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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 11736 Fork Rd (AKA SOUTHEAST OF FORK RD CORNER 3/4 N OF M) |
|---|---|
| County | Lafayette |
| City/Village | |
| Township | Wiota |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | 2 |
| Range | 4 |
| Direction | E |
| Section | 11 |
| Quarter Section | NW |
| Quarter Quarter Section | SW |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1850 |
|---|---|
| Additions | |
| Survey Date | 1976 |
| Historic Use | barn |
| Architectural Style | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect | |
| Other Buildings On Site | Y |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments | 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. Wisconsin, famous today as "America's Dairyland," was once "The Nation's Breadbasket." Many Wisconsin families, including the Weltys, found prosperity in the mid-nineteenth century by growing wheat. Migrating from their native Pennsylvania to Wisconsin in 1848, they brought with them ten unmarried children and one married son and his wife. They established a wheat farm and built this threshing barn, a Grundscheier (ground barn). Though similar to an English three-bay barn, its design is likely Germanic. Henry Welty, the second-oldest son and a carpenter by trade, probably raised the timbers that frame the side-gabled barn, but we do not know who constructed the walls of rock-faced stone, leaving loop-like slits for ventilation in the German fashion. The rear walls are made of vertical boards. To thresh wheat, the Weltys either flailed the grain on the barn floor or had their livestock trample it. Then they opened the large doors in the front and rear walls (the sliding doors you see today probably replaced hinged doors, since sliding doors were uncommon before the 1880s) to allow a cross-breeze to blow through the structure. When the threshed wheat was tossed into the air, the breeze carried the chaff away and the seeds fell to the floor. By the late 1860s, soil depletion and competition from western states combined to devastate Wisconsin wheat farming. In 1870, the Weltys, like many of the state's wheat growers, sold their farm. As dairying spread across southern and western Wisconsin, most threshing barns were converted into basement barns, with cattle quarters downstairs. The Welty Barn is one of the few threshing barns to survive unchanged. See also #243044, 243045 |
| Bibliographic References | Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Daniel and Catherine Welty Barn |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | Apr 10, 2024 |
| State Register Listing Date | Nov 17, 2023 |
| Contributing | Yes |
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
11736 Fork Rd
100010205
Located in Town of Wiota, Lafayette County
Daniel and Catherine Welty Barn Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
Friday, April 26, 2024
The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Daniel and Catherine Welty Barn in the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 2024.
Daniel and Catherine Welty Barn Listed on the State Register of Historic Places
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Daniel and Catherine Welty Barn in the Town of Wiota (Lafayette County) on the State Register of Historic Places.
