Nininger, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
This article is about the ghost town. For the township, see Nininger Township, Dakota County, Minnesota
Nininger is a ghost town
in section 18 of Nininger Township
in Dakota County
, Minnesota
, United States
.
. Nininger had high hopes for his namesake city to become state capital, and indeed its population did reach nearly 1,000 by the spring of 1858. The city did not flourish, however, and its post office was discontinued in 1889 after 33 years of operation. Today little trace of the original city remains, although two plaques describe Good Templars Hall
and Ignatius L. Donnelly's home.
The most famous resident of Nininger was author Ignatius Donnelly
, who was sometimes called "The Sage of Nininger".
Nininger is a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in section 18 of Nininger Township
Nininger Township, Minnesota
This article is about the township. For the ghost town of the same name, see Nininger, MinnesotaNininger Township is a township in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 865 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in Dakota County
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The city of Nininger was founded and named by John Nininger, brother in-law of territorial and state Governor Alexander RamseyAlexander Ramsey
Alexander Ramsey was an American politician. He was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Alexander Ramsey was elected from Pennsylvania as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 28th and 29th congresses from March 4, 1843 to March 4, 1847...
. Nininger had high hopes for his namesake city to become state capital, and indeed its population did reach nearly 1,000 by the spring of 1858. The city did not flourish, however, and its post office was discontinued in 1889 after 33 years of operation. Today little trace of the original city remains, although two plaques describe Good Templars Hall
Good Templars Hall
The Good Templars Hall is a Greek Revival style public building, that was built in 1858 in Nininger in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Nininger Chapter of the Independent Order of Good Templars, a temperance group built the two-story hall to have a place in which to not drink...
and Ignatius L. Donnelly's home.
The most famous resident of Nininger was author Ignatius Donnelly
Ignatius Donnelly
Ignatius Loyola Donnelly was a U.S. Congressman, populist writer and amateur scientist, known primarily now for his theories concerning Atlantis, Catastrophism , and Shakespearean authorship, all of which modern historians consider to be pseudoscience and pseudohistory...
, who was sometimes called "The Sage of Nininger".