Property Record
S3518 OLD US HIGHWAY 14
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Stephen Stephenson Farmstead |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 73400 |
| Location (Address): | S3518 OLD US HIGHWAY 14 |
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| County: | Vernon |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Viroqua |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 13 |
| Range: | 4 |
| Direction: | W |
| Section: | 17 |
| Quarter Section: | SW |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | NE |
| Year Built: | 1860 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1995 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Greek Revival |
| Structural System: | Unknown |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | This farmstead contains an apparently intact Greek Revival style farmhouse that is one of the few (and possibly the only) intact remaining rural example of this style in the Town of Viroqua. The five-bay-wide house has corner pilasters, six-over-six-light windows, returned eaves, and a three-light transom light above the centered front door. The farmstead was first settled by Stephen Stephenson in 1852 and was owned by him in 1884. It is believed that the house dates from some time during this period. There is also an intact front gable form house located just to the south of the main farmhouse (VE26/24), an intact early twentieth century gambrel-roofed dairy barn, and an intact early gable-roofed tobacco barn (VE26/25). 1995- "Stephen Stephenson Farmstead, VE26/23-24A. This complex of buildings consists of an incomplete collection of later but still potentially eligible farm buildings that are associated with the simple but quite intact-appearing side-gabled Greek Revival style farmhouse. This two story rectilinear plan house has walls that are clad in clapboards and that are framed by corner pilasters. The main west-facing facade of the house is five-bays-wide and symmetrical in design and features six-over-six-light windows surrounding a simple entrance door opening surmounted by a three-light transom that is surmounted by an architrave. The side elevations feature returned eaves. In addition, there is a large and quite intact twentieth century rectilinear plan gambrel-roofed dairy barn located behind the house and a long gable-roofed rectilinear plan tobacco barn is located to the south of the dairy barn. There is also a smaller one-and-a-half-story Front Gable form rectilinear plan clapboard-clad house located to the south of the main house as well that appears to date from the turn of the century. Stephen Stephenson was an early area settler who first settled on this farm in 1852 and by 1884 he had expanded his original 80-acre farm to 180 acres. From at least 1896 until at least 1930 the farm (sometimes called "Round Prairie Farm") was owned by Thomas Stevens. Further research into the history of this house will be necessary, however, in order to demonstrate eligibility and integrity (from a distance the house looks almost too intact to be genuine), but it is the only intact Greek Revival style farmstead in the APE and may be eligible for architecture. Note: these buildings are located 1000 feet west of Option 5, and are out of sight and sound due to intervening hills." - "USH 14 Transportation Study ", WisDOT ID #1646-07-00, Prepared by Timothy F Heggland (1995). |
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| Bibliographic References: | History of Vernon County. Springfield, IL: Union Publishing Co., 1884, p. 701. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |