Thorstein Veblen Farmstead

The Thorstein Veblen Farmstead is a National Historic Landmark near Nerstrand in Rice County, Minnesota, preserving the boyhood home of economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen, author of The Theory of the Leisure Class. The 10-acre property includes a two-story Greek Revival frame house, a granary, a barn with milking shed, and a chicken coop, built by Veblen's father Thomas Veblen between 1867 and 1870; the family farmed there until selling the property in 1893. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1981, and is now held under a preservation easement by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.