Wahle-Laird House facts for kids
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Wahle-Laird House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | 208 S. Cherry St., Marshfield, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1904 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Part of | Pleasant Hill Residential Historic District (ID00000780) |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001988 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 30, 1992 |
| Designated CP | July 5, 2000 |
The Wahle-Laird House is a beautiful old home in Marshfield, Wisconsin. It was built in 1904 by Dr. Henry Wahle. Later, it became the childhood home of Melvin Laird. He grew up to be a very important person, serving as a U.S. Senator and even as the Secretary of Defense.
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Discovering the Wahle-Laird House
The Wahle-Laird House is a special building. It is known for its unique style and the important people who lived there. This house is a great example of history and architecture.
A Look at the Neighborhood
The Wahle-Laird House is in Marshfield's "Pleasant Hill" area. This neighborhood was a popular place for fancy homes starting in the 1880s. Many early houses here were in the Queen Anne style. Some of these older homes are still standing today.
One famous person who lived nearby was William Duncan Connor. He was a lumberman who also served in government. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1907 to 1909. His large house was on Cherry Street, where a church now stands.
Building the House in 1904
In 1904, Dr. Henry Wahle, a doctor and surgeon, built this house. It was built right across the street from Mr. Connor's home. The new house replaced an older one on the same spot. Its style was very different from the older Queen Anne homes nearby.
The house looks like a compact cube. It has a hip roof with wide edges. This shape is similar to the American Foursquare style, which was popular then. However, the decorations on the house are in the Classical Revival style.
Classical Revival Style Details
The front of the house is perfectly balanced. The front door is in the middle. Around the door is a raised porch, called a portico. This portico is held up by square columns and flat columns, called pilasters. These columns have fancy tops, known as Corinthian capitals, decorated with acanthus leaves.
Above the portico is a balcony. It has a low railing, called a balustrade. This balcony surrounds a bay window. The outside walls of the house are covered with narrow wooden boards. The roof edges are supported by small decorative blocks called modillions.
Gabled dormers stick out from the hip roof. These are small roofed sections with windows. The front dormer has a balustrade that matches the one on the portico below. At the very top of the hip roof is a widow's walk. This is a small platform, also with a balustrade. A large chimney rises up behind it.
Inside the Wahle-Laird House
When you step inside, you enter a small entry room called a vestibule. This leads to a reception hall with cherry wood walls and a special ceiling called a coffered ceiling. From there, cherry wood columns frame the entrance to the living room. The living room is on the south side of the house and has a large brick fireplace.
The dining room has oak wood panels on the lower part of the walls, called wainscot. It also has a shelf for plates, designed in the Arts and Crafts style. A staircase in the middle of the house leads to the second floor. This floor has four bedrooms. The stairs continue up to the third-floor attic. A small opening in the attic ceiling lets you get to the widow's walk on the roof.
The house is important for its architecture. It is also important for its connection to the Laird family. This is why it was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The Laird Family Moves In
In 1923, W. D. Connor bought this house. It was a gift for his daughter, Helen Connor Laird, and her husband, Reverend Melvin Robert Laird. Reverend Laird was the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. The Connors attended this church when Helen and Melvin married ten years earlier.
The Lairds had lived in Illinois and Nebraska. But they moved back to Marshfield in 1924. They brought their first two children with them. They lived right across the street from Grandpa Connor.
Helen Connor Laird's Impact
Helen was involved in politics from a young age. When she was 16, her father was the head of the Republican Party in the state. She helped put up signs for Robert M. La Follette in her neighborhood.
While living in Illinois, she started a local Women's Club. She also worked to make sure milk was clean and safe. Helen also pushed for a public playground and a YMCA. She wanted a place "where men and boys of all classes will find a welcome."
She strongly supported women getting the right to vote. She believed that being involved in government would make women "truer, more active being[s] with a broader horizon." She was a main speaker at Marshfield's Armistice Day celebration in 1918. By 1926, she was known for supporting the World Court. By 1936, she was the Wisconsin leader for "The Cause and Cure of War."
In 1940, she became the first woman president of the Marshfield Board of Education. In 1945, she left the Daughters of the American Revolution. This was because they sponsored an art show that only allowed white artists. She always supported libraries. In 1950, she was appointed to Wisconsin's State Library Board. From 1951, she served on the UW Board of Regents.
Melvin R. Laird Sr.'s Contributions
Helen's husband, Melvin R. Laird Sr., was also very active. He had been president of Lincoln College in Illinois. During WWI, he served as an army chaplain in Europe.
After returning to Marshfield, he became a director of the Connor Lumber and Land Company. He was also involved in many community activities. He led the Wood County Citizen's Committee on Public Welfare. He served on the board of the Wood County Asylum. He also chaired the Wood County Board of Supervisors. From 1941 until his death in 1946, he served as a state Senator.
Helen and Melvin Sr. raised four sons in the house. Their son, Melvin Robert Laird, became the most famous. He took over his father's seat in the State Senate. Then he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Later, he became Secretary of Defense for President Richard Nixon.
