Property Record
244 E RACINE ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | STOPPENBACH HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | Stoppenbach House Bed and Breakfast |
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| Reference Number: | 6891 |
| Location (Address): | 244 E RACINE ST |
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| County: | Jefferson |
| City: | Jefferson |
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| Year Built: | 1870 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2001 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | STILTED SEGMENTAL ARCHED WINDOWS. PAIRED ROUND ARCHED WINDOWS ON FRONT. PORCH ADDED LATER. This structure was built in the circa 1870s for Charles Stoppenbach. Born in Germany in 1824, Stoppenbach arrived in Jefferson in the early 1850s. In 1856, Stoppenbach and a group of others organized the Jefferson Woolen Manufacturing Company, which made blankets and flannel. Stoppenbach gained sole control of the company in 1879. In 1876, Stoppenbach constructed the Stoppenbach Opera House, which was a large, three-story business block that had a large auditorium that was later used as a gymnasium for the high school basketball team. Eight years later, Stoppenbach and his three sons Joseph, Frank, and Emil organized the C. Stoppenbach & Sons Meatpacking Company; however, the elder Stoppenbach did not lead the company very long because he died later that same year. Stoppenbach's widow and his son Frank remained in the residence. Frank Stoppenbach was a salesman for the woolen mill and served as the manager of the opera house (no longer extant). He was also a long-time director of the Jefferson County Bank and the Lytle-Stoppenbach Malting Company, which was located in nearby Jefferson Junction. Frank died in 1934 and his widow Anna remained in the house until at least the 1950s. The property was converted into a bed and breakfast, but is now a private residence. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Tax rolls. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |