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Jesse Stone Home
300
South Washington Street
1876
Watertown
Daily Times, 06 12 1976
A fine
example of what was an early elaborate residence is the one known for many
years as the Jesse Stone house, 300 South Washington, the original small house
built in 1869, with additions seven years later. In 1876 side wings containing
double library and den were added, as well as other additions.
Former
Lt. Gov. Jesse Stone was born in England in
1836. In Watertown he was a partner in
the firm of Woodard and Stone Bakery, at first a crackers and confectionery
store.
Philip
A. Olson was the home owner in 1976. He
purchased the home in 1975 from the Walter Hertel estate. Through Olson and David Hertel, nephew of the
previous owner, many very unusual features of this large brick home were
related.
The
property contains not only the home with its Mansard style roof, but a matching
two story carriage or coach house. Both of these structures have the original
built-in water tank, one on the third floor of the house and one on the second
floor of the coach house.
The
home contains large, high ceiling rooms, many double rooms, like the library
and living rooms. There are three fireplaces in the home, five elaborate bay
windows, seven stained glass windows.
One of
these windows, the full size of a door, is at the end of the large central
hall. This is designed with stained glass apple blossoms, blue birds and the
sun.
The
property is surrounded by the original iron picket fence.
06 22 The new residence [actually an addition
to the original 1869 home] in process of erection on Washington Street, in the
Third ward by Mr. Jesse Stone is well advanced.
The structure is built upon the same site occupied by the old one, and
judging from its present appearance, it looks as though it was going to rank,
when completed, among the finest residences in the city, and in point of
design, taste and convenience, it will not be surpassed by any. The style of the architecture is novel here,
but in other cities it is quite popular, so much so in fact that a French roof
is an indispensable ornament to an elegantly finished house. The water-tables, sills and caps are cut out
of Cleveland limestone, and are already mounted in their places. On the take(?) an upright position in the
rood(?), and below these the heavy cornice is support by about twenty-eight
neatly carved brackets. The structure is
yet unfinished, but under the practical supervision of its designer and
builder, Mr. Joseph L. Kern, the building will be ready for occupancy by the
first of September next. WD
09 26 The beautiful residence owned by Mr.
Jesse Stone, situated on Washington Street, in the 3d. Word, is now finished,
and will be occupied in the course of a week. The builder, Mr. Joseph L Kern,
has succeeded in carrying out the design and details of the structure in
admirable style, and we would say that the building in outward appearance, and
for the elegant order of the work and graining was done by Mr. James B. Murphy,
who always performs his work with genuine artistic taste. WD
1888
Young man on velocipede
c.1910
1965
1974
2007
Oct The JESSE STONE HOUSE BED AND BREAKFAST was formerly dedicated with a
ribbon-cutting ceremony.
2017
09 09 FACEBOOK VIDEO TOUR of (Anthony
Reichardt)
Cross-References:
Full length
ornate mirror in the Thauer home is from the Jesse Stone home.
Jesse Stone built home at 501 S. Washington for his son, William C. Stone
WINDSOR
- KENNETH LEE HEWITT, age 64, passed
away on June 21, 2018. A longtime
resident of the Madison area, Ken was born on September 4, 1953, in Chehalis,
WA to John Thomas Hewitt and Joan Poulda Hewitt. He graduated high school from the Wisconsin
School for the Deaf (WSD) in 1972, where he was an exceptional football,
basketball, and track athlete. He was
honored into WSD’s Hall of Fame for athletics in 2008, and for community
service in 2012. He attended St. Paul
Technical Vocational Institute where he fell in love with woodworking and
dedicated his career to Hewitt’s Woo-d-esign, his own custom shop known for
finished carpentry, cabinet making, and antique salvage. His work adorns many homes around Madison as
well as the historically recognized Jesse
Stone House on Washington Street in Watertown, WI. Ken was an active member of the Madison
Association of the Deaf (MAD), including serving as president for many
years. Known for his signature cowboy
hat, Ken loved horses and his faithful Certified Hearing Dogs Nugget and Bunnie
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin