1.14.237
Pipe
Hodgson Pipe. Material: clay. Size: 6" L. Description: white clay bowl and stem; on stem: "Real Woodstone Pipe." Old Irish "Paddy" clay pipe.
Hodgson Collection. Prior to accessioning, the number 166 was printed in black ink on stem. Smoke Rings Hodgson notes: "These pipes, an Irish clay and a wind capped briar were discovered April 13, 1948 about 7 feet under ground when excavation was being made for the Rutledge Hail Insurance building. The previous building was originally used for a hotel and later known as the Corner Lunch. It was built in 1865 and covered the spot where the pipes were found. When I told Jimmy Madden - an old, old settler about the find he said, "Yes, and if they had gone deeper, they might have found a good Irishman attached to both of them", courtesy of Tom McHugo." Waseca Herald 17 June 1948: Pipe found when the Corner Lunch building known years ago as the Priest Building was torn down and the site excavated for the new building of the State Farmers Mutual Insurance Company. The Priest Building was erected between 1865 and 1870. Robert E. Hodgson (1893-1968) was superintendent of the Southern Experiment Station from 1919 to 1960. He promoted modern agricultural methods in Waseca and throughout Minnesota. From 1948 to 1964, Hodgson wrote a column for The Farmer Magazine, and his column “Bob Hodgson Talks” appeared in more than one hundred rural Minnesota newspapers for over 20 years. Hodgson was a member of the Waseca County Historical Society, the Waseca County Horse Thief Detectives, The Boy Scouts and other organizations. Among his many interests were history, nature study and pipe collecting. During World War II, Hodgson wrote a once a month letter to members of Boy Scout Troop 85 who were serving in the armed forces all over the world. The letters were published in the Waseca Journal with separate copies printed and mailed to any Waseca serviceman who wished to receive them. Hodgson’s letters maintained the home contacts, helped men keep up on the locations of friends and provided morale-boosting communications for those far away from home.