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Small Town Seeks Help to Preserve Historic Chase Stone Barn |
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Press Release: For Immediate Release 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 cornerstone of Wisconsin’s history. The Chase Stone Barn is one of the last surviving 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 educational workshops for historic preservation, and will also include a museum inside the stable area. The town needs to raise a total of $430,000 for the preservation of the barn. In 2009, the town received a challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation 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 their goal. The story of the Stone Barn began in 1867 when Daniel Krause emigrated to the U.S. from Germany to settle in the Town of Chase. Settlement was happening 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 hard 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 of time. With unusual flair and in a style that harkens back to the great granaries of Europe, a stone barn like no other was erected that was so magnificent that it became an icon on Wisconsin’s scenic landscape.
Krause sold his farm in 1920, and between then and 1954, there were 11 additional owners of the barn, including one of the most famous physician/surgeons 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 cracks throughout the structure which threatened its integrity. When a small tornado blew off part of the roof, owner’s Casey and Stanley Frysh hired The Building Doctor to repair the damage and pull back the massive wall. With the efforts of the Pulaski Area Historical Society, the barn was placed 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 disappearing. It is one of only 550 farms remaining in Oconto County of the original 3,300; and this is typical of almost every county in Wisconsin. Its strength 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 preserve 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 park a reality. To make a tax-deductible donation, please make your check payable to Town of Chase and memo Stone Barn Park Fund. Mail to Jeanne Wrobleweski, Town Clerk, 7793 Cty Rd S, Sobieski, WI 54171. For more information and photos, please visit www.townofchase.org.
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