BLOOMING GROVE

5301 Milwaukee Street

 

Built of sand limestone and cap limestone from a nearby quarry, this home is an example of early Greek Revival architecture. The building, constructed in 1848, was originally a farmhouse; although it did serve as a way station for persons traveling between Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien. The stonework was done by Cornish craftsmen migrating from the lead region near Mineral Point. The availability of stratified quarry stone for intermediate wall construction coupled with that of larger cap stone for corner quoins and chimney exteriors, as well as dressed stone for lintels and sills, made for the most distinctive indigenous architecture to be found in the area.