A.P. & Lydia Anderson Guided Walking Tour with Robert Hedin

REGISTER NOW

Join Robert Hedin for a one hour guided outdoor walking tour of the Tower View Estate exploring the remarkable life of Dr. Alexander Pierce Anderson (A.P.) and his wife Lydia on Saturday, August 22 at 1:00 p.m. In addition to being a co-founder of the Anderson Center, along with his wife Carolyn, Robert is also the grandson of A.P. and Lydia Anderson. Register now as space is limited in order to ensure physical distancing. A second tour is also being offered earlier the same day at 11:00 a.m. Tour groups meet in front of Tower View Barn 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the tour.

A.P. Anderson was a farmer, scientist, botanist, educator and inventor. Born in rural Goodhue County, he went on to study plant science and created the process for making puffed wheat and puffed rice. This new product was introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair in Saint Louis, and the technology was sold to Quaker Oats. In 1915, Dr. and Mrs. Anderson decided to move their young family back to the western edge of Red Wing, Minnesota. They began construction on Tower View, which served as their family home, working farm, and A.P.’s research laboratory.

A.P. was also a polymath, a curious and creative person who was interested in and good at many things. Lydia was a devoted and capable partner who worked alongside A.P. to manage their household. She loved to read and enjoyed the arts. Robert will share both the formal history of A.P. and Lydia’s lives and lesser-known family anecdotes that paint a vivid picture of what it was like for the Anderson children to grow up. Join him for this definitive tour of Tower View’s defining history and family.

Robert Hedin was born and raised in Red Wing and educated at Luther College and the University of Alaska. The recipient of many honors and awards for his work, he is the author, translator, and editor of more than two-dozen books of poetry and prose. He is co-founder (with his wife, Carolyn) and former director of the Anderson Center and served as editor of the literary journal, Great River Review, from 1997-2015. He has taught at the University of Alaska, St. Olaf College, and Wake Forest University, where he was poet-in-residence from 1980-1992. In 2001-2002, he served as the Edelstein-Keller Writer of Distinction at the University of Minnesota, a special chair in the Program of Creative Writing. In 2013, he was honored with the Kay Sexton Award for his lifetime contributions to the literary community of Minnesota.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Thanks to this funding, the Anderson Center is able to offer tickets on a pay-what-you-can basis. All ticket sales will go to support work offering artistic programming in the Red Wing community.

The use of face masks is strongly encouraged! ASL interpretation is available upon request. To request interpretation, please contact Stephanie at stephanie@andersoncenter.org or 651-388-2009 at least two weeks prior to the event. Tour guides will be using a personal portable voice amplifier. While steps can be avoided on the tour, be advised that the tour route takes participants off paved trails and across uneven ground. If the weather is severe or there is heavy rain, the Anderson Center will announce cancellations prior to the tour’s departure via e-mail and social media.