The A.C. Probert house is an example of a Folk Victorian style house. Built in 1887, an addition was added circa 1910. These houses are defined by the presence of Victorian decorative detailing on simple house forms. They are generally much less elaborate than the other Victorian styles they mimic. One of the primary areas for the application of this detailing is the porch. Porch supports are commonly Queen Anne¬turned spindles. Here, there is a suspended frieze made from turned spindles just below the porch roofing. Simple window surrounds are also characteristic of the style. Folk Victorian can be differentiated from true Queen Anne Victorian style by the presence of a symmetrical facade. They also generally lack the textured surfaces that are common for a Queen Anne Victorian. One exception is the textured surface of "gingerbread" style shingles in the attic gable. The Probert house is an example of this style with a more unusual pyramidal roof.
The Probert house retains two rare fixtures once common in our world. A brownstone hitching post in front of the house served as a place to secure a horse. A few feet away, a brownstone carriage block made it easier to climb into a wagon or carriage, or for a woman to mount sidesaddle on a horse.
Originally home to one of Washburn's most colorful figures, A. C. Probert's story is fascinating. The Bank of Washburn was founded by A. C. Probert. The Ashland Daily Press in 1892 thought him "one o f the most liberal and shrewdest business men in Wisconsin." In 1895, he survived an accident when he fell onto the brushes of a dynamo at the electric plant, sending 1,350 volts through him. This would have killed a normal man, but A. C. Probert was not typical.After founding the Bank of Washburn, he was President of the Washburn Businessmen's Association, Manager of the Bay Land & Improvement Co., President of the School Board, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Chairman of the Town of Washburn, and President of the Banks of Washburn, Shell Lake, and Prescott. He was also one of the men who spearheaded moving the county seat from Bayfield to Washburn.
He was either involved in, president of, or leader of nearly everything in Washburn, despite being arrested for embezzlement, for which he served hard time in prison. He was re-elected Chairman of the Town of Washburn (a precursor to the position now called Mayor) in 1896. Convicted in 1896 of "illegal banking" (embezzlement), he spent several years in the penitentiary in Waupun, Wisconsin. Apparently his wife was not too disturbed as she reportedly threw a large party shortly after his imprisonment. His career continued in other parts of the country, and he was last heard of around 1915 when he was again convicted of embezzlement and was serving time in New Mexico.
The following song, written by Warren Nelson, was a feature of Washburn's Centennial show in 1983. "A. C. Probert came to town just to make a dollar Broke the Bank of Washburn. You could hear the citizens holler! A. C. Probert spent the stash A.C. Probert where's my cash? A. C. Probert pay no bail You're moving down to Waupun".
Much of this information was taken from "Wood, Stone And Water", the Washburn Walking Tour booklet produced by the Washburn Heritage Preservation Association.
Contact Us | ©2006
AC Probert House 