Stonefield, located at 12195 County Road VV outside

Cassville, Wisconsin Cassville is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 777 at the 2020 census. The village is located along the Mississippi River, opposite from the mouth of the Turkey River. It is surrounded by the Town of Cassvi ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, was the estate of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

's first

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Nelson Dewey Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the first Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Dewey was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on December 19, 1813, to Ebenezer and Lucy (né ...

. Much of the original estate has been separated into

Nelson Dewey State Park Nelson Dewey State Park is a Wisconsin state park on the Mississippi River. The land was once part of the Stonefield estate of Nelson Dewey Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American pioneer, lawyer, and politic ...

and the Stonefield historic site, an expansive museum operated by the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

. The historic site takes advantage of the large property by offering several different areas for visitors, including an early Wisconsin farmhouse, a re-created agricultural village built to resemble those common around 1900, and a reconstruction of Nelson Dewey's home. Stonefield is also home to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Museum, which features a large collection of antique farm equipment. On May 19, 1970, Stonefield, also known as the Nelson Dewey Plantation, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Governor Dewey's estate

Nelson Dewey first moved to Cassville from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state in 1836. He quickly became involved in Wisconsin's territorial politics, and after Wisconsin became a state in 1848 he was elected as the first governor. He served for two terms, and afterwards he returned to Cassville. Hoping to spur development in the village, he invested in land and businesses in the area. He also went to work building an agricultural estate, which he called "Stonefield." As its centerpiece he constructed a three-story brick house in the

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. The home was completed in 1868. Dewey was unable to enjoy the estate for long, for in 1873 a fire destroyed the house, and shortly afterward the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Lon ...

caused Dewey to lose nearly all of his property. He was forced to leave the estate and return to the village of Cassville, where he lived in poverty until dying in 1889. In 1879, General Walter Cass Newberry purchased a plot of land on the former estate that included the site once occupied by Dewey's home. Newberry farmed the land for several years, and in the 1890s he decided to rebuild the Dewey home as a summer residence. Although the rebuilt home followed the original floor plan used for Dewey's house, the new version did not include many of the ornate details of the Gothic revival style. Newberry sold the home in 1896, and it underwent a succession of owners before it was purchased by the state of Wisconsin during the formation of Nelson Dewey State Park.

Stonefield Historic Site

In 1953, the reconstructed Dewey household was set aside from the state park for use as a museum operated by the

. Originally the "State Farm and Crafts Museum", the interior of the rebuilt Dewey home would later be furnished as Dewey's original house and serve as a house museum interpreting Dewey's life. In 1969, the State Agricultural Museum was added to the features at the historic site.

Stonefield Village

In 1954, the historical society began plans to accompany the Dewey house with a replica of the sort of rural farming village and farmstead that would have been typical in Wisconsin in around 1900. Work continued on these projects into the 1970s as buildings and objects were added to the site. Today the Stonefield village includes over thirty buildings, including a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop, general store, schoolhouse, and other stores and social institutions. Some of these buildings are authentic historic structures that were relocated to Stonefield for use in the village. The remainder were built as replicas. Near the village, the Stonefield

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 33 active chapters and four associate ch ...

offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of Wisconsin farm families during the early 20th century. Many of the buildings in the village and farmstead are staffed by costumed interpreters who help guide visitors through the site.

Wisconsin State Agricultural Museum

Interior of Wisconsin State Agriculture Museum

In 1969, the State Agricultural Museum was added to the features at the Stonefield historic site. The museum was built to house the large collection of historic agricultural machinery acquired by the historical society while it was creating the Stonefield village and farmstead. Inside are exhibits detailing the history of Wisconsin agriculture from the time when it was practiced by Native Americans through the early 20th century. The museum also tells of Wisconsin's major agricultural equipment manufacturers, the

Case Corporation The Case Corporation was a manufacturer of agricultural machinery and construction equipment. Founded, in 1842, by Jerome Increase Case as the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company, it operated under that name for most of a century. For ano ...

and

Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers was a U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various industries. Its business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial setti ...

, and features many rare and valuable pieces of antique farm equipment. Stonefield Progressive Farm

References

External links

Stonefield Historic Site {{Authority control Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Gothic Revival architecture in Wisconsin Houses completed in 1865 Houses in Grant County, Wisconsin Museums in Grant County, Wisconsin Historic house museums in Wisconsin Agriculture museums in the United States Open-air museums in Wisconsin Wisconsin Historical Society Industry museums in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Grant County, Wisconsin 1865 establishments in Wisconsin Governor of Wisconsin