Colson House

John Fabian "Foby" Colson built this Queen Anne style home in 1882 for his bride, Anna Johnson Colson, whom he married on January 17, 1883. John F. Colson was the eldest son of Swedish shoemaker John Colson, who moved from Sweden to St. Charles in August of 1853 when John F. was seven months old.

John F. Colson became a successful St. Charles  businessman, serving first as a clerk for Lorenzo Ward, then as an employee of Charles Anderson, owner of Anderson's Dry Goods. After several years, he worked his way up to the level of partner in the Anderson Dry Goods business. Following Charles Anderson's death in 1886, Colson took over the entire business and renamed it Colson's Department Store.

The house remained in the Colson family until the 1950s when the Skar family purchased the residence. In 1987, Bill and Judy Schultz bought it and began renovations . For many years, the former Colson house served as a bed and breakfast inn called the Charleston Guest House. Keith Kranz opened his American Black Forest Clocks shop in the Colson House in December of 2006, and operated there for several years before moving the business to 1108 W. Main Street.