The Upstairs Bedroom: Marianne Daimond Brosious (1874 – 1961)

This large upstairs bedroom was rented by Marianne Connelly Diamond Brosious, a 72-year-old widow, in January 1947.

Born in Stillwater in 1874 and later a milliner and a trimmer for Annnette Simmons Ladies Fashions in St. Paul, Marianne would marry Mel Brosious, a farmer, in 1906.

Upon Marianne’s move – after Mel’s death – she placed an ad in the White Bear Press, dated January 10, 1947, stating “Mrs. M. A. Brosious has rented her home on Stillwater Road and for the next few months will be at the home of Miss Helen Fillebrown” … she would stay for fifteen years!

The room features Renaissance Revival furnishings and pays tribute to Marianne’s fashion interests, including a photo of her daughter-in-law in a wedding dress from 1869, which the WBLAHS holds but cannot display due to its fragility.

Fun Fact: white wedding dresses did not become popular until after the 1890s! Women would make a dress for “best” wear and white wasn’t practical.