5526 COUNTY HIGHWAY M

5526 COUNTY HIGHWAY M

Dane

Fitchburg

6

9

E

34

NW

SW

1856

C. 1884

1977,2013,2019

house

Italianate

Stucco

No

BRACKETS UNDER EAVES Resurveyed April/May 2013; changes include the construction of additional porch supports. 2019 Survey of the City of Fitchburg recommendation write-up: The Nott-Barry farmhouse is comprised of two periods of construction. The original one-and-one-half-story, stone-constructed wing of the house (to the west) is identified as having been built in 1856, while the east, stucco-sheathed wing was added later—likely between 1883-84. Windows of the 1856 wing are tall-and-narrow examples, with first-floor openings extending from nearly floor to ceiling, similar to those found on the National Register-listed Fox Hall (at 5138 County Highway M; AHI#4645). The one-and-one-half-story wing to the east is side-gabled in form and carries more standard-sized, rectangular windows arranged singly or in pairs, along with a solid wooden-panel door. The two upper-level windows of the south entrance elevation break through the roofline and are topped with a hipped roof. An additional gabled wing extends from the rear of the house. A flat-roofed porch with square wooden supports and decorative brackets extends across the entire south elevation. Additional carved wooden brackets accent the overhanging eave of both wings. A historic newspaper photograph, along with a verbal account, indicates that the porch supports—at least as of 1953--numbered five and they were round columns, not the square supports that are there today (and are now eight in number). The original 1856 stone wing of the house was built by Benjamin Frank Nott and his wife Sarah. Sources conflict as to where the stone for the home came from—a 1950s account cites that it was “from a nearby farm to the south, on his holdings,” whereas more recent information states that it was from a quarry on Caine Road. Sarah died in 1857 and Benjamin remarried to Caroline Vreeland one year later. As of the 1860 census, Benjamin is identified as a merchant. That same year, he was appointed postmaster of Fitchburg (on 23 October 1860) and he maintained that position for less than one year—after which it then passed on to his brother Philetus (by April of 1861). Between 1866 and 1867, the Notts (who moved to Stoughton by no later than 1870) sold the property to Vermont native William Cummings and his wife Julia, who remained there until selling to Philip Barry between 1871 and 1872. It is assumed that from 1872 to 1883-1884, the house was also occupied by Philip, along with his wife Mary, their children, as well as Mary’s mother and a live-in servant (as enumerated in the 1880 census). Although a 1953 newspaper article on the history of the house suggests that the wing to the east was built circa 1878 (which, per the 1953 article, was the presumed date that Garrett Barry purchased the farm from his brother Philip), tax roll information would support that it was more likely built about five years later--between 1883 and 1884. Garrett and Catherine had four children: George, Anna, Catherine and Eleanor. Garrett died in 1932, while Catherine passed away eight years later. The house was thereafter occupied by the Barry girls (Anna and Catherine), while the farm was worked by their uncle George and cousin Philip. As of 1953, the farm was home to twenty-five horses, twenty-five head of cattle and ninety swine. The home remained in the Barry family until 1973, when it was purchased by Bill and Betty Reddan, who began restoration efforts.

For footnotes to 2019 survey write-up below, See the Historical & Architectural Resources Survey, City of Fitchburg, Dane County, Wisconsin, by Traci E. Schnell/tes | Historical Consulting, LLC, completed in 2019.

Not Listed