| 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.
1995- "Red brick, Four-Square farmhouse, ca. 1910, hip-roofed cube with porch across the front, one-over-one windows and Doric columns on the enclosed porch.
This farmhouse was built by John Longbotham, who owned much land in the Town of Paris and beyond. He was also a merchant, notary public, realtor, banker and farmer. Longbotham was born in Grant County in 1852, the son of immigrants from Yorkshire, England. In 1880 Longbotham and his sister, Rebecca, became partners in a general mercantile business in Dickeyville. Rebecca Longbotham also was the postmaster at Dickeyville for many years. John Longbotham also engaged in real estate, especially in farm lands in the southwestern part of the state. Early maps of Dickeyville show that at the turn-of-the-century Longbotham owned much of the central area of the village. In 1895 Longbotham listed himself, among other things, as a breeder of Durham, Holstein and Jersey cattle. Longbotham served at least two terms in the state assembly, and also served as town clerk, treasurer and chairman. He organized the Farmer's Bank of Cuba City, of which he served as president, and was also a founder and vice-president of a bank in Stevens Point. Longbotham also belonged to a syndicate that owned extensive holdings in northern Wisconsin. He never married. He owned this farm until after 1924.
Longbotham was probably the epitome and most successful example of the pattern of diversification practiced by farmers in the Town of Paris trying to eke out a living on the poor farmlands there. The Commemorative Biographical Record stated that Longbotham was "one of the wealthy men of his part of the county". The same source concluded about Longbotham that "he is one of the prominent figures in the business world in this part of the State, and sustains a high reputation for honesty and integrity in all his business dealings".
The Longbotham farmhouse is a plain but substantial Four-Square in relatively intact condition on the exterior. John Longbotham was one of the most important people in the Town of Paris and in the Village of Dickeyville. If the interior of this house retains its integrity, the house may have historical significance for its association with Longbotham."
-"USH 151, Dickeyville to Belmont", WisDOT# 1209-02-00, Prepared by Katherine Hundt Rankin (Preservation Consultant) for Rust Environment & Infrastructure Inc, 1995. |
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