Overview

Linden Hill Historic Estate is an indoor/outdoor venue located in Little Falls, Minnesota. Picture an outdoor wedding in a private garden...majestic oaks, blooming flowers, with the beautiful Mississippi River flowing in the background. Or imagine an intimate indoor wedding with your closest family and friends in the historic Musser Mansion...an elegant parlor and dining area, heirloom filled rooms with awe inspiring views. Linden Hill provides a uniquely romantic atmosphere for an unforgettable Minnesota wedding. From the groom's dinner to the final dance, you can hold your entire wedding event and all of it's special gatherings in one beautiful and magical place.

Facilities & Capacity

The Musser (white) mansion serves as the indoor location with a capacity to hold 165 guests throughout the main floor. The spacious home boasts two dining rooms, a large living room with a grand piano, a parlor, a porch, and a restroom. The lower level of the mansion offers another large space for entertaining and also gives guests direct access to the sunken music garden. The "ready room" on the second floor is accessible by the wedding party, and the additional bedrooms throguhout the second and third floors provide optional guest lodging for up to 25 people.

9.5 acres of gardens and well-manicured lawns can acccommodate larger groups of up to 300 people with stunning views of the Mississippi River for ceremonies and receptions. A screened-in pavilion with a capacity for 120 guests is located on the upper grounds and serves as a covered space that couples can utilize during their celebrations. Canopy tents can be brought in through a rental company and placed on either the upper or lower grounds in specified locations.

Outside catering is allowed by a licensed caterer. The venue provides a fully-stocked bar and options for a hosted bar, a cash bar, or a combination of the two. The venue also provides bartenders for alcohol service.

Outdoor restrooms are available on both the upper and lower grounds of the estate, and two public restrooms are available within the Musser mansion.

Accommodations & Area Attractions

The Musser mansion offers optional lodging for couples and their guests on the second and third floor of the home. With 10 bedrooms and 6 full bathrooms, 25 people can call the historic mansion "home" for the wedding weekend. Additional lodging is available through a number of local hotels located just a few miles from the estate. Area attractions include a nearby 18-hole golf course, riverside parks, a zoo, Great River Arts center, Charles Lindbergh State Park and house museum, the MN Fishing Museum, the Military Museum and more. Little Falls is home to local eateries like A.T. the Black and White, Little Fiesta and Little Falls Bakery and Deli to name a few. Starry Eyed Brewery offers indoor/outdoor seating and a number of the local watering holes also feature menus of home-cooked food alongside their ice cold beverages.

Estate History

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Linden Hill Hsitoric Estate possesses a history rich in generosity, community engagement, the arts, and education. The two homes were built in 1898 by young lumber barrons, Richard Drew Musser and Charles Augustus Weyerhaeuser, who had taken over the running of the Pine Tree Lumber Company from their fathers. The men married and raised their families together on the large, river front estate (originally 90-acres) and were involved in many aspects of their local community. The two men and their wives donated funding to various organizations and were instrumental in bringing the arts to the local community. They were active in a number of clubs and organizations and were supportive of education in their community and the state of Minnesota.

After the area lumber was logged and the company closed its doors in 1920, Weyerhaeuser sold his home (green mansion) to Musser for "a nickel and a handshake" and moved his family to Summit Hill in Saint Paul. Mr. and Mrs. Musser lived out their days in the white mansion, and their youngest daughter, Laura Jane, lived out her days in the green mansion. As the last living heir to Linden Hill, Laura Jane Musser entrusted the estate to the City of Little Falls. Today, the legacy of the original families live on through the Friends of Linden Hill non-profit working to preserve and share the history and spirit of the Musser/Weyerhaeuser estate on the Mississippi River. Offering the Musser family home as an event space with optional group lodging is one of the ways the Friends fo Linden Hill are able to fund preservation projects around the estate. The Weyerhaeuser home is now utilized as a house museum where guests can view the space along with artifacts and collections originally owned by the Musser family.