The Daniel E. Krause Stone Barn, also known as the Chase Stone Barn, is a historic

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

in the town of

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...

in Oconto County,

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 ...

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 territori ...

. Designed by farmer Daniel E. Krause and built by stonemason William Mensenkamp, the barn has become renowned for its historical significance.Schweit, Ernest. "Saving Grace". ''Farm and Ranch Living'' February/March 2010, 44-45.

Construction details

Like many other barns, it was built of fieldstone, but in a unique fashion: its walls are more thoroughly stonework than most stone barns, and its massive arch entrances are large enough to permit the passage of large

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

wagons through both ends. As of 2010, it is one of two remaining barns in Wisconsin to be constructed from fieldstone.

Repair work

Seventeen years after its erection, the barn and the rest of its farm were sold by the Krause family in 1920. It had eleven owners between Krause's retirement in 1920 and 1954. During the mid-1950s, the property was purchased by two brothers, who operated the farm into the 21st century and oversaw significant repair work in the 1990s. By this time, the barn had experienced gradual structural deterioration and experienced a 1994

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

. Accordingly, workers carried out a strengthening and refurbishing process in 1995, which included the removal of a small amount of stonework, its replacement by concrete, and the addition of large beams to strengthen the sagging walls.

National Register of Historic Places

In 2000, the Krause Barn was listed on 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 ...

for its architectural significance. In 2009, the Krause Barn was nominated to be on America's 11 Most Endangered Places 2009 list.

Preservation

Seeing it as a significant local landmark, local preservationists have concentrated on ensuring the survival of the barn: the town has purchased the barn, and after raising money to continue maintenance, there are plans to convert the barn and barnyard into a park and possibly a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

. The stable area is planned to have a "rustic agriculture museum" with displays on farming techniques from circa 1900 and antique farm equipment. Other plans include a stone bridge over a creek, a stone walk path, and a historic general store.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krause, Daniel E., Stone Barn Barns on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Oconto County, Wisconsin Infrastructure completed in 1903 Tourist attractions in Oconto County, Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Oconto County, Wisconsin