Property Record
8785 STATE HIGHWAY 19
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | John Guenther House |
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| Other Name: | Former George Cutler property |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 4902 |
| Location (Address): | 8785 STATE HIGHWAY 19 |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Berry |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 8 |
| Range: | 7 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 9 |
| Quarter Section: | NE |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | NW |
| Year Built: | 1865 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20022012 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Gabled Ell |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. STONE LINTELS. LOG HOG BARN THAT WAS EXTANT IN 1977 HAS SINCE BEEN DEMOLISHED. HOUSE IS IN ROUGH BUT VERY ORIGINAL CONDITION AND CATSLIDE ROOF ON ELL EXTENSION IS UNUSUAL AND IS ASSOCIATED MOST CLOSELY WITH SETTLERS OF GERMAN ORIGIN. GEORGE CUTLER, THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY IN 1861, WAS A NATIVE OF ENGLAND WHO CAME TO MAZOMANIE ABOUT 1850. HE WAS A TRUSTEE OF THE BRITISH TEMPERANCE EMIGRATION SOCIETY AND HE WAS SENT HERE TO CLOSE OUT THE AFFAIRS OF THE SOCIETY IN THE MAZOMANIE/DOVER AREA. HE LATER BECAME A PROMINENT LOCAL MINISTER AND DIED ABOUT 1890. Resurveyed October 2012; no visible changes. Dane County Tax Rolls indicate that John Guenther was owner of this property beginning in 1865, and between 1865 and 1870, an increase in the assessed value of the property likely indicates that Guenther, a German immigrant, was responsible for the construction of the Gabled Ell stone house. The now non-extant log hog barn may have been the original George Cutler house as log houses were typically constructed by the British Temperance Emigration Society for its members settling in Wisconsin. This 2-story Gabled Ell house was constructed c. 1865. It is irregular in plan with stone walls and asphalt-shingled and metal-clad gable roofs. The front elevation faces north and is asymmetrical in plan with a front-gabled mass comprising the eastern half and a side-gabled mass comprising the western half. The rear slope of the roofline over the side-gabled mass is longer than the front, giving this portion of the building a “saltbox” form. The front-gabled mass contains two 6-over-6 windows at the first story (one of which is covered by a single-pane storm window while the other has been boarded over) and two newer 1-over-1 windows at the second story. The side-gabled mass contains two single doors and a 2-over-2 window, all of which are sheltered by a hipped roof porch with simple wood supports that spans the width of the side-gabled mass. Windows at the east and west elevations are 2-over-2 double hung with small leaded glass windows under the gable. Originally George Cutler and his family lived in a log cabin on the land after 1849. The cabin was constructed by the British Temperance Emigration Society for Cutler who served as a trustee. Cutler sold the land to German immigrants John and Eliza Guenther by 1858 when he moved to Mazomanie. The stone house was likely built between 1865 and 1870 based on property value information. After John Guenther's death in 1895, the farmstead was owned by Louise Hacker until 1899. The farm was purchased by Herman Roelke who remained on the property until around 1920 when when Henry Bram (spelled Brahm in earlier records) purchased the farmstead. Bram came from the Town of Springfield and originally worked as a farm laborer on Peter Walser's farm across the road. Bram married Meta L. Schumann, a sister of Mrs. Anna Walser (nee Schumann) in 1905. The couple had two daughters, Lelah and Violet. Henry and Meta Bram lived on the farmstead until their deaths in 1946 and 1968, respectively. The property is currently owned by the great-grandson of Henry and Meta Bram, although the farmhouse is currently vacant and the outbuildings appear to be longer in use. Other buildings on site include #227516 #227517 #227518 #227519 #227520 #227522 #227523 #227521 |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |