The Fabulous Fashion of Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser

Miss Frances Maud Moon (1876-1965) was married to second-generation lumber baron Charles A. Weyerhaeuser (1866-1930) in Duluth, Minnesota on December 14, 1898. The newlywed couple made Little Falls their home until 1921. While Maud Moon lived in Morrison County, she took great interest in community involvement, especially regarding the arts and women’s interest clubs.

The Musical Arts Club was established in 1911 to “…advance the interests and promote the culture of musical art in Little Falls,” and in 1919 Maud Moon wanted to leave a gift to the city of Little Falls before moving to St. Paul, as well as giving the Musical Arts Club a permanent home. She decided to donate an elaborate performance hall, built for her by her husband in the second story of what was the Morrison County Lumber Company’s building at the corner of 1^st Street and 1^st Avenue NE, Little Falls, which is now home to the offices of Kevin J. Anderson Architect Inc. After 1950, the space was no longer used by the Musical Arts Club and became the location of KLTF radio for a time. In 2002, Kevin Anderson purchased the property and restored the stage. A full article on the restoration can be found here: Architect Restores Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Hall.

The staff at The Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum thought it would be fitting to photograph a few of Maud Moon’s dresses and costumes in a setting where they may have been worn: Maud Moon Hall. The following photos are a result of that photography session. We would like to thank Kevin Anderson for allowing us to use this space.

Pink: dress designed by H. J. English and Hildur (Hilda) S. Bjorklund circa 1900 White: two-piece ensemble designed by Hatrix J. English, St. Paul, MN 1889-1898

Back of two-piece ensemble designed by Hatrix J. English, St. Paul, MN 1889-1898

Costumes: Blue: unknown date Multicolored with hat: designed by Mme. F. Katz, New York, New York circa 1930

Costume designed by Mme. F. Katz, New York, New York circa 1930

Red ensemble: designed by Jessie Franklin Turner, New York circa 1940 Fuchsia dress: designer and date unknown

Collection of Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser’s costumes and clothing circa 1930-1940

In a shocking and exciting discovery, the Morrison County Historical Society came to realize the collection included eight designs by a prominent early 20^th-century American fashion designer based in New York City, Jessie Franklin Turner (1881- 1956). Jessie Franklin Turner was an active fashion designer and dressmaker from at least 1922 until her retirement in 1942, Maud Moon would have been aged 46 to 66 and living in St. Paul, Minnesota at this time. The following photos were taken in the R.D. Musser Library at the Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum.

Black: drop waist dress circa 1920 Floral: designed by Jessie Franklin Turner, New York circa 1925

Floral gown designed by Jessie Franklin Turner, New York circa 1925

Brown dress designed by Snapp circa 1940

An in-house exhibit of a larger collection of Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser’s costumes and clothing will be on display beginning in May at the Charles A. Weyerhaeuser Memorial Museum.

Researched and written by: Sylvia M. Sandstrom, Collections Assistant

Source: The Fabulous Fashion of Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser. Morrison County Historical Society Newsletter. 2023; vol. 36 (issue no. 2): p. 1,6.

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