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Director's Report
By Chip Beckford
Winter is finally here, and as I write this report for the winter newsletter we are surrounded with snow! We have had less snow than we have had in years but it is still early in the New Year.
We had a very good and exciting year in 2006, and it closed with a very successful Hartford Home Tour and Christmas Open House. I would personally like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers and staff that helped make these events terrific and a great 2006 possible. Thank you very much!
We saw many changes in 2006, old staff left and new staff joined the Society. We got a great start on the St. Agnes property,Father Rehrl’s home, and cleaning the barn. We also experienced a change of direction for the West Bend/ Regal collections that lead us to the present location in the Glacier Hills Credit Union building.
The Society is purchasing the building and this new location will be the permanent home of the West Bend Company/Regal Ware Historic Museum and their collections. We are all very excited about this and are looking forward to developing the museum in that building. This project will take three to five years to finish, and we will have another great historical venue in Washington County.
In February we will hold the annual Old Settlers Banquet. This year it is being held and hosted in the town of Addison at Addison Elementary School on Sunday, February 18th. This is always a fun event and features some great historical exhibits and talks about the Town of Addison. Don’t miss this event!
In March we are going to hold our second bi-monthly meeting of the year. It will feature Mike Paul of Paul Auction Company. The program is just like the show Antique Road Show on PBS. Mike is a very knowledgeable person and we have a great deal of fun identifying objects for the crowd.
In closing I would also like to thank all of our members, volunteers, and staff for making 2006 another great year. I hope that 2007 goes will for everyone, and I know it will be fun at the Historical Society; so come and share it with us!
Researching Your Historic Home
By Janean Mollet-Van Beckum
In the past few weeks, the Research Center has received a large number of requests from individuals interested in research their historic home or property. There were a variety of reasons for the inquiries. The most common was that people were trying to keep the integrity of their house when remodeling it. They wanted to make sure they didn’t destroy an important element that gives their home some of its original charm.
Because of the large amount of information requests, I have decide to give a quick overview of what the Research Center has and what information can be found at the Washington County Courthouse in regards to historic property research.
There are two things you really need to start your research. First, and most important, is a legal description of your property. If the property is in a city or village, this will be a block and lot number. If the property is rural, it will include a township and section number. The second is any names of previous owners of the property.
Here are three of the most common questions when researching historic properties to get you started:
Q: How do you find out when my home was built?
A: The first thing to do is check for a date on the outside of the building. These were generally located on a lower corner of the house or on the front of the building, near the roofline. If there is not visible date, the next step is to look through old tax records. A sudden jump in property value could mean improvements were added. Be sure to check the values of neighbors, as an increase could also mean there was a jump in taxes. A limited amount of tax information can be found in the Research Center. A better bet would be to visit the County Treasurer Office at the County Courthouse.
Q: How do I find out who built or first lived in my home?
A: The Register of Deeds Office at the County Courthouse may have this information. You can search the old deeds by property description or owner surname. Unless the builder was well known, it is unlikely you will be able to track down the actual architect and construction company.
Q: What did my home use to look like?
A: This information may or may not be found in the Research Center. Most patrons search though our collection of historic photographs, and many are able to find photographs which include their home. This is especially the case if they live in a city or village. The Research Center offers a photographic reproduction service for a fee.
If you are interested in furthering your research on the former owners of your home, the Research Center is the place to visit. Information can be found in church records, obituaries, probate files, surname files and if the property you are researching is a business, business files.
Above all, keep in mind that property research can be very frustrating, and disappointing. Much of the information on property renovations and history will be passed on from owner to owner. Much of it may also be word of mouth and reminiscences from the older people in the community. Talk to everyone, you never know who may remember a detail you have been trying to search out!
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