The property which became Wakefield Farms was purchased in 1998 as a weekend escape from the hub-bub of Houston. The owners were raised on a farm and in a farming community even though they had lived their adult lives in cities. The property consisted of approximately 35 acres and the antique Greek Revival farmhouse was in residence. It had been moved to the property from Bleiblerville, Texas (where it was being used to store hay) via Chappell Hill, Texas in 1991. An ongoing process of restoration began on the farmhouse while a barn and chicken coop were being constructed. Initially, systems were shored up to “keep in” the air conditioning and heating! Next, an indoor bath was relocated off the parlor cum bedroom so no one would have to walk through the bathroom to get to the kitchen! Scheduled for 2004 is the completion of a second bedroom and bath in the ½ storey/attic. The property quickly became more meaningful than an occasional get-a-way. By 2002, the owners made the complete move to the property. Wakefield Farms was officially born and named for the paternal grandmother of the owner. 2003 has seen the birth of four female calves and one male calf!

In 2000, the saltbox was disguised under a burned out skin of vinyl siding which included a Victorian-era addition. The interior was encased by lowered ceilings, faux wood paneling and carpeting; also burned out.
At that time, the saltbox was located at 405 South Market, just two blocks east of downtown Brenham and east of the bus terminal. Demolition was done at that location to uncover the original dwelling while 125 year old building materials were salvaged from the addition to restore the saltbox. Once completed, the house was moved by Yokum Moving to Wakefield Farms. Once in place, restoration began and the result is the building you see today.

During the restoration, an exterior door was found to originally exist where paneling was removed from around a small bathroom window. It was restored and is now the back entrance to the dwelling. A modern medicine cabinet had been cut into the room just inside the door from the parlor. To minimize new cuts into the antique dwelling, the electrical panel was installed in its’ place. The floor in the utility was fraught with dry rot and termite damaged. It was replaced by vintage floor boards salvaged from the demolished Victorian-era addition. The only window original to the house and originally double hung is in the utility. It was originally located in the façade of the building on the bedroom side. It was moved to provide continuity with the windows on the façade as the rest of the windows in the dwelling were too destroyed to be saved or not original to the building.

A later door and window was removed and replaced by the triple window now occupying the space above the bathtub; the modern era kitchen became the bath! The water closet was installed where an old pantry had been cobbled into the kitchen. The north wall of this room was missing once the demolition was completed. Old 18” wide boards were purchased from a Brenham antiques dealer to mimic the original siding of the house and were installed to dry-in this side of the building. The original floor in the bath was also damaged by termites and dry rot once excavated. Three layers of linoleum and a second hardwood floor laid perpendicularly to the first were demolished to uncover the damage to the original floor. It, too, was replaced by vintage floor boards salvaged from the demolished Victorian-era addition.

In the bedroom, the east window still shows the marks of having been occupied earlier by another door. The original saltbox either had two front doors or the current front door was added or relocated from the room currently used as the bedroom. On the wall separating the bedroom from the parlor, you can still see the irregular boards that made up a “raise up” window. It is speculated that the dwelling may have originally been used by the builder as a bakery or retail space prior to being moved to South Market Street where it was used as a home. The hinges to the window were preserved and remain attached to the boards making up the ‘window’ on the inside of the wall!

In the parlor where the boards are too perfect, fire damage occurred and the originals had to be replaced. A closet not original to the room was removed to provide the space for the entirety of the parlor. The wet bar armoire now sits in lieu of the removed closet. An old access to the attic had been cut into the ceiling at the top of this closet. This cut was used to house the cold air return and the pull down stairs to access the attic while minimizing additional cuts into the original dwelling. During the fire, fireman made a cut into the exterior of the façade/south side of parlor window. The siding removed to check for fire was saved and placed back into its original location. Saved and placed in this same window are the porcelain electrical conduits discovered during the demolition and which dates the electrical wiring to the technology of its time.

Similar building characteristics to other dwellings constructed by German immigrants of the time of this cottage were visible during the ‘archeological demolition’ of the burned out structure back to the original dwelling seen today. First, the building originally had the board and batten style of siding. This was exposed with the 2000 fire and subsequent restoration. Thus, where board and batten siding was missing due to later modifications/fire, vintage building materials were used to restore the board and batten siding. As was later common, the building was then clad in clapboard siding. Hence, this dwelling actually has two layers of exterior siding restored with period materials. The clapboard siding was restored with reclaimed siding from the Victorian-era addition. New clapboard was used only when this source was exhausted. Porch pillars added with the Victorian-era addition were saved and now stand in a “fairy ring” in the stand of pecan and hackberry trees at the dry stream on Wakefield Farms.

This cottage can be architecturally characterized as a Texas saltbox; distinguished from a New England saltbox by the break in the back roof line. It was built sometime in the early 1850’s. by William Zeiss, a German immigrant who came to America in 1852 (determined by the date on his “Reise Pass”.) to escape the political turbulence of that time.

His Reisepass or travel pass was dated the 10th of September, 1852 in Ziegenhain, Hesse. First he traveled to Bremen where he boarded the ship “Anna Elise” with 91 other passengers including a much older cousin. After arriving in Galveston on the 18th of December, 1852 and going through the immigration station at Indianola (which later was blown away in a hurricane), he was in America, 19 years old and virtually alone.

Wilhelm was the youngest of eleven children born to Johann Lorentz Zeiss (1781-1856) and Anna Katharina Edliing (1789-1856), all born in Ziegenhain, Hesse where church records indicate that the family’s ancestors have resided there since the year 1608.

William’s family were told: Wilhem first ran a fruit wagon from Galveston to Brenham, Texas, about 125 miles, and was learning the baking trade in Houston from Mr. Schotz at Schotz Bakery until he opened his own bakery in 1856 in Brenham. Brenham, Washington County; was one of three areas being settled by many German immigrants as early as the 1830’s. Brenham, New Braunfels and Fredericksberg are to this day still very much impacted with the influence of German history and culture.

All the while farming, William also made his mark as the first German merchant and baker in Brenham. And, it is believed that this Texas saltbox was the first bakery in Brenham, Texas. The place of the old flu from the bakery oven can still be seen in the cutout in the southwest ceiling corner of the current bath. Also, the old store window William sold his bread from is still in tact on the southeast wall of the bedroom. During the restoration of the house, it was speculated that due to the framing techniques used, the back two rooms were, originally a porch on the back of the two room dwelling as the vertical 2” X 4”’s did not go all the way up to the roof. Thus, the porch, most likely, was dried in to accommodate the bakery and its oven.

Originally, the house sat at 107 South St. Charles Street in Brenham where Otto’s Barber Shop now occupies the site. It was moved to 405 East Alamo Street in Brenham to make way for the building which stands on St. Charles Street today.

During his first four years in Texas, he amassed enough wealth to buy three two storey buildings in downtown Brenham. These buildings are still in the Zeiss family today. The family understood that William did not borrow money and still wonder how he did so much in such a short period of time. On February 3, 1857, he found time to marry Anna Gertrude Hering (1836-1912). Two sons were born of this union, Henry Andrew Zeiss (1858-1931) and William Nicholas Zeiss 91860-1937). Family lore tells of William Nicholas having been “born in the bakery”; hence this house while in use as such.

William was quite successful in his business ventures and bought and sold land in addition to operating the bakery. The family still occupies the 256 acre family farm approximately three miles east of Brenham on New Year’s Creek. Due to the death of William’s mother and father and because of opportunity in Texas, William brought other members of his family to Texas in 1859 inclusive of his brother, Nicolas the 10th child, and his sister Martha, the 9th child. Soon to follow were Anna Elisabeth Zeiss (1818-1910) the widow of Johannes Zeiss (1812-1848), the 3rd child and their two children: Ulrich Lorenz Zeiss 91840-1910) and Anna Catherine Zeiss (1845-1920). Ultimately, four generations of the Zeiss family lived in the house on Alamo Street at some time during their lives: William Zeiss, William Nicholas Zeiss, William Henry Zeiss and William E. Zeiss.

When Mrs. R. E. Pennington wrote and published The History of Brenham and Washington County in 1915, she composed the following passage about William Zeiss:

“This staunch German was born in Hesse Cassell (Germany), September 19, 1833, and came to Houston when nineteen years of age, arriving after three years in Brenham. He opened a grocery store and bakery, and for fifty years was in business continuously, retiring in 1903.

William Zeiss is strong and vigorous; time has dealt gently with him, and even if he has reached the extreme age of 82, the period of life when man’s health and activities are supposed to be on the wane, he still preserves his interest in life, and his faculties re unimpaired. Close attention to business has brought the reward of wealth, and he has, too, that which is above great riches, the high regard of the citizens of Brenham.”

William Zeiss continued to live on past the “extreme age of 82” as documented by the Brenham Banner-Press newspaper on Monday, September 12, 1927 on page 3:

William Zeiss, Sr., one of Brenham’s oldest and most highly-esteemed citizens, has reached the great age of 95 (sic) years and is probably the oldest resident of Washington county. His birthday falls on September 9th, but the celebration was held Sunday, in order that relatives from a distance might join in the festivities.

This venerable gentleman was born in Zeinenhahn, near Kassel, Germany, and spent his boyhood there, learning the tailor’s trade. In December, 1852, he emigrated to America, the land of promise, landing at Galveston, from where he went to Houston, remaining there two and a half years. On June 19, 1855, he came to Brenham, then a straggling little village, and grew up with the town, watching it develop into one of the best little cities in the state. For seventy-two years, far longer than the average life-time, he had made his home in Brenham and is known and esteemed by numerous warm friends who will offer congratulations on his birthday.

Mr. Zeiss was married on February 3, 1857, and had three children , one of whom died in infancy. His wife passed away about fifteen (sic) years ago. His two sons, Henry Zeiss and William (sic) Zeiss, Jr., celebrated his birthday with him, as did three grand-children, and four great grand-children, besides other relatives, who enjoyed a pleasant family gathering.

A mammoth birthday cake, on which gleamed 95 candles, was the central feature of the table laden for the birthday spread, given in honor of this aged citizen who was one of the builders of Brenham, and who delights to talk about the old days when he was one of the town’s energetic young citizens. For many years he conducted a bakery most successfully where the Ruetz Bakery now stands, but long since retired from active business (sic) life because of advancing years.

Mr. Zeiss was the recipient of many handsome birthday gifts, and he spent a very happy day with his family. Among the presents was one from Mrs. Josie Flood of Monticello, Arkansas, a dear friend who was here for the birthday celebration.”