The House

This house, built in 1861, was the home of Frank Lloyd Wright's uncle James Lloyd-Jones. Wright spent boyhood summers here, working on his uncle's farm and falling in love with the valley where he would later build his own home. It's said that from the upper front window of the house, young Wright could see the sites of Taliesin, the masterpiece he built for himself; and Unity Chapel, whose ceiling represents his first work as an architect; and Hillside School, which he designed for his aunts and later made the headquarters of his architectural fellowship. Taliesin and the school, obscured by trees, are no longer visible from the Main House at Aldebaran but can be seen from other parts of the property. Still clearly visible from the Main House is Midway Barn, which lies halfway between the school and Taliesin.

In 1943, the James Lloyd-Jones property was purchased by the architect William Wesley Peters, Wright's associate and son-in-law, who renovated the Main House and the Great Barn. Peters, who considered himself an acolyte of the great man, named the farm Aldebaran, which is Arabic for "the follower" and the name of a bright red star in the eye of the constellation Taurus.

The property, which comprises several buildings and about 18 acres, is protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement administered by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy. It is one of several protected properties along the Lowery Creek Watershed.