Property Record
133 DUANE ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | MARCK HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 221425 |
| Location (Address): | 133 DUANE ST |
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| County: | Racine |
| City: | Burlington |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1900 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2011 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | English Revival Styles |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Aluminum/Vinyl Siding |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | Y |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Kane Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 7/25/2014 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 11/22/2013 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | James H. Murphy was born and raised on a dairy farm in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin’s College of Agriculture in 1914 and became the manager of Tilden Farms in Delavan. Each year he noted troubles with the farm’s livestock and reasoned that they were linked to the livestock’s feed. He recognized that the feed industry increased growth and production at the cost of animal health. Consulting leading authorities at his alma mater, he was advised to supply minerals in the animals’ feed. After seeking out sources for products providing these nutrients, his mineral formula was credited with the improved health of the Tilden Farms’ breeding stock. His mineral formula became highly requested, and he began supplying it to farmers at cost. In 1921, he and his brother, Lawrence Murphy, began manufacturing and selling his mineral food for livestock under the name Murphy Products Company. In 1925, the company moved to Burlington, and James purchased the house at 133 Duane Street where he lived until his death in 1960. During the late 1920s, Murphy Products began concentrating solely on nutritional feed concentrates which contained a combination of protein, minerals, and vitamins. Their first product, Murphy’s N.R.G. Concentrate, is believed to have been the first feed concentrate for poultry sold in the United States. Murphy Products Company became nationally known for leading the feed concentrate industry. James Murphy recognized the importance of sales promotion and began selling the company’s products during a Saturday night radio show called WLS Barn Dance in 1926. He traveled to Chicago every Saturday night to voice the commercials himself. Murphy Products constructed an office building in 1949 at 124 S. Dodge Street. |
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| Bibliographic References: | General Files. On file at the Burlington Historical Society, Burlington, Wisconsin. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |