History

• The City of Brownton was founded in the year 1857 by Alonzo Brown.
• The City of Brownton was originally called “Grimshaw’s Settlement” when the first settlers arrived in 1856.
• Brownton is in McLeod County, right off of Highway 212. Highway 15 runs past it as well.
• New Auburn is a city in Sibley County. The community was named for Auburn, New York. It was originally named High Island.
• New Auburn once served as a hub of the fur trade business.
• Buffalo Creek runs through Brownton, and Lake Addy is right outside of town. Lake Marion is only 4 miles north of town on Highway 15.
• The founder of Brownton, Alonzo Brown, was involved with the railroad. A fort was built on the north edge of town as a stop-over for soldiers. The town even had a cheese factory once.
• Thomas Scantlebury, the son of Samuel and Sarah Scantlebury, was born in Albany, New York around 1835. The family later lived in Rochester and New York City. The family moved to Minnesota and were among the founders of New Auburn in April, 1856. Samuel built the first sawmill in the village and Thomas was appointed its postmaster in 1857.
• The settlers of New Auburn had originally petitioned to have the village be a part of McLeod County, but it was made a part of Sibley County.
• Lake Addy in Brownton is now actually 3 lakes. It started out as only 1, but then the railroad was built over it, and later a road.
• 52% of New Auburn residents report German ancestry, and 4% report Irish.
• Some well-known Old Tyme Music band leaders have Brownton ties. Jerry Schuft lives in Brownton, Lester Schuft graduated from Brownton High School, and Bruce Mielke, founder of the Bruce Bradley Band, is also from Brownton.
• Archer Nelson, a former Congressman who died in 1992, went to High School in Brownton.
• Lyle Katzenmeyer, who was inducted into the Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, is from Brownton.
• The Brownton Bulletin retired in 2008 after serving the area for over 115 years. The Bulletin’s news and advertising was incorporated into the pages of the McLeod County Chronicle.
• A well-known landmark that once stood just north of the City of Brownton found a new life northeast of Grand Rapids in 2008. That landmark is a 12-sided barn built by Jacob Reimers and his sons in 1912.

 

Businesses

• Some students from the Brownton area began attending school at the Glencoe-Silver Lake School District in the Fall of 2009 following the closure of the McLeod West School District.
• The Brownton Ag Co-Op is just outside of town on Highway 15. Along with serving farmers from around the area, they also provide LP gas to the residents of Brownton.
• The City Meat Market in Brownton is well-known across the state for their fine cuts of fresh meat.
• A popular hang out in the City of New Auburn is Dicky Bob’s
• Among the biggest companies in New Auburn are Dicky Bobs, and High Island Hide Away. One of the biggest schools is Immanuel Lutheran Church.

 

Festivals & Events

• The 2nd Thursday of August is the traditional date for the annual Brownton Day, usually called the Brownton Corn Feed Day. It features all the sweet corn you could ever possibly eat.
• The High Island Conservation Club holds a big Fish Fry every year to raise funds to keep the New Auburn lake clean and stocked with fish. The Fish Fry typically takes place in February.

 

People

• The Mayor of Brownton is Curt Carrigan and the population is around 800.
• The Mayor of New Auburn is Roger Becker and the population is around 500.
• The Army Corps of Engineers assisted with the fight against flooding in Brownton in 2011. Dikes holding back Buffalo Creek were giving way, and many creeks were rising rapidly and caused concern. New clay berms prevented a levee break from becoming a potential disaster during the floods.
• The McLeod County Board unanimously approved a conditional-use permit allowing the United Farmer’s Cooperative of Winthrop to build a new grain facility near Brownton in 2011. The 25 million dollar grain elevator complex will be on 280 acres just west of Highway 15 and north of the railroad tracks. Planning for the facility has gone on for 10 years and will be capable of loading 440,000 bushels of grain into a 120-car train within eight hours.
• Plans to construct a new grain elevator in the City of Brownton were announced in late 2011. The formation of a joint venture, United Grain Systems, LLC, will also operate 5 other existing UFC elevators in the area. The elevator will have a total storage of 3.6 million bushels and the four receiving pits will be capable of dumping 80,000 bushels per hour. It is located on a line that services three railroads, and the elevator will be capable of loading 11-car shuttle trains.
• In 2011 the voters in Brownton approved the spending of $850,000 towards tearing down the 1922 section of the former Brownton School and replacing the roof of the school’s gymnasium, and the funds were being raised to convert the west end of the school into the new library and city offices for the City of Brownton. Brownton also received a grant to cover the cost of replacing the windows in the building. The new Brownton Area Civic Center was finished in early 2012.
• In 2010 the Brownton City Council voted to lower the participation fees for the city’s summer recreation program. Brownton took up the sponsorship of the summer programs last year after the McLeod West School District closed. Donations towards the summer programs were received from the Brownton Lions Club and Thrivent For Lutherans as well. More than 100 children participated in the first year of the city-run program, and the program ended the year with a $3,000 balance.
• In 2010 Voters in the City of Brownton approved an $850,000 bond to demolish the 1922 portion of the former McLeod West High School building, and to repair the newer west wing. Part of the building was then turned into the “Brownton Area Civic Center.”

 

Click on the title below to listen to the Town Days Podcasts

• Chuck Warner

  17 Feb 12

• Wendy Becker

  17 Feb 12

• Norm Gehrke

  17 Feb 12