Henry Gotten Cabin

It is impossible to know why a couple in their late 30s with a newborn daughter would leave Germany to start a new life in America. But in 1845 that is what Henry and Barbara did. Two additional children were born in New York before the Gottens purchased this land in 1855. Establishing a homestead on land that wasn’t previously farmed was not an easy task. Imagine living in one kitchen/living room and one bedroom with 4 children with no running water, no bathroom, no heat or electricity. The Gotten Cabin is a 20 X 20 foot structure built of white oak logs. There is no evidence of a fire place having been in the house, so the Gottens likely had a cast iron wood burning stove. 

Many immigrants settled in areas with other immigrants from the same country. The importance of a common language would have been very comforting and helpful to the settlers. The 1860 and 1870 censuses show that the Gotten’s neighbors were mostly German and some Irish.   A railroad line from Waukesha connected to Eagle in 1851. The location was an easy walk into the Village of Eagle, which had a population of over 1,200 by 1870.

The 1870 Census shows that Elizabeth Krenke was the adopted daughter of Henry and Barbara. She was likely the daughter of Anton and Agatha Krenke who owned property a little south of the Gottens on Hwy N. They are buried in the same cemetery as the Gottens, having passed in 1867 and 1865. Elizabeth went on to marry John Maag who lived in Ottawa and worked at the trout ponds that are now part of the Scuppernong Springs Nature Trail. They lived the rest of their life in Oshkosh. 

The property was later owned by Lawrence Fardy. It is unknown if Fardy or a previous owner added on to the cabin, but it had a front porch and kitchen added onto the back before the Fardys sold the property in the 1920’s. The home was in a state of disrepair when it became part of the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit in 1987. Staff could see the log cabin hidden under newer siding which lead to further research about the property and structure. A restoration company was hired to rebuild and preserve the Gotten family home. 

The building is occasionally open to the public during interpretive events.

Kurowski, Ron. Log Cabins of the Kettle Moraine, April 1st 1995. Accessed December 3rd 2020. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/EcoNatRes/EcoNatRes-idx?type=article&id=EcoNatRes.WINRMv19n2&did=EcoNatRes.WINRMv19n2.i0005&q1=southern%20unit.

1860 & 1870 US Census, Accessed November 5th 2020. ancestry.com.