From: "Seymour, Janet I - WHS" <Janet.Seymour@wisconsinhistory.org> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:23:34 -0500 Subject: List Serve FW: Chase Stone Barn Press Release Message-ID: <488E289A5C909049B0E55F6B651B5B35019EF36BE3D1@MEWMAD0PC01G02.accounts.wistate.us>
Press Release: For Immediate Release
For more information and photos, please visit www.townofchase.org<http://ww
w.townofchase.org/>.
Contact Information:
Submitted by Nancy Schumm-Burgess
(847) 975-8391 / nburg719@aol.com
Small Town Seeks Help to Preserve Historic Chase Stone Barn
The Town of Chase is reaching far and wide for help to preserve a cornersto
ne of Wisconsin’s history. The Chase Stone Barn is one of the last survi
ving all-fieldstone barns in the country. Once restored it will be part of
a historic park and will be used as a venue for events, including educatio
nal workshops for historic preservation, and will also include a museum ins
ide the stable area.
The town needs to raise a total of $430,000 for the preservation of the bar
n. In 2009, the town received a challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Fo
undation of Janesville, Wisconsin. If the town can raise $287,000 by June
30, 2012, then the Foundation will grant the remaining $143,000 to reach th
eir goal.
The story of the Stone Barn began in 1867 when Daniel Krause emigrated to t
he U.S. from Germany to settle in the Town of Chase. Settlement was happen
ing rapidly as farmers sought newly-cleared farm land which was being sold
dirt cheap. In 1876 Daniel Krause, Jr., married and took over running his
father’s farm. Daniel and his wife had nine children. They were a very h
ard working and innovative family which, in addition to farming, owned and
operated a saw mill in nearby Sobieski and co-owned Krause and Krause Sales
and Service; a farm implement dealership. They were also great hunters and
loggers and made their own tasty maple syrup.
In 1903, Krause enlisted the help of a local stonemason, Wilhelm Mensenkamp
, to use local fieldstones to design a barn that would withstand the test o
f time. With unusual flair and in a style that harkens back to the great gr
anaries of Europe, a stone barn like no other was erected that was so magni
ficent that it became an icon on Wisconsin’s scenic landscape.
Krause sold his farm in 1920, and between then and 1954, there were 11 addi
tional owners of the barn, including one of the most famous physician/surge
ons in Wisconsin, Dr. John R Minahan.
The stone barn was nearly lost in the early 1990’s when one of the 100’
long by 2 ft thick stone walls began to lean outward causing numerous crac
ks throughout the structure which threatened its integrity. When a small t
ornado blew off part of the roof, owner’s Casey and Stanley Frysh hired T
he Building Doctor to repair the damage and pull back the massive wall.
With the efforts of the Pulaski Area Historical Society, the barn was place
d on the State and National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The barn
was later purchased by a local developer who agreed to sell the barn to the
town in 2007 so they could protect it because he believed it was the right
thing to do.
The Chase Stone Barn is a link to Wisconsin’s past which is fast disappea
ring. It is one of only 550 farms remaining in Oconto County of the origin
al 3,300; and this is typical of almost every county in Wisconsin. Its str
ength and perseverance to survive represents the hard working men and women
that helped build this country.
Like Daniel Krause, the Town of Chase has a dream — to restore and preser
ve the stone barn and build around it a historic park that will stand as a
legacy to one man’s vision and a testament to Wisconsin’s rich history
so that people everywhere can enjoy it for generations to come.
The rural Town of Chase would appreciate your help to make this historic pa
rk a reality. To make a tax-deductible donation, please make your check pa
yable to Town of Chase and memo Stone Barn Park Fund. Mail to Jeanne Wrobl
eweski, Town Clerk, 7793 Cty Rd S, Sobieski, WI 54171. For more information
and photos, please visit www.townofchase.org<http://www.townofchase.org/>.