Hill, Mary Theresa Mehegan (1846–1921)

Mary Theresa Mehegan Hill, wife of railroad builder James J. Hill, lived in St. Paul from her arrival as a young child in 1850 until her death in 1921. She witnessed the city’s evolution from a small settlement on the Mississippi River to an important center of commerce.

Mary Mehegan was born on the Lower East Side of New York City on July 1, 1846. Her parents, Timothy and Mary McGowan Mehegan, were both emigrants from Ireland. Shortly after Mary’s birth, the family moved to Chicago. The Mehegans lived there for three years before moving further west.

Timothy heard accounts of the new Mississippi River settlements in Minnesota Territory and purchased land in St. Anthony. Shortly after the ice was off the river, the family traveled to St. Paul, where they landed on May 21, 1850. Timothy went on to St. Anthony to inspect his purchase. When he discovered the land was poor, he returned to St. Paul and decided to make his home there.

When the Mehegans arrived, St. Paul had just over one thousand inhabitants. Minnesota was eight years away from statehood and the town was already growing rapidly. In 1850 it had all the necessary merchants, land agents and builders, physicians, bankers, and lawyers. It also boasted a historical society, a daily newspaper, and a public school.

The family moved into a new house at Minnesota and Bench Streets, on the cliffs over the Mississippi River. They were close to the Catholic chapel and a small but energetic Irish community. Mary was one of the first pupils enrolled in St. Joseph’s Academy, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1851.

Timothy Mehegan, never financially successful, died suddenly in 1854, leaving his family in desperate circumstances. Mary’s deep Catholic faith and the priests and nuns she was close to helped her during the difficult years that followed.

While still in her teens, Mary worked as a waitress at the Merchant’s Hotel near the levee on Jackson Street. In 1863, she met James Hill, who worked in a steamship forwarding warehouse on the lower levee. The two fell in love, and after their engagement, James provided the funds to enable Mary to attend St. Mary’s Institute in Milwaukee.

After three years at the school, operated by the Sisters of Notre Dame, Mary returned to St. Paul. She and James were married on August 19, 1867, and moved to their first home in Lowertown.

James and Mary had ten children; Mamie, James, Louis, Clara, Katie, Charlotte, Ruth, Rachel, Gertrude, and Walter were born between 1868 and 1885. Katie died in infancy in 1876. Mary was involved in the services and activities of her parish church, St. Mary’s. She nurtured her children and her Catholic faith and enjoyed her Lowertown neighbors and friends. She also performed the duties expected of a woman of her increasing social status: making social calls and entertaining. Those duties grew after the family moved to their mansion on Summit Avenue in 1891.

Mary’s patriotism was strong and something she took great pride in. She was also proud of St. Paul. Every year of her married life, on May 21, Mary had a new front door mat put down to commemorate her 1850 arrival. She often mentioned in her diaries how important that anniversary was to her.

When World War I loomed, Mary invested in Liberty Bonds, donated to the Red Cross and Belgian Relief, and sewed and knitted clothing for America’s soldiers and sailors. After James Hill’s death in 1916, she worked to ensure the James J. Hill Reference Library was completed and endowed. In the last years of her life she generously donated to Catholic educational institutions and charitable groups in the city she loved.

Mary Hill died on November 22, 1921, in St. Paul. She had lived there for seventy-one years—almost her entire life. Her funeral was held at the Cathedral of St. Paul and she was laid to rest at the Hill family farm in North Oaks.