistles. - Deb
Ancestors: Two of my third great-grandparents on my mom's side were George & Amelia Burnes. My maternal grandmother spent a few of her early childhood years growing up in Hopkins. She remembered when WWI ended, a band marched up and down Main Street playing "It's a hot time in the old town tonight". - Jane
Bullpen: A great dive bar with social interaction. - Jeff
Community
​Cruising: ​The center of the western suburbs when Mainstreet was Excelsior Blvd and it drew kids from all the local schools. HONK, HONK
Dairy Queen: I remember walking with my husband and my kids to the Dairy Queen on warm summer evenings for an ice cream treat. In more recent years we made those same special memories with our grandchildren. It is still a favorite place to go when they visit. - Pat
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
First Hopkins HS Swimming Team: in 1956, when the new Hopkins Sr. High, later renamed Eisenhower, opened with its new pool. I was on the team my Jr. & Sr. years. We were all new to competitive swimming, but Coach Johnson developed us into a winning team. We won both the District 18 Championship and finished 5th in the state meet our 2nd year. A great compliment to a great coach for Hopkins. - Denny
Generational
Halloween: Has been a big deal in Hopkins for many decades. In the 1950s and 60s, it was an evening for free-range costumed kids, hordes of us, excitedly running from house to house with practically no grown-ups outdoors. Now we still get hordes of kids, but many are shadowed either by parents hovering on the public sidewalk, or by parents in cars, keeping an eye on their kids. I loved it, and still do. - Lucy
Hennepin County Fair: Great times in the 50's, a couple of weeks before the Raspberry Festival. - Dick
​Hometown: I used to drive through town in my big old Buick with my two young boys.......sounds like a song..... - Jeff
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Justus Lumber: My Grandpa worked there from the 1920's when he delivered coal with a team of 3 horses. In 1926 they bought a White model truck, chain driven with hard rubber tires for coal delivery. Grandpa stayed there until he retired in the 1960's. - Linda
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Movie Theaters: Q-Is that the original theater in Hopkins? A-The movie theater in the 1930s and 1940s was the STAR. It was located about where Frame Design and Blackstone Manor Clock Repair are now. The Englers from north Minneapolis owned it.  Saturday night had a drawing for a cash prize. I remember going on Saturday afternoon to see Tom Mix or other western movies. It burned down in the early '50s. I lived on 10th and 1st Street but did not hear the fire engines. - Jim
Neighborly
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Penicillin: Dr. Frank Stodola, Hopkins High School 1923 graduate, headed a team of scientists that developed a way to mass produce penicillin. Their work saved thousands of lives on the WWII battlefields.
Princess: Being the 2004-2005 Hopkins Raspberry Festival Princess was such a fun, informative and rewarding experience. I had the best time and it further strengthened my love for Hopkins. - Lauren
​Proud
Questions Answered: Probably the most-asked question of the Hopkins Historical Society is “Why did they tear down the Dow House?” A: The 1888 Daniel and Belinda Dow House was a landmark 15-room mansion on a hill. The house had the first bathtub in town and a third-floor ballroom that hosted many town dances & parties. After it was purchased by the City, it housed the Hopkins Public Library for years. Just the mention of “Dow House” brings back memories for many who’ve lived in Hopkins. I remember many a climb up the grand staircase to the Children’s Collection. So why was the Dow House torn down? The library outgrew the space, the weight of the books had contributed to structural weakening, a fire during remodeling had destroyed the third floor, and no one came forward to pay the restoration cost that was deemed exorbitant in those days just before historical preservation became popular. The hill was leveled, the land was sold to the U.S. Postal Service, and the present post office was built on the site.
The Hopkins Historical Society is open to helping you find answers to all your Hopkins questions.
Raspberries and the Raspberry Festival: Check out our virtual exhibit, to be posted in early July, to learn more!
Stores with Local Owners: We've always had a "real" main street, and many of the shops are owned and operated by people who live here. Back in the day, it was Alcott's Drug, Hovander's grocery store, Milbert's groceries and bar, Paulson's Hardware, Mashek's Cleaners & Tailors, Fowler's Hobby Shop, and so many more. Now it's Hance Hardware, Mashek's (still!), Hopkins Eye Clinic, Nacho's Mexican Grill, Fred's Shoe Repair, and lots more. I love being able to do business on a first-name basis, and to know that my dollars keep circulating right here in town. - Lucy
Strong Foundation
TV: When we returned from a tour of duty in Scotland my then-husband decided to build a Heathkit TV. We drove all the way to Hopkins from the east side of St. Paul to pick up the parts. It seemed like we were driving to South Dakota! Little did I know that Hopkins would later be my permanent home with my permanent husband for forty years. - Lynn
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Warehouses: My dad worked at the Red Owl warehouse for over 25 years. We moved to Hopkins and bought a new home close enough to the company so he could walk to work. I still remember the smells of their bakery and coffee roasting. And when we would travel and stop at gas stations along the highways, truck drivers would ask where we were from--and they all knew Hopkins because of the Red Owl, SuperValu, Country Club and National Tea warehouses where they would deliver goods. - Mary
Xylophone/Vibraphone: BeBe Shopp's Miss America talent - Mary
Waiting for submissions . . . ​
Waiting for submissions . . . ​