existed. The Central house, on the corner of Bench and Minnesota
streets, was the first hotel of any pretension built in the city,
and it was one of the last to be burned. The first session of the
territorial legislature of Minnesota was held in the dining room of
this old hotel building, and for a number of years the hotel did a
thriving business. As the city grew it was made over into a large
boarding house, and before the war Mrs. Corbett was manager of the
place. It was afterward kept by Mrs. Ferguson, George Pulford and Ben
Ferris, the latter being in possession of it when it was destroyed by
fire. The building was burned In August, 1873.

* * * * *

A hotel that was very popular for some time was the Greenman house,
situated on the corner of Fifth and St. Peter streets, the site of the
Windsor hotel. It was a three-story frame structure and was built in
the early seventies. Mr. Greenman kept the hotel for some time, and
then sold it to John Summers, who was the owner of it when it was
burned.

* * * * *

The Merchants is the only one of the old hotels still existing, and
that only in name, as the original structure was torn down to make
room for the present building many years ago.

* * * * *

Aside from the hotel fires one of the most appalling calamities that
ever occurred at a fire in St. Paul took place in May, 1870, when the