Photo Friday is back, after a too-long hiatus while I tried to catch up on cataloging a huge backlog of donated artifacts and photos. More about that on Monday.

Today, let's take a look back at a photo donated in 2001 of an earlier Edina. I'm guessing this dates from the 1950s, but you car aficionados may be able to get more specific. (I can't tell a 1958 Oldsmobile from a 1960 Ford, but I know many of you can.)

Any guesses of this photo's location? For those who grew up in southwest Edina, this question is a no-brainer. But the rest of you might have more difficulty, since the area looks (almost) nothing like this today.

Take a good look.

Give up? It's the intersection of Cahill Road and 70th Street, the heart of the Irish Cahill settlement dating from the 1850s.

First settled in the mid-1850s, the Irish Cahill community almost immediately built a church, school and store at this important crossroads. Nearly a century later, the same institutions stood at the same corners (although some in newer buildings.)

Cahill School was built in 1864.  Although a modern brick Cahill School was built in 1948, the pioneer era school still was used for kindergarten classes until 1958.  The school stood vacant for more than a decade, until it was restored in 1969 and moved to Tupa Park. Today, the Edina Historical Society runs living history programs in the historic building.

Hugh Darcy's son Moses built a general store across the street from Cahill School. Destroyed by fire in 1918, the store was rebuilt on the same site. From 1944 to 1965, retired Edina teacher John Cameron owned what was then called "Cahill Grocery" in the phone book, but was more commonly known as Cameron's Store by neighborhood residents.

St. Patrick's Church, not pictured, served the community at the southwest corner of the intersection. Although the church was also destroyed by fire, the congregation rebuilt a new church at the same corner.

By the 1930s, Protestant families had moved into the predominantly Irish Catholic neighborhood and, by all reports, felt welcome. They held services at Cahill School until they built Calvary Lutheran Church in 1938. Both churches have since moved. The old St. Patrick's church is gone, but Calvary's first church still survives as a single family home and the only reminder of a bygone era.

I like this photo because it shows an important crossroads, both the physical location and the moment in time. By the late 1960s, new retail and housing had transformed the formerly rural landscape forever.

• For more photo fun, look at historic aerials of the area at (called appropriately enough) historicaerials.com. Here's a link to 70th and Cahill images.
• To see the intersection as it looks today, see the Google map satellite view here.
• For another view of Cameron's Store, see this old post here.
• What do you remember about this area? Did you frequent Cameron's store? Were you one of the last students at Cahill school? Share your comments here or email me with your stories.
  

The Edina Historical Society co-sponsored a walking tour of western Morningside and Browndale Park on Tuesday (July 10). I love walking tours. Let me count the ways. Here are just a few reasons:

1. The people. Oh, I know. Historic walking tours focus on houses, but I love talking to the people who show up:

People who grew up in the neighborhood. People who live here now. People like Burt Grimes, whose ancestor Jonathan Grimes owned nearly all of Morningside in the late 1800s. People like Kate Q. who grew up in one of the first homes built after Grimes' property was platted.

2. The publicity. Forty people walking down the street captures the entire neighborhood's attention -- much more so than a 40-person event inside a building. I felt like our tour guides were the "Pied Pipers" of history, as their talk brought people out on their lawns to hear about the history of their home and neighborhood. On past walking tours (with cooler temps), our tour group grew as more and more people joined in.

3. Special access. This beautiful house is partially obscured by hedges and tall catalpa trees (built by Grimes as a horticultural experiment to introduce non-native shade trees.) With permission from the current owner (an Edina Historical Society member), our tour walked onto the private yard to get a closer look at the private residence of Browndale Park developer George Dartt.

4. The great outdoors. Let's face it, history work often means sifting through research files and cataloging and cleaning dusty old artifacts. Walking through a beautiful neighborhood on a sunny summer evening makes a nice change of pace. I've read about George Dart's home here in the historic Minneapolis Tribune, but seeing the showcase home in person adds another dimension of knowledge.

5. The partnerships.  We worked with the Edina Heritage Preservation Board on the tour. Architect Peter Sussman (light blue shirt below) from the HPB Board led the tour....

... along with HPB consultant Bob Vogel (baseball cap below).

St. Louis Park Historical Society  provided research materials and support as well. The Morningside Neighborhood Association and the Edina-Morningside Women's Club helped publicize the event.  Everyone brought a different area of expertise, and I loved hearing their perspectives.

5. Spontaneity. This lovely home was not a scheduled stop on the tour, but the owner happened to be outside and graciously answered our questions. During the last tour, one homeowner provided an abstract to their property. Another offered lemonade. 

I suppose I could have categorized each one of these reasons under the first one: "the people." While walking tours do focus on houses, people really make the difference between a good tour and a great one. Thank you to those who led the tour, provided information, allowed us access, participated, and spread the word.

We're working on future walking tours. If you would like to be put on our event email list, please email me with "walking tours" in the subject line.

1. Morningside name
A couple of readers commented on the history of Morningside's moniker. (See Neighborhood names: Morningside.)

Kim Ode wrote, "I'd never seen that phone book logo and, while I figured there was a Scottish component to Morningside, I've always considered us as living on the 'morning' side of Edina, being the first to greet the sun!"

I like that. I also love that Morningside, appropriately enough, has a "Sunnyside Road" running through it.

Mollie Kennedy-Harper wrote, "Some of us occasionally refer to Morningside as 'Nordeast' Edina." Good one! (although I wonder what the Minneapolis Nordeasters would make of that.)

2. Mystery mansion in Morningside - Parbury house 
I wrote about the alleged haunted mansion in Morningside more than two years ago, and it still prompts a few emails and comments, which I always enjoy. But I was especially excited to receive an email last week from an actual Parbury.

Michele Parbury wrote, "Yes, I am a Parbury, if only by marriage. My husband is the grandson of the owners. His father was raised in this house and that is his dog, Chrissy. I was so excited to find your story! I know they left sometime in the late 60's to build a home on Bull Shoals Lake in Protem, MO (near Branson)... I'm going to call my father-in-law right now!"

Michele sent me her email and we hope to exchange some information about the house, pictured here.

We also have some photos of people who we think are Parbury family members.  Isn't this a sweet picture of Helen Josephine (Parbury?) and her grandpa?

3. Wooddale dancers
Susie Paplow's essay of Growing Up in Edina: Dancer's life formed at Wooddale School brought back memories for another Wooddale dancer.

Helen Akers wrote, "My goodness! What a surprise! My brother sent me this link. I attended Wooddale from K thru 5th, which would be 1958 thru...1965? I also was in the dance recitals in 1960, 61 and 62. Does anyone remember the name of our dance instructor? I can picture his face but not his name. Our principal was Van Sarff. Kindergarten was Ms. Bemis. Fourth grade was Mrs. Blashfield I think. Third...Mrs. Spalding? I remember Mr. Kenyon also. Science I think. We played jacks on the front steps of the school...I loved that school. I remember the carnivals also and yes, the school did seem to transform into a magical place!"

I have heard about Ms. Bemis from many generations of Edina students. Someday, I'll have to figure out how many decades she taught at Wooddale School. While I can't tell you that today, I do know she was a much beloved teacher, based on the reminiscences of our visitors.

4. Growing Up in Edina
Several class reunion groups have made the Edina History Museum's "Growing Up in Edina" exhibit part of their activities. Take a trip down Memory Lane yourself. Visit us free during regular museum hours, Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon. The display will be up until at least October.

I'm pondering the next exhibit now. I would like to say I'm "working on" the project, but I haven't moved past the thinking stage yet. I do know that the exhibit will celebrate Edina's Quasquicentennial (125th birthday) in 2013. This part of my job is very fun (and a lot of work for one person.) I could use some talented volunteers to help brainstorm and create the display. Email me or call me at the museum (612-928-4577)  to find out more.

Happy Monday, everyone!