Bryant House

Originally designed in the style of Greek Revival, the Bryants' house was built in 1858 by Chautauqua NY native Dr. Calvin C. Barnes, who came to Waukesha in the 1850s, and owned the Waukesha Stone Co. After serving as 2nd Assistant Surgeon of Company S of the 11th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War, Dr. Barnes went on to business ventures in Manitowoc and elsewhere.

The next person to own the house was English immigrant Thomas D. Cook. Cook had developed a reputation in the area through his partnership in the Cook and Hyde Stone Company, and eventually came to own both quarries previously belonging to Barnes. Cook built and owned a house in Milwaukee, but seems to have lived here in Waukesha until his death in 1900. Cook left the house to his widow Harriet Hadfield (a family also known for local business ventures), who then left it to her sister Mrs. Matilda Bryant.

The Bryant family has always had a passion for helping the community, which can be seen when Matilda made a sizable donation to the Methodist church in Waukesha. She later sold the house to her son Henry and his wife Margaret Brate. The couple clearly inherited the family’s compassion for the community along with the family home. Margaret was an active member of Carroll's campus community, doing makeup for Carroll plays, holding tea parties for students, and making lilac bouquets for Carroll graduates. The lilac bushes that she used to make these bouquets are still on the property, so if you stop by in late May, you can smell the historic flowers! Henry and Margaret also boarded one of Carroll's librarians for a time, and during the Depression they allowed their house to be used as a woman’s dorm for a year or two.

Henry and Margaret sold the house to their son Tony, who recalls childhood adventures exploring Carroll's campus. For the past 50 years, Anthony and his wife Andrea Bryant have supported civic activities in Waukesha County and the greater Milwaukee area through both financial donations and hands-on volunteering. Eventually, with assistance from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Anthony and Andrea Bryant Family Fund was established, with 75% of donations go to non-profit organizations recommended by the Bryants.

Beyond the Bryants' embodiment of generousity and community spirit their house and its history are a physical reminder of Carroll’s roots, as both the Bryant house and Main Hall were built with Waukesha limestone. The Bryant family also reminds us to remember our communities as we pioneer the future.

Bryant, Anthony and Andrea (Current Barnes Home Owners), in discussion with Melissa Graham and Kimberly Redding, August 2010.

"Calvin Cole Barnes" https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125930273/calvin-cole-barnes

Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Accessed July 13, 2020. https://www.greatermilwaukeefoundation.org/donors/donor-stories/anthony-and-andrea-bryant/.

"Lure of Prairieville Brings Englishman Here," Waukesha Daily Freeman, 16 May 1934.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, Barnes House, Waukesha, Wisconsin.