By Mary Mergenthal

The final St. Anthony Park history presentation of the season will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, at St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, 2323 Como Ave. Local historian Kristin Anderson will explore connections between the southern and northern parts of the neighborhood.

Beyond the St. Paul real estate speculators William Marshall and Nathaniel Langford, the early investments for the St. Anthony Park neighborhood came from outside the city.

Men from Menomonie, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis provided substantial funds for the 1870s plans and for the 1885 south part of St. Anthony Park, while the north St. Anthony Park area was first developed and funded by investors from the state of Virginia.

Although these investors were mostly out of the picture by the mid-1890s, they left their mark in the use of charming English place-names—and some of their own surnames—for the neighborhood’s streets.

As always, Anderson, architectural historian and longtime SAP resident, will share her expertise. All are welcome. Presentations remain free, but donations help off-set program costs (live and online tip jars available).

Anyone unable to attend in person can watch the presentation live online, with a recording available for one week after May 12 on the SAPLC YouTube channel at bit.ly/Sap-history. The channel can also be accessed from saplc.org via the Worship tab and livestream link.

Mary Mergenthal is a former editor of the Bugle and lives in St. Anthony Park.