The exact date of erection is unknown. The Dane County Historical Society plaque, which hangs on the front of the house, dates the house back to 1853 while a 1948 Capital Times and a 1934 Milwaukee Journal article cite 1836 for the establishment of the house. The discrepancy remains important, for if the 1836 date is correct, the Keystone House is the oldest building on campus, thirteen years senior to North Hall, which is currently recognized as the first built.
The Petherick family lived in the house until William's death in 1873. Between Petherick and Winterble, from whom the University purchased the house, the succession of owners remains uncertain. The aforementioned Capital Times article cites Bill Jarvis as the next owner, who resided there only a short time before selling it to John Wall. Wall rented the house and its surrounding 40 acres to "Captain" Staines, who made Scotch bitters from "boneset," a plant that grew in profusion in the marsh north of the house. He brewed his bitters in two large vats housed in the a one-story shed behind the house known as the "bitters house."
According to the Milwaukee Journal, Staines owned the house rather than rented it and sold the house and its then 172 acres to Thomas Isom in 1882. After a long occupancy, Isom rented the house to Prof. and Mrs. Burleigh. (Sources again disagree as to whether the Burleighs rented or owned the house).
Freda Keyes Winterble bought the house in 1943 from Isom or Burleigh. Another discrepancy is whether architect Frank Riley or Arthur McLeod helped Winterble restore the home to its original style. A prominent citizen, Winterble often offered her house for public gatherings, such as concerts on the lawn by the Pro Arte Quartet.
Winterble first approached the University about purchasing the property in 1960 but funds were unavailable. Again in 1965 she suggested that the University procure the property since it would be needed for the proposed development of the new medical center. Because funds were still not readily available, the University asked the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to buy the property. In October 1965, WARF purchased the Keystone house for $110,000 and donated the property to the regents in 1968.
Although intended to be used as a president's or chancellor's house, in 1970 it was transformed into offices and small conference rooms. The first tenant in a succession of small programs was the Wisconsin Arts Council. The Max Kade Institute has resided in the Keystone house since 1983; joined by the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures in 2000.
In 1972, the Dane County Historical Society (DCHS) designated the Keystone House, named by Winterble after her family name Keys, as a historical landmark. Mrs. James Woodburn, president of the DCHS, presented Chancellor Edwin Young and Professor Fannie Taylor the commemorative plaque that hangs outside.
