Historical places are important because they often tell a compelling narrative of life as lived by past generations. Additionally, they serve as reminders of certain life-altering events or represent specific ethnic or pioneer cultures.
Wisconsin boasts many historic places worth seeing, from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s log cabin inspiration to homes built for beer barons. Here are just a few.
Madeline Island
Madeline Island stands as an extraordinary symbol in Lake Superior. For centuries it was considered sacred by Ojibwe people. According to traditional Anishinabeg myth, Gitche Manitou told them they must travel west until they reached a place with “food growing on water.”
The Island once flourished as a bustling community of fur traders, loggers, fishermen, sailors and summer tourists; now it has evolved into a thriving arts and culture community with strong environmental connections.
Leo Capser first fell in love with Madeline Island in 1903. Since then, he and his wife made preservation of its history their life’s work, ultimately giving rise to the Madeline Island Museum comprising four historic log structures relocated and connected together into one modern museum; exhibits tell tales of Native Americans tribes, fur traders, early missionaries and much more!
The Wade House
Wade House, a Wisconsin Historical Society site in Greenbush, offers visitors an exciting and interactive way to experience Wisconsin history. Among its attractions are an 1850s stagecoach inn from that era, reconstructed Herrling sawmill, and Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum with Wisconsin’s largest collection of antique carriages and wagons.
On-site amenities also include a period kitchen, blacksmith shop, taproom, and barns that house friendly farm animals. Your visit will give you the chance to sample food from period kitchens while watching sparks fly from an anvil and smell fresh sawdust!
The Wade House Historic Site features a year-round calendar of events, from daily demonstrations and seasonal activities, to popular historical site. Attracting over 100,000 guests annually, its name honors pioneer settlers Sylvanus and Betsy Wade (owners of an inn on Sheboygan to Fond du Lac plank road during 1850s), which now stands as a multi-structure complex designed to evoke Wisconsin’s frontier during early nineteenth century stagecoach travel days.
The Wisconsin Dells
The Dells is a tourism mecca with something for everyone, offering everything from charming village life to outdoor adventure and everything in between. Covering only 20 square miles and with just over 6,500 residents, its population lies just above 6,500 and it features the Wisconsin River cutting through it at various points – along with towering cliffs, gorges, rock formations made out of Cambrian sandstone – that have attracted visitors for more than 160 years.
Wisconsin Dells is known as the Waterpark capital of the world and attracts over one million visitors annually, contributing substantially to local economic activity through spending by tourists. According to Leah Hauck-Mills of Wisconsin Dells Visitors and Convention Bureau’s Communications team, new attractions keep bringing people back for more experiences and attractions.
Henry Hamilton Bennett opened up Wisconsin Dells to visitors thanks to his efforts. His studio, thought to be one of the oldest operating businesses there, exhibits his original photographs, inventions and camera equipment for all to view – serving as a reminder that history doesn’t always consist of dramatic events or life-altering discoveries; sometimes its significance lies in preserving a way of life.
The Belmont House
History-making sites often mark pivotal events and lifestyles of yesteryear; Wisconsin boasts over thirty National Historic Landmark properties from a submarine to circus headquarters that make this claim.
Joseph Goodrich single-handedly founded Milton, starting from nothing. He organized school classes, established churches, helped settlers build blacksmith shops, lobbied for railroad service through town, and made use of his hexagonal Milton House as both hotel, store, and passageway for free black men and women to escape slavery from 1844-1867.
The Tripoli Shrine Temple is an exquisite example of Moorish Revival architecture, boasting features like its 30 foot (9 meter) dome, minarets and intricate mosaics. Owned privately by Shriners International organization and open for guided tours as well as special events; its exterior was inspired by India’s Taj Mahal.
