Trimborn Farm
Encyclopedia
Trimborn Farm is a Victorian era
estate located in Greendale, Wisconsin
and owned by Milwaukee County. 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.
production business which covered ten acres (25 ha) on site. Kier left soon after, but Werner and his family continued on to become one of the largest producers of high quality lime in Wisconsin. At its height in the 1870s, the business held over 500 acres (1.2 km²; 1200 ha) of land and employed nearly 40 people.
With the 1900s came a drastic change in building materials, including the introduction of Portland cement
. The estate was soon subdivided and sold off, with much of it going to the Theodore Vollmer family for use in dairy farming.
In 1919, the Froemming family purchased a large tract of land to build greenhouses on, a portion of which was later donated to Whitnall Park.
In 1935, the farm, along with 3,400 acres (8.4 km²; 8400 ha) of surrounding land, was purchased by the federal government as part of a planned agricultural community known as the Greendale Project. It is now the village of Greendale, Wisconsin
.
After the Great Depression
, the remaining farmland passed into private ownership, where it became home to crop dusters and a riding stable.
, a variety of community events and activities are scheduled year-round.
Property highlights include:
Also part of the farm complex is the neighboring Jeremiah Curtin House
, which is a unique stone house that was the boyhood home of noted American linguist and folklorist Jeremiah Curtin
; it was later sold to the Trimborn family.
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
estate located in Greendale, Wisconsin
Greendale, Wisconsin
Greendale is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,405 at the 2000 census.-History:Greendale was settled in 1938 as a public cooperative community in the New Deal Era...
and owned by Milwaukee County. Spanning 7.5 acres (18.5 hectares) and nine buildings, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The farm is also a State Historic Site and designated Milwaukee County Landmark.
History
In 1851, Werner Trimborn and Jacob Kier purchased an existing limeLime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
production business which covered ten acres (25 ha) on site. Kier left soon after, but Werner and his family continued on to become one of the largest producers of high quality lime in Wisconsin. At its height in the 1870s, the business held over 500 acres (1.2 km²; 1200 ha) of land and employed nearly 40 people.
With the 1900s came a drastic change in building materials, including the introduction of Portland cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
. The estate was soon subdivided and sold off, with much of it going to the Theodore Vollmer family for use in dairy farming.
In 1919, the Froemming family purchased a large tract of land to build greenhouses on, a portion of which was later donated to Whitnall Park.
In 1935, the farm, along with 3,400 acres (8.4 km²; 8400 ha) of surrounding land, was purchased by the federal government as part of a planned agricultural community known as the Greendale Project. It is now the village of Greendale, Wisconsin
Greendale, Wisconsin
Greendale is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,405 at the 2000 census.-History:Greendale was settled in 1938 as a public cooperative community in the New Deal Era...
.
After the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the remaining farmland passed into private ownership, where it became home to crop dusters and a riding stable.
Attractions
The nine historic buildings and land which remain are part of the Milwaukee County Parks System. With the assistance of the Milwaukee County Historical SocietyMilwaukee County Historical Society
The Milwaukee County Historical is the largest of a network of local historical societies in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1935 and is located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a former bank building that was deeded to the county in the 1960s...
, a variety of community events and activities are scheduled year-round.
Property highlights include:
- Farmhouse — Constructed in Greek Revival styleGreek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
during the 1850s using Cream City brickCream City brickCream 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...
, a distinctive, light colored brick made locally. - Granary — Built in the 1850s using a technique on the interior called brick nogBrick nogBrick nog is a construction technique in which one width of bricks is used to fill the vacancies in a wooden frame. The walls then may be covered with tile or weatherboards or rendered....
gin to protect against air infiltration. This building functioned as a bunkhouse and granaryGranaryA granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
. - Lime Kilns — In the 1840s and 1850s four lime kilns were constructed to heat limestone taken from the nearby quarry and turn it in to lime powder.
- Stone Barn — Beginning in 1858 it was built in three phases, using limestone from the quarry. Two concrete silos were added in 1920.
- Threshing Barn — Built in 1858, using vertical board and batten siding. The barn was used to store grain and house animals.
Also part of the farm complex is the neighboring Jeremiah Curtin House
Jeremiah Curtin House
The Jeremiah Curtin House is a unique stone building built in 1846. It was the boyhood home of noted American linguist and folklorist Jeremiah Curtin 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...
, which is a unique stone house that was the boyhood home of noted American linguist and folklorist Jeremiah Curtin
Jeremiah Curtin
Jeremiah Curtin was an American translator and folklorist.-Life:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Curtin spent his early life in Milwaukee County and later graduated from Harvard College in 1863. In 1864 he went to Russia, where he worked as both a translator and for the U.S. legation...
; it was later sold to the Trimborn family.