Sheboygan’s ‘home on the hill,’ the David Taylor House is home to the County Historical Museum

SHEBOYGAN — New York native David Taylor, Esq., moved to Sheboygan in 1846 at age 28 following his education at Union College in Schenectady, New York, and being admitted to the New York Bar.

Taylor looked at several cities in Wisconsin, including Green Bay, but decided upon Sheboygan, where he would establish a law practice.

Taylor was soon involved in local affairs and politics. He was appointed to the Harbor Committee and became a member of the newly formed County Board of Supervisors, according to information from the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.

According to a Sheboygan Mercury clipping from the Katie Reilly of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Taylor did bread-and-butter legal work at that point. An example is when a notice was sent to Owen O. Sullivan, who risked foreclosure of his property unless he paid $20 along with a court date.

That $20 in 1850, according to an inflation calculator, says it is equivalent to the purchasing power of about $788.90 today, an increase of $768.90 over 173 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.15% per year between 1850 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 3,844.50%.

In 1847, he bought 320 acres of land just west of the city limits from J.D. Farnsworth. Between 1852 and 1854, Taylor had the Italianate-style home built that today is part of the Sheboygan County Historical Museum.

A general mason and contractor named Henry E. Roth built Taylor's hilltop home on his acreage. Roth built several important properties in the area at the time.

When his home likely still had the smell of fresh paint and varnish, he was elected to the State Assembly in 1853 and later in 1855 to the State Senate. Then, from 1858 until 1869, he was a popular circuit judge of the Fourth District. During this era, starting in 1858, he worked on revising the Wisconsin Statutes. He did the job so well he was asked to repeat the feat in the 1870s. His work became known as the "Taylor Statutes."

In 1872, he left Sheboygan and moved to Fond du Lac. Later, in 1878, he was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Taylor never forgot Sheboygan, as he often traveled back to city to see friends and his beloved home on the hill. He was re-elected in 1888 and lived in Madison, where he remained until his death in 1891.

Related - Desktop computer Virtual Reality link to second story scene at David Taylor House.

Taylor leased his house and 250 acres to C.H. Pape, who would be well known for raising dairy cattle and growing vegetables. According Sheboygan County Historical Museum Executive Director Travis Gross, the property had several out buildings. Those buildings would be gone by the 1930s.

In 1905, the house was sold to Sheboygan County by the children of David Taylor. The farm supported the Sheboygan County Asylum, with both food and work for the inmates.

Later, in 1916, the house became a workhouse for vagrants and unemployed men. Bars were then placed on the windows, the fireplaces were closed and coal stoves were set up. The house was restructured to fit multiple cell blocks and an inmate kitchen. The house would remain a workhouse until the early 1930s.

By 1931, the house was vacant, according to a May 26, 1931, Sheboygan Press clipping.

According to a Sheboygan Press clipping from 1932, Historical Society President and editor of the Press, Charles E. Broughton, the society unanimously voted to urge the county to acquire the Taylor House for the society on the property which was known as Taylor Farm. The year prior, the county board had set aside the woods on the property for the park. The society said it would not cost the county anything, as the county already owned the property. In the article, it was stated it was important to save the history of the county with the Taylor house being a place for the society's operations.

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Finally, on May 26, 1948, the county leased the building to the Historical Society for 99 years at $1 per year. The building was reconfigured to be used as a museum with the financial backing of Mrs. Herbert V. Kohler and Broughton. Both Kohler and Broughton generously gave their time and money for the effort. At the time, according to Gross, walls were moved around to provide more display space, as there were many small room partitions at the home.

On May 1, 1954, the museum opened to the public with the lower floor only. The museum caretaker lived on the upper floor of the home. In 1973, the entire house became museum space. The Taylor House was the main museum building until the current main building was dedicated in 1997.

In the mid-1970s, the Taylor House was nominated to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nearly two decades ago, in 2006, the house underwent a serious tuck-pointing and restoration. At the time, a proper front porch was built, replacing one that was built in the 1950s.

Today, the Taylor House is a popular destination at the museum where it takes visitors back in time to just before the 20th century.

Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @leicaman99.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan County Historical Museum's Taylor House was once an asylum