Downtown Historic District

Temperance HotelTen thousand years ago glacial River Warren flowed through the Minnesota River Valley on which Carver is situated, carrying melt water away from retreating glaciers and leaving rich deposits of clay, sand, gravel, and fine silt soils, while cutting a deep and spectacular landscape. The River Warren was variously called the Riviere Pierre, the St. Peter River, Maddepaw, Menesotar, and finally the Minnesota River. Minnesota, a Dakota Indian name given to both the river and the state, means "sky tinted water".

In 1980 the old town of Carver became one of the first historic districts in Minnesota to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Carver Historic District included eighty-seven buildings and four structures of historical significance from 1850 to 1925, with respect to early river town settlement, commerce, dwelling places, and architecture. On October 26, 2005 Carver attained Certified Local Government status by the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. In the summer of 2007 the White House proclaimed Historic Carver a Preserve America Community, the eighth to be so named in Minnesota.

Carver Historic District SignDirections to the Carver Historic District

From the North

  • Take CSAH 11 South/Jonathan Carver Parkway 
  • Turn left on 6th Street West
  • Turn right on Broadway

From the East

  • Take US Highway 212 West
  • Take the Jonathan Carver Pkwy/CSAH 11 South Exit
  • Take a left on Jonathan Carver Parkway
  • Turn left on 6th Street West
  • Turn right on Broadway

From the West

  • Take US Highway 212 East
  • Take the Jonathan Carver Parkway Exit toward CSAH 11
  • Take a right on Jonathan Carver Parkway
  • Turn left on 6th Street West
  • Turn right on Broadway

From the South

  • Take CSAH 11 North/Jonathan Carver Parkway
  • Turn right on CSAH 40 (Main Street West)

Historic District Photos

View the Historic District Photo Gallery.