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Madison’s Bauer Park Added to State Historic Registry

The old white home sitting at the entrance to Bauer Park may have always been seen by residents as historic, but now the state sees it that way, too. As of May 3, the Amasa J. Dowd House/Bauer Farm at 257 Copse Road in Madison was listed on the State Register of Historic Places.

Located on Copse Road, Bauer Park was established back in 1990 when Erwin Bauer gave his family farm to the Town of Madison. The park encompasses close to 65 acres, home to open fields, forestland, wetlands, the farmhouse, barn, tool shed, and garage.

Beach & Recreation Department Director Scot Erskine said the town has been working on getting the house registered since 2014. According to Erskine, there are financial advantages to being on the registry.

“We were trying to get on the state historic registry because there is a state historic restoration fund where we can obtain money to help restore the house,” he said. “The funding that went into that fund went into something else so the historic restoration fund is kind of stagnant right now, but if it ever gets funded again, we would be able to apply for those grants to finally restore the house.”

The house is in need of a new heating system after the current system failed years ago, new electrical, and a HVAC system to help with climate control to preserve the home. Outside of the financial opportunities, Erskine said being on the registry is notable in and of itself.

“Being listed we showed that the house had a significant contribution to the history of Madison—in this case the agricultural history,” he said. “At present we open the house to people during the Harvest Festival as we have it set as a museum of antique tools and so that people can see how the house itself as it was built in 1850.”

The park welcomes about 200 people per week who use the park for dog walking, gardening, environmental classes, photography, painting, and the like, according to Erskine, who said being on the registry will not change how the park operates.

“The municipality still has full control,” he said. “This is just the state registry.”