For 168 years, the McFarland House has been a place where people passing through the village, as well as its residents, gathered. The vernacular Greek Revival house at 5923 Exchange Street is in the original town center of McFarland, a few miles southeast of Madison. The House commands recognition as a visual landmark in the village due to its large size.

“It was the first home seen while traveling by train into the village and is still the focal point when arriving by auto [and now by bicycle on the Lower Yahara River Trail] into the original town center,” according to the National Register of Historic Places nomination. Built in 1857 by the village’s founder, William McFarland, the McFarland House was listed on the Register in 1988.

Including the attic, the McFarland House is two-and-a-half stories tall. A large rectangular wood-framed building, it has two brick chimneys on either end. Its appearance is quite symmetrical with a centered front entrance. Trapdoors (now turned into skylights) that opened through the roof from the attic were included as a safety precaution when the house was originally constructed due to its proximity to the railroad, where flying sparks from trains could start a house fire. Trapdoors in the attic allowed firefighters to vent smoke and gases accumulating on the lower floors in the event of a fire.

William and Sela McFarland and family sitting in front of the house. Photograph provided by McFarland Historical Society

William began working for the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Co. as a carpenter in the early 1850s and was soon promoted to construction superintendent. He had been convinced to build a depot at a new railroad stop being established between Stoughton and Madison. William built the depot (no longer extant) in 1856, became the depot agent, and built the McFarland House the next year.

William played a pivotal role in the development of the village named after him. Agriculture was expanding in Wisconsin during the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. If a community like McFarland, which provided services for area farmers, was to sustain growth, the railroad was necessary. “[William] McFarland’s efforts toward directing the construction of the depot and his management of the station as local agent were the base upon which much of the later commercial activity developed,” as stated in the National Register nomination. He was a mover and shaker in the community, donating property for the Methodist church, deeding land for a school, and serving as postmaster. Throughout the years, the House’s interior has been remodeled by its owners.

William’s family occupied the first floor from the start. While he died in 1908, descendants lived there until 1969, when the building was purchased by Harold and Martha Fager. In 1986, village resident Fern Allen opened Earth Designs Floral Shoppe on the first floor. Steve and Donna Washa purchased the House in 2001. The Washas opened McFarland House Café where Earth Designs had been and developed an English garden in the yard. The current owners, Shaun and Jessica O’Hearn, took over the café in 2015 then purchased the property in 2018.

In addition to the House, there’s also a small one-story gable-roofed building on the premises that was built by the Fagers. An underground hallway connects the basements of the two structures. The former greenhouse is now an ice cream shop run by high school senior Lily O’Hearn as well as an arcade, Liam’s Rec Room—the brainchild of her brother, Liam. This past summer, the O’Hearns added an event tent in the backyard that can seat up to 200.

“The past owners always wanted to make use of this open space, and now we do,” says Shaun. “In addition, we featured live music on Thursday and Friday nights and during Sunday brunch. We will start up again in the spring.”

Shaun grew up less than a mile from the McFarland House, and his first job in the food service business was at the Green Lantern Restaurant on Lake Waubesa, where he bussed tables, bartended, and learned how to cook. Always wanting to be his own boss in his own space, purchasing McFarland House on its more-than-half-acre plot was the perfect opportunity.

Photograph provided by McFarland Historical Society

The McFarland House served as an unofficial boarding house and community event center during its early years. Celebrations, services, socials, dances, and meetings were held in the spacious third-floor attic. Shaun remodeled that space into two short-term Airbnb rentals. His role as innkeeper is one Shaun relishes. He enjoys meeting guests looking to move to the area and then seeing them after they’ve found a permanent home. Shaun plans to convert two apartments on the second floor into four more Airbnb units. “McFarland has no hotels, so I’d like to be able to generate room tax to fund the Chamber of Commerce’s promotion of the village.”

For anyone looking to open a business in a historic building, Shaun says, “There are hoops to jump through, so familiarize yourself with the municipal code in your community. Sit down with the folks on the local landmarks commission to make sure your vision is aligned with theirs. You’re working together to do what’s best to keep the historical value of the building. … Taking things that are old and making them new is so much more efficient than building new. I would like to update the siding and exterior doors. I’m always looking for new materials and products for historic homes that don’t destroy the integrity of the original. I want to make sure the House is standing 100 years from now.”

Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer.

McFarland House Café is open daily for breakfast and lunch as well as Thursday and Friday evenings. Orders can also be placed online at mcfarlandhousecafe.com. Lily’s Ice Cream Parlour, which serves Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, and Liam’s Rec Room have winter seasonal hours and are open daily starting in mid-March.