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Pliny and Ellen Perkins House

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c. 1845, Pliny M. Perkins. 565 W. State St.
  • (Photograph by Paul J. Jakubovich, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society)

Pliny Perkins, among the town’s first settlers, dominated Burlington’s early development. Arriving in 1837 from Oneida County, New York, he built grist- and sawmills, a woolen mill, and a general store, and he ran the bank. Much of Burlington was built on land he owned. Perkins maintained a farm, but in town he erected this multicolored cobblestone house, reflecting his regional origins. The V-shaped joints cause the stones to project slightly from the wall plane, creating delightful patterns of sunlight and shade that shift throughout the day. Unusual among cobble stone houses, here the egg-shaped cobbles gradually increase in size, with small stones at the bottom and larger ones at each succeeding layer. Cream brick quoins tie the facade to the random-coursed fieldstone side walls and add an air of formality.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Marsha Weisiger et al.
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Data

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Citation

Marsha Weisiger et al., "Pliny and Ellen Perkins House", [Burlington, Wisconsin], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-RA4.

Print Source

Buildings of Wisconsin

Buildings of Wisconsin, Marsha Weisiger and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2017, 164-165.

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