Preserving Milwaukee's History at the County Historical Society

The Milwaukee County Historical Society, a local institution in downtown Milwaukee, is housed in the former Second Ward Savings Bank building. It preserves, collects, and recognizes materials related to Milwaukee County history through its research library and a museum housing over 20,000 items, including paintings, uniforms, and furniture. Among its properties are three historic house museums and one historic site.

The Benjamin Church House, a wood and brick residence in Kilbourntown, was built during 1843-1844 by pioneer carpenter Benjamin Church. Constructed in Greek Revival style with four front columns and a symmetrical floor plan, it features distinctive Cream City brick and hand-hewn timbers. In 1972, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Trimborn Farm is a Victorian era estate in Greendale, Wisconsin, spanning 7.5 acres and nine buildings. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the property includes a farmhouse built in the 1850s, a granary, four lime kilns, and a stone barn. The site also contains the Jeremiah Curtin House, an unusual stone building built in 1846 that served as the boyhood home of the linguist Jeremiah Curtin.

The Lowell Damon House in Wauwatosa is the oldest in the area. It was built by Oliver Lowell and his son-in-law, Jonathon Wainwright. Lowell Damon, Oliver's son, added on to the house in 1846. The Milwaukee County Historical Society also hosts educational programs and a historical blog to share stories from its archives and collections.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons