Property Record
305 E 4TH ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | A. C . PROBERT HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 1473 |
| Location (Address): | 305 E 4TH ST |
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| County: | Bayfield |
| City: | Washburn |
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| Year Built: | 1887 |
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| Additions: | C. 1910 |
| Survey Date: | 2008 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | WOOD BELT COURSES, BROWNSTONE FOUNDATION. PROBERT WAS THE FOUNDER OF WASHBURN STATE BANK AND WAS LATER CONVICTED OF FRAUD. MAIN BLOCK BUILT IN 1887 AND AN ADDITION WAS SUPPOSEDLY ADDED TO THE REAR CORNER CA.1910. HOWEVER, THE HOUSE IS SHOWN ON THE 1896 BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF WASHBURN SUBSTANTIALLY AS IT IS TODAY SO THE ADDITION MAY ACTUALLY PREDATE 1896. The Probert house retains two rare fixtures once common in our world. A brownstone hitching post in front of the house served as a place to secure a horse. A few feet away, a brownstone carriage block made it easier to climb into a wagon or carriage, or for a woman to mount sidesaddle on a horse. Originally home to A.C. Probert, who started the Bank of Washburn, was President of Washburn Businessmen's Association, Manager of the Bay Land & Improvement Company, President of the School Board, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Chairman of the Town of Washburn, and President of the Banks of Washburn, Shell Lake, and Prescott. He was also one of the men who spearheaded moving the county seat from Bayfield to Washburn. Convicted in 1896 of "illegal banking" (embezzlement), he spent several years in the penitentiary in Waupun, Wisconsin. Apparently, his wife was not too disturbed as she reportedly threw a large party shortly after his imprisonment. His career continued in other parts of the country, and he was last heard of around 1915 when he was again convicted of embezzlement and was serving time in New Mexico. |
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| Bibliographic References: | SANBORN-PERRIS FIRE INSURANCE MAPS OF WASHBURN, 1918. CITY OF WASHBURN REAL ESTATE TAX ASSESSMENT ROLLS. Washburn Heritage Preservation Association. Wood, Stone, and Water: Washburn Walking Tour. Bayfield: Roslyn Nelson, 2005, PP. 34-35. DATE AND NAME ON CARRIAGE BLOCK IN FRONT OF HOUSE. WASHBURN NEWS: OCT. 1, 1887, P. 1; DEC. 24, 1887, P. 1. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |