Lanesboro was planned with five sections: Downtown, Church Hill, Little Norway, The Flat, and this neighborhood, Brooklyn. Why the name “Brooklyn?” Perhaps it was a nod to town founders from New York who knew a Brooklyn back home. More likely, the Dutch word "breukelen” (or “broken land”) fit because the land between here and downtown had so many small streams running through it that bridges were needed to help people navigate that trip.

Today Lanesboro’s Brooklyn features wide, quiet, tree-lined streets, and a variety of attractive homes, including a collection of Victorian-era mansions. Take a stroll through Brooklyn to find:

· The Scandinavian Inn (701 Kenilworth Avenue, 1892), built by Norwegian immigrant Ole Habberstad, co-owner of the Lanesboro Lumber Company, It has an impressive rooftop gazebo.

· The Habberstad House (706 Fillmore Avenue S., 1890) was built by his Ole’s brother Olaf, early local bank owner.

· In 1893 Issac Vickerman built a family home on the corner of Pleasant St. and Calhoun Ave. that later became Doc Johnson’s Hospital. (A few current Lanesboro residents were born in that house.)

· After Issac’s death, his widow Anna built a similar Queen Anne Victorian two blocks away (507 Fillmore Ave.) in 1908 that became Anna V’s Bed & Breakfast in 1998.

· The Cady Hayes House (500 Calhoun Avenue) was built in 1894 by a retired farmer who donated wooded parkland to Lanesboro.

· The Scanlan House (708 Parkway Ave. S.), built by town founder Michael Scanlan in 1890, collected water from the bluff overlooking it, making it one of the first homes in town with running water.

· The Nelson House (709 Parkway Ave S.). Samuel Nelson was a bank president, city council member, mayor, and Minnesota state senator. He built this home in 1890.

Enjoy Brooklyn in Lanesboro…stroll-worthy in every way!