205 N Paterson St - Patrick and Bridget Conlin House - 1853

WAHI #94744
Appears on 1855 Harrison Map.

Patrick and Bridget Conlin where Irish immigrants that came to Madison via Massachusetts.

The extensive aluminum siding of this house makes it difficult to initially identify it as being this old.

203 N Hamliton St - George Paine Residence - 1857

WAHI #102016
George Paine's name appears on this corner in the 1855 Harrison Map, but there's no house there yet.

George Paine (1820-1870) was a druggist, who ran a shop on King, near the corner of Main and Pinckney. He was an early partner of Philo Dunning.

This house has been shadowed by the 1971 Kenton Peters designed Lawrence McCormick Parking Ramp.

217 N Hamilton St - E. J. Oakley Residence - 1853

WAHI #102165 - Appears on 1855 Harrison Map.

Eri S. Oakley (1829-1865) was , according to The Biographical Guide to Forest Hill Cemetery, a prominent citizen who help organize the Madison IOOF Lodge in 1853.  He is listed as a master plasterer in the 1860 census here. He was a captain in the Civil War, and injured in battle.  His widow lived here into the 1890s.

318 E Mifflin St - A. Noyes House - 1854c

WAHI #108377

Appears on 1855 Harrison Map.

Amos Noyes is listed in The Biographical Guide to Forest Hill Cemetery as being listed as dying in 1857, originally buried in the village cemetery (Orton Park).  He is listed in the Forest Hill Cemetery records as a Mexican-American War veteran.  Seems to appear as a rental as early as the late 1800's, according to city directories.

403 N Brearly St - Robert and Sarah Hastie House - 1854

WAHI #78071
Appears on 1855 Harrison Map.

Robert Hastie appears in the 1858 city directory, listed as a painter.  He lived here through the 1860s.  His family later moved out to Washington state.  For the rest of the 1800's, this was the house of Joseph Schubert, who was a prominent photographer of the era.

The exterior of the house remains amazingly well intact.

203 S. Baldwin St - Garland and Clarissa Fleener House - 1853

Not in WAHI

Garland (1825-1894) and Clarissa (1824-1903) Fleener came to Madison from Indiana.  They bought this lot from Leonard Farwell and built this house in 1853.  He must have chosen this location because it was probably one of the cheapest building site available (the lots where assessed at $20 each). There were very few, if any structures this far east in the city at this time.  They had a few children here and moved on to Wasioja, MN, in about 1859 or 1860, where they lived and farmed the rest of their days.  Garland Fleener appears in the 1858 Madison directory at this location, with his occupation listed as a teamster.

A few changes of hands later, the house was owned by Henry (1828-1878) & Christina (1833-1902) Baker.  A Biographical Guide to Forest Hill Cemetery  tells the story Henry's tragic, likely drunken, demise on Lake Monona in 1878.  The house has probably been a rental since the death of his widow, Christina, in 1902.

The house is actually on Lot 2 of Block 213, which means it would have fronted on Clymer St (Doty/Railroad).  But the CNW railroad ended up getting laid through this right-of-way instead of the street, so the house fronts the railroad tracks today.  For most of its history, the ownership of this house has coincided with the newer (~1900) house at 201 S. Baldwin, so that the occupants can have a mechanism for access.  In spite of, or maybe because of, it's undesirable location, this house has stood here relatively unmolested for over 150 years.

5301 Milwaukee St - Alexander Smith House - 1848

WAHI #109400

There are numerous online materials detailing the construction and style of this 1848 native limestone farm house.  See Historic Blooming Grove and Madison Landmark Nomination Form.

Alexander Smith came from Ireland.  His family owned this house until the death of his last wife, in 1920.