Beulah Brinton House
Encyclopedia
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. 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 1870’s new immigrant workers (primarily from EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) flocked to Bay View in order to work at the Bay View Rolling Mill. Being recent immigrants, they usually did not speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 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
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, 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
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
put into the more renowned Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
(though the Beulah Brinton house activities pre-date the Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
).
Today
Today the Beulah Brinton House serves as headquarters for the Bay View Historical SocietyBay View Historical Society
The Bay View Historical Society was established in 1979 to preserve the character and heritage of the neighborhood of Bay View in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.- Description :...
, 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.