Property Record
634 S 3RD ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | JASPER HUMPHREY AND Captain HENRY W. THOMPSON HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 41962 |
| Location (Address): | 634 S 3RD ST |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1868 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 198819701973 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Rugee |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Walker's Point Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 12/19/1978 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | See Walker's Point File for additional photos. This two story Italianate styled house features a rectangular shaped plan configuration, a limestone foundation, a brick exterior, a limestone trim and an asphalt shingled hip roof. A cupola adorns the roof as does a corbelled brick chimney. The roofline in the front is broken by a rounded arch, which like the cupola, is centered on the facade. The second story windows have panes arranged two-over-two, with projecting lintels and sills. The center window has the most elaborately detailed lintel. The first story windows are taller in height than those of the second story, and are framed by bracketed lintels and stone sills. A small porch is capped by a hipped roof and is supported by flaired posts on wooden bases. The residence is in good condition. Individuals associated with this dwelling include Jasper Humphrey, who was the original owner, and Henry W. Thomson, who was a son-in-law to Humphrey. [A, B, C]. Humphrey and Thomson were both lake captains. 1970: "In May, 1868 Sarah (Mrs. Jasper) Humphrey acquired Lot 9 from Daniel Tainsh for $1,600. In October of the same year she transferred ownership (for $1.00) to her son-in-law Henry W. Thompson; and in May, 1872 she and her husband sold the property again (this time for $5,500) to their daughter Emily (Mrs. Henry W.) Thompson. From 1869 to 1887 both Humphrey and Thompson are listed at this address in city directories. In 1886 Emily Thompson sold the north 30' of Lot 9 (292 Hanover (the previous address for this house)) to her father, and by the next year she and her husband are listed in the Milwaukee City Directory at 296 Hanover (the tiny house on the south 20 feet of Lot 9). After Henry W. Thompson's death c. 1887, his widow remained at 296 Hanover for several years. Meanwhile, in 1891, her father had restored ownership of 292 Hanover to her. Jasper Humphrey died the following year, and thereafter Emily Humphrey Thompson moved back into the home at 292 Hanover, selling the residence at 296 Hanover to her neighbor Christina Sheriffs (of 298 Hanover). In 1900 Mrs. Thompson sold 292 Hanover to Bernard (Bernhard) Amman, who, in 1918, sold it to George and Mary Vida (Vajda, Voida, Wadja). Twenty-two years later ownership passed to Mrs. Poborsky (Pobarski, Poborski). Alterations and Additions (as of 1970): Permit No. 866, September 12, 1900, to build a two-horse barn; J. Armstrong, builder. Permit No. 14388, July 22, 1930, to build a shed. Permit No. 18337, November 19, 1935, to build a two-car garage. Permit No. 5379, April 21, 1937, "to remove present front porch and to construct new open porch at front," William F. Brink & Son, contractor. Permit No. 8360, April 15, 1948, to re-side three sides of the house; Empire Roofing and Siding Co., contractor. Jasper Humphrey was born in Steuben County, New York, on March 15, 1812 and died at his Hanover Street residence on February 2, 1892. Except for the brief period 1869-71 he is listed in the city directories as a "sailor," "marine inspector" and "one of the [city's] (sic) best-known lake men." The newspaper stories mentioned the role he play ed in rescuing passengers and crew of the "Sebastopol," a steamer that ran aground near St. Francis in 1855. And all sources point out that in 1877 and later Humphrey served as Harbor Master of the Port of Milwaukee. He had earlier been elected to two terms as Fifth Ward Alderman (1854 and 1856) and to a single term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1856). According to his biographers, he was a prominent Mason and was instrumental in creating the Fifth Ward Market (Clinton and Florida Streets) and in organizing the South Side Gas Company. Humphrey's daughter Emily and Henry W. Thompson were married in December, 1867, and, as we have seen, the two families shared the home on Hanover from 1869 through 1886. In 1869-71 Humphrey and his son-in-law were proprietors of a wholesale and retail liquor store at 54 Reed Street, but for most of his adult life, Thompson, like Humphrey, was a sailor. In 1869, the Sentinel reports, he was given temporary command of "Ironsides." Two years later he was appointed commander of the "Lac La Belle," the next year of the "City of Fremont." He died c. 1887 at Escanaba, Michigan. The Humphrey-Thompson house closely resembles and is apparently contemporary with the James Sheriffs house at 640 South Third Street (298 Hanover)." |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. TAX ROLLS. B. Deeds. C. City Directory. D. MILWAUKEE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TOUR: WALKER'S POINT (RESIDENTIAL), CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. National Register Nomination Form. Records of Ownership, Records and Research, 509 City hall. "Death of Capt. Jasper Humphrey," Milwaukee Sentinel, February 3, 1892, p. 3. "Married," Milwaukee Sentinel, December 20, 1867, p. 1. "Old Time Passes Away," Milwaukee Journal, February 2, 1892, p. 2. Rascher's Fire Insurance Atlas of the City of Milwaukee, Chicago, 1876, Plate 64. "Veteran Mariner Dead," Evening Wisconsin, February 2, 1892, p. 1. Palmer, Virginia A. and Wietczykowski, Mary Ellen, Walker's Point: Two Walking tours, Milwaukee, 1972, 18, 20. Wietczykowski, Mary Ellen, "Jasper Humphrey-Henry W. Thompson House," Walker's Point Preservation District Inventory prepared for Land Ethics, Inc., Milwaukee, 1970, and sources cited. Historic Walker's Point, Inc., A Guide to Historic Walker's Point, 1978. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |