This article relies largely or entirely on a single source . (October 2019) |
Kilbourn Avenue facade of the Milwaukee County Historical Society | |
Established | 1935 |
---|---|
Location | 910 North Old World Third Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 |
Type | History Museum & Research Center |
Director | Mame Croze McCully |
Website | https://milwaukeehistory.net/ |
The Milwaukee County Historical Society, also known as MCHS, is a local historical society in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Founded in 1935, the organization was formed to preserve, collect, recognize, and make available materials related to Milwaukee County history. It is located in downtown Milwaukee in the former Second Ward Savings Bank building. [1]
MCHS houses the Harry H. Anderson Research Library and a museum. The library collects and preserves manuscripts, records, photographs, and family history information. The museum preserves three-dimensional artifacts related to Milwaukee County history, including paintings, ribbons, uniforms, flags, furniture, and china in a collection of over 20,000 items.
In addition to the main museum and research library, the MCHS owns three historic house museums and one historic site: the Lowell Damon House in Wauwatosa; the Kilbourntown House in Estabrook Park; and the Jeremiah Curtin House and Trimborn Farm in Greendale.
The Benjamin Church House (also known as Kilbourntown House), a wood and brick residence, was built during 1843–1844 by a pioneer carpenter of that name in Kilbourntown, a settlement on the west side of the Milwaukee River. In 1846, Kilbourntown merged with Juneautown on the east side of the river and Walker's Point to the south to create Milwaukee, today the largest city in Wisconsin.
The house, located on Fourth Street between West Cherry and West Galena Streets, was constructed in Greek Revival style architecture with four front columns and symmetry of floor plan. This style was also known as Greek temple or national style.
In the 1930s, the house was recognized as having historical value worthy of rescue, with local Cream City brick and hand-hewn timbers among its distinctive features. In 1972, the Benjamin Church House was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Trimborn Farm is a Victorian era estate located in Greendale, Wisconsin. Spanning 7.5 acres (18.5 hectares) and nine buildings, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm is also a State Historic Site and designated Milwaukee County Landmark.
Property highlights include:
The Jeremiah Curtin House is an unusual stone building built in 1846. The boyhood home of noted American linguist and folklorist Jeremiah Curtin, it was later sold to the Trimborn family and has remained part of the Trimborn estate ever since. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Lowell Damon House is the oldest in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It was built by Oliver Lowell, who came to Wauwatosa from New Hampshire, and his son-in-law, Jonathon Wainwright. Lowell Damon, Oliver's son, added on to the house in 1846.
The MCHS hosts events throughout the year, including educational programs, fundraisers, and a Civil War reenactment and an arts and crafts fair at Trimborn Farm. The MCHS celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010 with a series of events and online exhibits.
In 2012, the Milwaukee County Historical Society unveiled a historical blog, titled MKE Memoirs, to chronicle events and exhibits held at MCHS and to share stories from its archives and collections.
The building underwent renovation to accommodate the film, Public Enemies . The ceilings and floors were restored on the main and upper levels. In 2012, a piece of the building broke off and fell onto the street below. Protective guards were placed around the building to protect pedestrians while Milwaukee County decided how to properly and safely restore the facade.[ needs update ]
The building that houses the MCHS celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 3, 2013.
A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain. As a result, the term barn is often qualified e.g. tobacco barn, dairy barn, cow house, sheep barn, potato barn. In the British Isles, the term barn is restricted mainly to storage structures for unthreshed cereals and fodder, the terms byre or shippon being applied to cow shelters, whereas horses are kept in buildings known as stables. In mainland Europe, however, barns were often part of integrated structures known as byre-dwellings. In addition, barns may be used for equipment storage, as a covered workplace, and for activities such as threshing.
Greendale is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,046 at the 2010 census. Greendale is located southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
Wauwatosa is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 46,396 at the 2010 census. Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It is named after the Potawatomi Chief Wauwataesie and the Potawatomi word for firefly.
Trimborn Farm is a Victorian era estate located in Greendale, Wisconsin and owned by Milwaukee County. Spanning 7.5 acres and nine buildings, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm is also a State Historic Site and designated Milwaukee County Landmark.
The Jeremiah Curtin House is a stone building built in 1846. It was the boyhood home of noted American linguist and folklorist Jeremiah Curtin (1840-1906) and is part of the Trimborn Farm estate in Greendale, Wisconsin. The house is owned by the Milwaukee County Historical Society and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan. These bricks were one of the most common building materials used in Milwaukee during the mid and late 19th century, giving the city the nickname "Cream City" and the bricks the name "Cream City bricks".
The Benjamin Church House, a modestly sized Temple-style Greek Revival home, was built in 1843–1844 by a pioneer carpenter of that name in Kilbourntown, a settlement on the west side of the Milwaukee River. In 1846, Kilbourntown merged with Juneautown on the east side of the river and Walker's Point to the south to create Milwaukee, today the largest city in Wisconsin. The house is thought to be Milwaukee's earliest surviving home.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a history of over 160 years of immigration, politics, and industry, which have given it a distinctive heritage.
The Cowell Lime Works, in Santa Cruz, California, was a manufacturing complex that quarried limestone, produced lime and other limestone products, and manufactured wood barrels for transporting the finished lime. Part of its area is preserved as the Cowell Lime Works Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. In addition to the four lime kilns, cooperage and other features relating to lime manufacture, the Historic District also includes other structures associated with the Cowell Ranch, including barns, a blacksmith shop, ranch house, cook house and workers' cabins. The 32-acre Historic District is located within the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, to either side of the main campus entrance.
Schoonmaker Reef, also known as Wauwatosa Reef, Schoonmaker Quarry, Raphu Station or Francey Reef is a 425 million year-old fossilized reef in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It was discovered in 1844 by Increase A. Lapham and Fisk Day on the site of a quarry owned by the Schoonmaker family. Geologist James Hall declared its significance in 1862. It was the first ancient reef described in North America, and among the first described in the world. It is located North of W. State St., between N. 66th St. and N. 64th St. extended, in Wauwatosa. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.
Harris Farm is a historic home and farm complex located at Walkersville, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The main house was built in 1855, and is a three-story center plan house in predominantly late Greek Revival syle, with some Italianate elements. The agricultural complex consists of a bank barn with an attached granary; a second frame barn that shares an animal yard with the bank barn; a row of frame outbuildings including a converted garage, a workshop, and a chicken house. There is also a drive-through double corn crib; and a frame pig pen from 1914. The 20th-century buildings consist of a frame poultry house, a dairy barn with milk house and two silos, and an octagonal chicken coop. A lime kiln is located on the edge of the property. The property is preserved as part of the Walkersville Heritage Farm Park.
Peter Houghtaling Farm and Lime Kiln is a national historic district located at West Coxsackie in Greene County, New York. The district contains eight contributing buildings, one contributing site, and two contributing structures. The property includes a 1794 stone house, a well and smokehouse dated to about 1794, a 19th-century privy, three 19th-century barns, an early 20th-century equipment barn and chicken coop, and 19th-century burial ground. The lime kiln is constructed of battered walls of mortared rubble limestone. It was built between 1850 and 1880.
The Lowell Damon House is a historic house located at 2107 Wauwatosa Avenue in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin built from 1844 to 1846, displaying a design unusual for Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.
The Kneeland-Walker House is a 3-story mansion built in 1890 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, styled Queen Anne with Shingle style influence. Still largely intact, and possibly the finest example of Queen Anne architecture in Wauwatosa, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Levan Farm, also known as the Issac Levan Tract and Jacob Levan Farm, is a historic house and farm complex located in Exeter Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The house was built in 1837, and is a two-story, five bay by two bay, stone dwelling in the Georgian style. It is built of fieldstone with light colored and red sandstone quoins. It has a later 1 1/2-story rear addition. Also on the property are a stone and wood frame bank barn, spring house, lime kilns, granary, corn crib, and wagon shed. The Levan Farm was established by Isaac Levan about 1730 on a land grant from William Penn.
Daniel Nelson House and Barn, also known as the Nelson Pioneer Farm and Museum, are historic buildings located north of Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. Daniel and Margaret Nelson settled here in 1844, a year after this part of Iowa was opened to settlement by the U.S. Government. Their first home was a log structure, non-extant, located northeast of the present house. The present house is a two-story, brick structure with a gable roof. The wooden porches on the front and back of the house date from 1898 to 1900. The large barn measures 61 by 46 feet, and was built in 1856. It is composed of board and batten construction from oak that was milled on the site. It was used largely as a granary, rather than a shelter for farm animals. Three other buildings included in the historic designation include the summer kitchen, woodshed, and a small outdoor privy. The dates of construction for the three frame buildings is unknown. The farm remained in the Nelson family until 1941 when it was abandoned with most of the original furnishings intact. The property was donated to the Mahaska County Historical Society, which now operates it as a museum. Other historic buildings have been moved to this location over the years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Hurstville Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located north of Maquoketa, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. At the time of its nomination it included three areas: the former lime manufacturing works, a farmstead, and the townsite. All that remains are the four kilns, and an old warehouse. Both the townsite, which was across the road and to the southwest, and the farmstead, which was behind the kilns to the south, are gone. Also gone are the remaining company buildings, with the exception of the old warehouse, which were across the road to the west. The houses in the townsite were side-gable cottages. Many lacked indoor plumbing into the 1970s and were vacant. The farmstead included 20 structures devoted to domestic or agricultural use. Two large barns were the most notable structures. The farm served the needs of the town. The most significant structures in the district were the lime kilns.
Elizabeth Ann or Anne Plankinton was an American philanthropist in the early 20th century, the daughter of Milwaukee businessman John Plankinton. She was also known as "Miss Lizzie" and the people of Milwaukee called Plankinton the "municipal patroness" because of her generosity. She made a large donation that built the first YWCA in Milwaukee. She also purchased an elaborate large-scale pipe organ for the newly constructed city auditorium.
The Carstens Farmstead is a collection of historic buildings located south of Shelby, Iowa, United States. Johan Carstens was a German immigrant who spent eight years living and working in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Davenport, Iowa before settling in Pottawattamie County in 1871, where he established this farm. He bought 160 acres (65 ha) of land from the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and continued to farm it until he and his wife retired in 1905. The farm remained in the Carstens family until 1977, when the last of the 80 acres (32 ha) was donated to the Pottawattamie County Historical Society. The farm buildings include: the original farmhouse (1872), the 1888 farmhouse with the summer kitchen, an outhouse, garage (1917), granary (1898), horse and dairy barn (1886), beef cattle barn (1903), beef cattle barn (1917), forge and workshop, windmill (1916), feed shed (1919), hog house (1919), poultry house, machine shed (1920), the cob house (1926), and a corn crib (1930). The buildings were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.