Rosendale Farmhouse Haunted By What Could Have Been

When you enter an old farmhouse on Rose Eld Road in Rosendale you have to step carefully. The floor is littered with shattered glass, wood, and broken house fixtures. KFIZ News toured the home to observe the damage done by local kids. Shelly Rosenkranz has been a friend of the owner for more than 15 years. She gave us the tour. What happened there upsets her. She says, “Well I don’t want to cry, but I feel bad for him. Because now he will probably have to be responsible for tearing this house down and it is not right that it would cost him all that money to do that.” The owner of the farmhouse is Joel Streblow, a Gulf War Veteran. He had dreams of turning it into a group home, but now will have to tear it down. It’s suspected that three kids prosecuted for vandalism at Taylor Park in Rosendale were also involved in vandalizing the farm house. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department wasn’t able to prove that connection. Sheriff’s Captain Ryan Waldschmidt says the time lapse between the vandalism and when it was reported and reluctant witnesses hindered their investigation. He says, “You know when you are victimized by a crime, that’s what we exist for, that’s one of our responsibilities is investigating these.” Rosenkranz and Streblow were frustrated with the Sheriff’s investigation. But the department took a second look at it this past week. Waldschmidt says kids can’t resist the haunted house-like quality the farmhouse has taken on. He’s right it is haunted, by dreams of what could have been and innocence lost in thoughtless actions.  

Shelly Rosenkranz points out some of the interior damage.