Signal Hill Farm

Signal Hill Farm White Oak Springs, Lafayette County, Wisconsin
The following information about Signal Hill Farm was given to me by Beryl White (Thomas Ross/Edward Ocean/Thomas White) in about 1978. The pictures are for the most part copies of pictures in the possession of other family members. Please click on thumbnails to enlarge.
Pioneer Farmhouse built late 1840's photo by George L. White Signal Hill Farmhouse c.1880 For identification on back click here Signal Hill Farm c1910 photo by George L. White Signal Hill Farmhouse c1979 Signal Hill Farmhouse c.1982 photo by Rosslyn Brown Edward O. White Family Members Signal Hill Farm c1916 photo provided by Beryl White Signal Hill Farm Pigs c1910 photo by George L. White White Thorn Schoolhouse Back stereogram photo of farmhouse and famiy members above with identification.	The White family settled on a farm in the White Oak Springs area about two miles south of Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Thomas White must have been a man of more than average means because he purchased 240 acres from the US government at $1.25 per acre and established Signal Hill Farm. In addition to traditional farming, Thomas White bred and raced horses. The most popular of these horses was called “Timewood”. Signal Hill Farm locates the second highest point in Wisconsin (not a rock point but a rounded cultivated field) and presents excellent views to the north and west. The stage coach route between Chicago and Dubuque via Freeport and Galena ran through the farm (the route can still be distinguished) and a Stage Coach Inn (one-half mile west of the southwest corner of the farm) is still in existence as a farm house. A cemetery of cholera victims is situated in the “grove” on the east side of the highway on the very crown of “White’s Hill”, but because of the nature of the disease and great fear of it the graves were unmarked and the exact location is unknown. The only known burial is the Paquette Indian. The family burial plot is located in a country cemetery, Eastern White Oak Cemetery, one half mile south of the south east corner of Signal Hill Farm. Thomas and Margaret White are buried there. The farm was called the Signal Hill Farm because a watch tower to signal Indian raids was located on the highest (near the southeast corner) point and the remains were still visible in the 1930’s. The farm comprised 60 acres of uncultivated “grove”, a large part of which were valuable black walnut trees and remained as such until the 1940’s. A very early Boy Scout log cabin (built when Brooks was in scouting) existed from the very early teens until it burnt in the 1920’s. The large family of 12 children (6 boys and 6 girls) was raised in a pioneer log cabin and the eight room frame house was built in 1876 for a total cost of $2700. Margaret March White died at Signal Hill Farm on May 5, 1875. Thomas White died December 17, 1889 at Signal Hill Farm. The farm is in the area of large lead and zinc mines and drilling by the Eagle Picker Mining Company in 1941 revealed that the farm contained moderate ore deposits at 300-400 foot depth but that an extremely rich “pod” of ore was located on the extreme northeast corner of the farm and extended into the neighboring farms. Eagle Picker put down a shaft one quarter mile west of the farm in 1947 and extended miles of ore producing, tunneled areas to the north, south, and west but did not extend east to enter Signal Hill Farm until 1978. By that time the price of lead and zinc had dropped because of foreign imports and environmental restrictions increased such that Signal Hill Farm was not mined. When Searle died, the farm was owned in the following proportions: Gyrlie (Emma Ida) 18%, Brooks !8%, Ted 18%, Archie 18%, and Ross held 28% based on a statement tiled in county court house. (Ross had provided groceries for the farm during the depression.) Sale of the farm in 1971 by sealed bid to Jack Metcalf brought $42.30 per acre. He sold the farm in 1979 for $1100 per acre. Raw mineral rights of Signal Hill Farm were retained by the families involved and a permanent trust for handling same was set up at the First National Bank of Platteville, Wisconsin. The farm had a large hay barn with stalls for horses and stanchions for milk cows, a sheep barn with grain storage above, a concrete hog barn, machine shed, concrete chicken house, three stall garage, corn crib, well house etc., in addition to the eight room home. Because of poor maintenance in later yours, everything, including the house, deteriorated into rubbish and was demolished in 1980. The house site and barnyard reverted to corn fields.