Freitag Homestead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Freitag Homestead
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| Location | Washington, Green County, Wisconsin |
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| NRHP reference No. | 05001302 |
| Added to NRHP | November 15, 2005 |
The Freitag Homestead is a very old farm in Washington, Green County, Wisconsin. It started way back in 1848. This farm is special because it was home to Wisconsin's very first factory that made Swiss cheese! Because of its history, the farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. This means it's an important place worth protecting.
Contents
How the Farm Began
Fridolin Streiff bought the land for the farm in 1848. He came to the U.S. in 1845 from Switzerland. Fridolin was one of two people sent to find a good spot for a new settlement. This settlement would be for people moving from the canton of Glarus in Switzerland.
Fridolin and the other scout helped start a town called New Glarus. The other scout went back to Switzerland. So, Fridolin Streiff led the group of Swiss settlers for several years. These settlers were quite poor when they first arrived.
Once the settlers were more settled, Fridolin bought this land. He started building his farm with his wife, Katharina. In their first years, they built a log house and other farm buildings. These early buildings are not still standing today. Back then, most farmers in Green County earned money by growing wheat.
The Streiffs' First Nice House
By 1862, the Streiffs were doing well. They built a nicer house for themselves. This house is the oldest building still standing on the farm. It is not the house you see in the picture at the top of this page.
Their 1862 farmhouse has a special shape called a "gabled ell." It also had popular Greek Revival-style decorations. These included fancy cornice returns, bay windows, and round "lunette" windows in the gables.
The Freitag Family Takes Over
In 1869, the Streiffs sold the farm. The new owners were Dietrich and Verena Freitag. They were also immigrants from Glarus, Switzerland.
Wisconsin's First Swiss Cheese Factory
In that same year, 1869, something very important happened. A man named Nikolaus Gerber started making Swiss-style cheese. He used the Streiffs' old log house as his factory. This was a time when farmers were changing what they grew. Pests like chinch bugs made it hard to grow wheat. So, farmers started looking for other ways to make money.
The Freitag's cows supplied milk for the cheese factory. Four other local farms also provided milk. This was the very first Swiss cheese factory in Wisconsin! It operated in the old log cabin until 1877.
In 1875, Dietrich Freitag and the local farmers took over the factory from Gerber. They continued making cheese on the farm in different ways until 1900. Making Swiss cheese became very important for Green County's economy. It stayed important for many decades. In 1938, Green County made a quarter of all the Swiss cheese in the entire U.S.! Today, some of Gerber's old cheese-making tools are on display. You can see them at the Swiss Historical Village in New Glarus.
Nicholas Freitag's Time
In 1895, Dietrich's sons, Nicholas and Henry, bought the farm. Nicholas bought Henry's share shortly after their father Dietrich passed away in 1900. Nicholas ran the farm for the rest of his life. He was also a director at the Bank of Monticello. He was very active in the Reformed Church in Monticello.
Other Historic Buildings
Several other old buildings on the farm are still standing today:
- The hog barn was built around 1880 by Dietrich Freitag. It has a gable roof and is a "bank barn." This means it's built into a hillside. It has a wood frame on a stone foundation. The hog pens were originally in the basement.
- Each end of the hog barn has a space for storing corn. A stone ramp leads to the main door in the center. A fancy ventilator sits on top of the roof.
- The dairy barn was also built around 1880. It is also a gable-roofed bank barn. Dietrich's first part of the barn was 90 by 40 feet. The first-story walls are made of thick fieldstone.
- Above the stone walls is the hay loft. It has tall openings with special slats for air to move through. Two square ventilators are on top of the roof. A milk house was added in the 1950s, along with other parts over the years.
The New Freitag House
In 1906, Nicholas and Elsbeth Freitag built a brand new house. This is the house you see pictured at the top of this page. It was built in the popular Queen Anne style.
The house has a limestone foundation and red brick walls. The roof edges have decorative brackets. The roof itself is a mix of gable and hip styles. A porch wraps around the front of the house. It even has a small tower, called a turret, at one corner.
Inside, the house has beautiful hardwood floors. The walls are plaster with shiny wooden trim. Some floors have special patterns called "parquet." There's also a wooden grillwork that is quite special. The house did not have fireplaces. It was heated by radiators from the very beginning. Many of the original details and furniture are still there. This makes the Freitag house one of the best Queen Anne homes in Green County.
The Freitag family still owns the homestead today. They don't live there anymore. But many family members come back each year for a get-together on the July 4th weekend.
