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Cole Home
802
North Fourth Street
Watertown
Daily Times, 06 12 1976
Architecture
of the home at 802 North Fourth Street, remains today as it did when John Cole had the house built in the 1850's, with
walls four bricks thick, 11 foot curved ceilings, its heavy nearly three inch
oak front door still swinging on its original hinges. John Cole was born in
Vermont in 1814, came to Watertown in 1837. He made many trips to Watertown
from Milwaukee with ox teams carrying provisions. In 1854 he built a block of
stores on Main and Second streets. (J. C. Penney store was in the Cole block.)
The
Cole home of timber frame construction, red cedar shingles and white Wisconsin
pine interior, had its carpets all woven in New York to fit the floors. Mrs.
Cole, an artist, designed landscaped gardens to surround the home. Later the
Coles sold this home and built another at
The
second floor ballroom, now a five room apartment, was used for entertaining,
dancing and lectures. Subsequent owners who also occupied the home after the
Coles were the Joseph Salicks, the Ulrich Habheggers, the junior Ferdinand
Hartwigs, Ray Franz, and for the past 30 years, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Schultz.
Joseph
Salick used to row his boat down the Rock River every morning to near his
The
present owner, Jerome Schultz, put in hardwood floors and replaced many worn
parts of outside window trim, arches and scrollwork. Mrs. Schultz pointed out
vases and other outside ornamentation made of iron. These too were redone and
re-secured to the house. A large center hall has a stairs with cherry handrail
to the upper story. There is much elaborate ornamentation on ceilings, in both
central and corner designs.
Cross-References:
No
1: Home built by Christian
Schmutzler; Watertown brick used in construction
