Chase Stone Barn, Pulaski, WI

The small Town of Chase, which is part of Pulaski in Oconto County, Wisconsin, has succeeded in preserving a cornerstone of Wisconsin’s agricultural history. The stone barn is on the State and National Register of Historic Places because it is one few surviving all-fieldstone barns left in the country. and his family immigrated to the United States from Germany. They eventually settled in the Town

of Chase. Settlement was happening rapidly as farmers sought newly-cleared farm land which was being sold dirt cheap. married and took over running his father’s farm. Daniel and his wife had nine children. They were a very hard working and innovative family which, in addition to farming, owned and operated a saw mill in nearby Sobieski, and co-owned Krause and Krause Sales and Service - a farm implement dealership. They were also great hunters and loggers and made their own tasty maple syrup. In 1903, Krause enlisted the help of a local stonemason, Wilhelm Mensenkamp, to use local fieldstones to design and build a barn that would withstand the test of time. With unusual flair and in a style that harkens back to the great granaries of Europe, a stone barn was erected that was so magnificent that it became an icon on Wisconsin’s scenic landscape. Krause sold his farm in 1920, and between then and 1954 there were 11 additional owners of the barn, including one of the most famous physician/surgeons in Wisconsin of the early 1900’s, Dr. John R Minahan. The stone barn nearly fell to ruins in the early 1990’s when the massive north wall, which is 100 ft long and 2 ft thick, began to lean outward, causing numerous cracks throughout the structure. Not long after, a small tornado blew off part of the roof. Thankfully, Casey and Stanley Frysh (who lived next door and owned the barn for almost 50 years), hired The Building Doctor to pull the wall back in and repair the cracks before the walls could collapse. Thanks to the efforts of the Pulaski Area Historical Society, the stone barn was placed on the State and National Register of Historic Places in the year 2000. After the Frysh brother’s passed away, the barn went to one of their nieces, who then sold the barn to a local land developer who had always loved the stone barn. When he learned how much the barn meant to local residents, he sold the barn to the town in 2007 so they could protect it and make it part of their new park. In 2009 the town received a challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation of Janesville, Wisconsin. If the town could raise $287,000 by June 30, 2012, then the Foundation would give them $143,000. With only weeks to go, the town finally reached their goal. The Town of Chase has since restored the stone barn to its magnificent glory and opened the park to the public for people everywhere to enjoy. A special Thank You to all that donated funds and volunteered at fundraising events to help preserve this amazing cornerstone of Wisconsin’s history!