Beulah Brinton House

Beulah Brinton House
The Beulah Brinton House
Location 2590 S. Superior Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Coordinates 42°59′52″N 87°53′16″W / 42.99778°N 87.88778°WCoordinates: 42°59′52″N 87°53′16″W / 42.99778°N 87.88778°W
Built 1870
Governing body Bay View Historical Society
Part of Bay View Historic District (#82000686)
Designated CP August 23, 1982

The Beulah Brinton House is located at 2590 S. Superior Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Located in what is known as the Bay View neighborhood, the Beulah Brinton House is significant for both its history as well as its architecture.

History

Beulah Brinton was an admired and important figure in Bay View's early history. In the 1870s new immigrant workers (primarily from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Italy) flocked to Bay View in order to work at the Bay View Rolling Mill. Being recent immigrants, they usually did not speak English, were sometimes in need of medical assistance, and were homesick and in need of recreation and a community. The workers and their families were welcomed into Beulah's home, where she would teach them how to read, sew, and perform other valuable skills. In order to introduce the residents of Bay View to tennis, she built a tennis court in her side yard so that residents could learn and play the relatively new (to the U.S.) sport. She kept tennis racquets in a box on her back porch so they would be readily available to those who wanted to play. Beulah encouraged theater, and she often played the piano so that couples could dance. Her own book collection (over 300 in number) became the first library in Bay View. What Beulah did with her home was similar to the efforts Jane Addams put into the more renowned Hull House (though the Beulah Brinton house activities pre-date the Hull House).

Today

Today the Beulah Brinton House serves as headquarters for the Bay View Historical Society, established in 1979. It is frequently used in Society functions. The Bay View Historical Society Archives are held upstairs, and are available for viewing during the afternoon of every 3rd Saturday of the month. Also upstairs is the Gift Shop, where one can purchase vintage-styled postcards of early Bay View. The Beulah Brinton house contains a delicate archive of antiques in the home. Including, dresses, hats, photos, and paintings from the 1870s. It also has all of Beulah's belongings. First is the recreation room. This is where the tour guides teach about what the children would do in the olden days. Then the kitchen, where they talk about the olden day customs. And much more!

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