Milwaukee County Historical Society

History of Trimborn Farm

The history of Trimborn Farm falls into three distinct periods:

Trimborn FamilyLime Manufacture: (ca. 1847 to 1899)

Werner Trimborn, with his children Leonard, August, and Helena emigrated from Prussia to Milwaukee in 1847. In 1851, Trimborn formed a partnership with Jacob Kier, bought a quarry, a kiln and ten acres at this site and started a lime production business. Kier did not continue with this venture, but the Trimborns went on to become one of the largest producers of high quality lime in Wisconsin.

By the late 1870s, Trimborn Farm encompassed over 500 acres and employed approximately 40 people. After Werner Trimborn's death in 1879, his sons continued the business. In 1882, they leased the farm and the lime business to outside interests while retaining ownership of the land. Around 1900, the development of new building materials, specifically the introduction of Portland cement, led to a dramatic decline in the demand for lime. As a result, the Trimborn family gradually began the process of selling off the farm.

Dairy Farming: (ca. 1900 to 1935)

Trimborn Farm LithographBy 1901, much of the site was a working dairy farm owned by the Theodore Vollmer family. In 1919, the Froemming family purchased another portion of the original property and farmed it. They are best remembered for constructing greenhouses that were in use until the 1980s. In 1928, a large portion of the Froemming land was donated to Whitnall Park. Thomas Saxe, a gentleman farmer and movie theater entrepreneur purchased what was left of Trimborn Farm. He was a guiding force in early movie theaters throughout the state, most notably the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee's Eastside.

Federal Ownership: (ca. 1935 to 1952)

The farm was owned by the federal government as part of the Greendale Project and was rented out for agricultural use. After passing into private ownership, the site became home to farmers and crop dusters and the site of a riding stable.