Axe Murder in Amherst

In the quiet farmland of Amherst Township, a shocking act shattered a family and sent ripples through Fillmore County history. Peter Erickson was killed in his own home—struck repeatedly with an axe by his wife, Inga.

Behind the headlines was a deeper story of isolation, untreated illness, and a family tragedy that still lingers.

In this episode, Lenora and Preston revisit the story through period newspapers and institutional records, examining how mental illness was understood in the late 19th century—and how this case reflects both the hardships and the silences of rural life in that era.

📚 Sources Referenced

https://livingwithschizophreniauk.org/information-sheets/schizophrenia-a-brief-history/#:~:text=Whilst%20they%20were%20good%20at,of%20life%20for%20many%20sufferers.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2657829/

https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/structure/rochester-state-hospital?hs_amp=true

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49507-3

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137738680/inga_bendiksdatter-erickson

The Preston Republican, April 13, 1876

The Lanesboro Journal, April 15, 1876

FindaGrave.com

Inga Erickson Rochester State Hospital Medical Record March 15, 1881-March 12, 1885

History of Fillmore County, 1882

Ancestry.com

FamilySearch.com