We are lucky enough to have built a relationship with some of the previous owners of our property. John Helmenstine has been gracious enough to give me a snippet of his family history on the farm. Here are some photos and a narrative to give you a glimpse into the farms past!
In 1848 Johannes Helmenstine and wife Johanna migrated in a seven-week journey from Germany with seven children on the sailing ship “George Washington”. They traveled by boat up the Hudson River and West on the Erie Canal and through the Great Lakes to Milwaukee. They then traveled by stagecoach to Blue Mounds where they settled on three quarter section. The 9th child, Charles, was born here in 1853 and later established a farm in Black Earth that is still owned by his descendants. Son William (Civil war veteran), grandson John F and great-grandson Myrl all served on the local school board while farming the land and milking cows until 1968. At one time the family also owned 20 acres (now part of the state park) on the southwest corner of the Blue Mound for wood to heat the house and for fence posts.
There have been at least four barns on the property with two being destroyed by a tornado in 1905 and 1918. The current red brick house was built with bricks brought from the Blue Mounds railroad station by Myrl driving horses and a wagon. Electricity was first provided by a gas-powered generator mounted on a square block of cement in the southeast corner of the basement of the current house. In the 1930s the federal government financed the building of modern electrical power to the area. Besides the current driveway to the buildings, there are also the remains of two other roads to town on the property.
HUGE thank you to John for providing the pictures above and for bringing us this colorized copy of the farm below. We LOVE hearing all the stories and having you and the extended family visit!
