Trimborn Farm

Address

Trimborn Farm
8881 West Grange Avenue
Greendale, Wisconsin 53129
Phone: 414-529-7744
Fax: 414-529-4325
Email Us

Hours of Operation

May 15 – October 15
Trimborn Farm Park: Open to 10 p.m.

Office: Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., all year, except major holidays.

Admission

Park admission free.
A self-guided tour brochure is available on the side porch of the farmhouse.

Guided tours for individuals and small groups - at 3 p.m. daily. Please call in advance to schedule a tour.
$4 per person. Under age six (6) free.

Accessibility: All buildings on the Trimborn Farm tour are accessible to the physically challenged except the farmhouse. Packed gravel drives and lawn may be difficult for those using wheelchairs or walkers. Two wheelchair accessible restrooms area available.

New Events at Trimborn!

Trimborn Farm Drop-In Programs 2010

New Series! The Trimborn Farm drop-in programs will occur on Thursdays periodically throughout the summer. Each will feature a unique history theme and activity for children and adults to try or make. Visitors are welcome to drop-in any time between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. for the programs.

Trimborn Farm Ethnic Concert Series 2010

New series! Visitors to the Trimborn Farm Ethnic Concert Series will enjoy a variety of music representing the various ethnic groups who have settled in the Milwaukee area. The concerts will be held in the evenings on the third Wednesdays of June, July, and August.

History

Take a giant step back into pioneer times with a visit to Trimborn Farm in the southwestern corner of Milwaukee County. Delve into Victorian-era industry, reminisce about 19th century farm life, and witness Wisconsin culture come to life as embodied by the immigrant entrepreneur Werner Trimborn, his family and his employees.

Trimborn Farm is the only Milwaukee County Park with a historic theme. The multifaceted property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a State Historic Site and a Milwaukee County Landmark.

Werner Trimborn acquired this Greenfield farm in 1850 and it proved valuable not just for the richness of the soil, but for the vein of limestone which lay underground. The production of lime was an important industry in pioneer Wisconsin as it was used in construction, in making soap and paper, in the purification of water, and as a fertilizer.

Trimborn’s farm was soon producing 200 barrels of lime daily with the assistance of forty laborers and at least fifty horses. After Trimborn’s death in 1879, his sons August and Leonard continued the business until the development of Portland cement made lime production unprofitable. The fires in the kilns died out and in 1935 the Trimborn property became part of the federal government’s Greenbelt project.

Today the complex includes the Cream City brick farmhouse, one of the last stone barns in Wisconsin, a bunkhouse for the workers, root cellar, and a 75-foot kiln. The property was acquired in 1980 by the Milwaukee County Park Commission for development into a historic site in conjunction with the neighboring Jeremiah Curtin House.

The Milwaukee County Historical Society took over management of the property in January 2004 for the Parks Department, and uses it for educational purposes for school children as well as adults. Several events, showing what life was like in that period, take place year-round on the Trimborn Farm buildings and grounds.

Pick N Save We Care
Trimborn Farm Donation Number: 836325

Do you shop at Pick N Save? Would you like to help Trimborn Farm?
Whenever you shop at Pick N Save, a percentage of what you spend can automatically come back to Trimborn Farm! You need to sign up for the Advantage Saver’s Club card. When you fill out the application, give them the Trimborn Donation Number: 836325. Use your card for all purchases and shop as you normally would. Pick N Save will donate a percentage of the total purchases to Trimborn Farm.

If you already have an Advantage card, go to the service counter and let them know you would like your percentage to go to Trimborn. Make sure to give them the Trimborn Donation Number: 836325.

If you are already signed up for a different organization, you can fill out a change form. However, you are only allowed to send your percentage to one organization.