National Register of Historic Places listings in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Location of Fond du Lac County in Wisconsin

Fond du Lac County in Wisconsin is home to many amazing old buildings and places! This list tells you about the special spots in the county that are on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important parts of history that are protected and celebrated. There are 51 of these cool places in Fond du Lac County.

Historic Treasures of Fond du Lac County

Fond du Lac City Landmarks

Fond du Lac, the county's biggest city, has many historic buildings.

• Aetna Station No. 5: This old fire station at 193 N. Main St. was built in 1875. It has a tall, four-story tower where firefighters used to hang hoses to dry! It was designed by a local architect named Thomas Green.

Aetna Station No. 5, a historic fire station.

• Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot: Located at 182 Forest Ave., this train station was built in 1891. It was designed by Charles Sumner Frost and served as a busy depot until the 1970s.

The old Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot.

• William I Cole House: You can find this two-story home at 303 Gillett St. Built in 1857, it belonged to William Cole, who was the vice-president of a bank.

The historic William I Cole House.

• George and Mary Agnes Dana House: This unique house at 136 Sheboygan St. was built in 1906. It looks like a Craftsman-style home from the outside, but has a fancy Classical style inside! George Dana owned a furniture company.

The George and Mary Agnes Dana House.

• East Division Street-Sheboygan Street Historic District: This is a whole neighborhood of historic homes! It includes 122 different properties with many cool styles, like the Greek Revival Hamilton house from 1852 and the Queen Anne Boyle house from 1890.

Homes in the East Division Street-Sheboygan Street Historic District.

• Rudolph and Louise Ebert House: This large Queen Anne-style house at 199 E. Division St. was built in 1892. It has two big towers and even a matching carriage house! Rudolph Ebert was a bank president and city treasurer.

The Rudolph and Louise Ebert House.

• El Dorado Apartments: At 130 Forest Ave., these four-story brick apartments were built in 1921. They were very modern for their time, with gas stoves, hot and cold water, and even telephones!

The El Dorado Apartments building.

• First Baptist Church of Fond du Lac: This beautiful church at 90 S. Macy St. was built between 1906 and 1907. It has a Neo-Gothic style and was very important to the Baptist community.

The First Baptist Church of Fond du Lac.

• Edwin H. Galloway House: This grand Italianate mansion at 336 E. Pioneer Rd. was started in 1846 and greatly expanded by Edwin Galloway between 1868 and 1880. Galloway was involved in many businesses and even served in the state government. Today, it's a museum!

The Edwin H. Galloway House, now a museum.

• Hotel Calumet: This three-story hotel at 170 Forest Ave. was built between 1902 and 1907. It was a "railroad hotel," meaning it mostly served travelers coming from the train station next door.

The historic Hotel Calumet.

• Hotel Retlaw: This impressive eight-story hotel at 15 E. Division St. was built in 1922-23. It was a very fancy hotel that hosted famous people like Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy!

The grand Hotel Retlaw.

• Kendall-Blankenburg House: Located at 47 Sixth St., this house was built in 1874 by Charles Kendall, a Civil War veteran. Later, Albert Blankenburg added a unique Stick style decoration to it.

The Kendall-Blankenburg House.

• Linden Street Historic District: This is another small neighborhood of historic homes, just southwest of downtown. It includes an interesting Octagon house from 1856 and other homes from the 1800s and early 1900s.

A home in the Linden Street Historic District.

• Moose Temple: This three-and-a-half-story brick building at 17-23 Forest Ave. was built around 1923. It originally had stores on the first floor and meeting rooms and an auditorium for the Loyal Order of Moose club upstairs.

The Moose Temple building.

• North Main Street Historic District: This area is part of Fond du Lac's old downtown. It includes buildings like the Schmidt Sample Room from 1852, where a famous activist named Carrie Nation once smashed a whiskey bottle!

Buildings in the North Main Street Historic District.

• Octagon House: At 276 Linden St., this unique 1.5-story house was built around 1856. It has eight sides and was designed by Orson Fowler. Isaac Brown, an early builder and Fond du Lac's first mayor, built it.

The Octagon House in Fond du Lac.

• William and Annie McDermott House: This beautiful Queen Anne-style home at 109 S. Park Ave. was built in 1899. William McDermott was a real estate developer who helped create McDermott Park.

The William and Annie McDermott House.

• South Main Street Historic District: This is the southern part of the old downtown, with buildings like the Frieberg Grocery from 1875 and the Commercial National Bank from 1903.

Buildings in the South Main Street Historic District.

• Montgomery and Nancy Tallmadge House: This two-story brick house at 225 Sheboygan St. was built in 1875. The Tallmadges were farmers who moved into town and built this lovely home.

The Montgomery and Nancy Tallmadge House.

• Wallace-Jagdfeld Octagon House: Another eight-sided house! This one is at 171 Forest Ave. and was built around 1857. Norman Wallace, a local jeweler, lived here.

The Wallace-Jagdfeld Octagon House.

Ripon City Landmarks

Ripon is another city in Fond du Lac County with a rich history.

• Baptist Church: This church at 133 East Fond Du Lac St. was built in 1857. It's the oldest church building still standing in Ripon and was later sold to the American Legion.

The historic Baptist Church in Ripon.

• Ceresco Site: This area in Ripon was once the site of an agricultural commune called the "Wisconsin Phalanx." It was founded in 1844 and was a unique community for its time.

Ceresco Site Park in Ripon.

• First Congregational Church: This prominent church at 220 Ransom St. was built between 1865 and 1868. It was designed by E. Townsend Mix and was important in the movement to end slavery and even helped form the Republican Party!

The First Congregational Church in Ripon.

• John Scott Horner House: Built around 1860, this house at 336 Scott St. belonged to John S. Horner, who helped found Ripon. He was also a governor of Michigan Territory and secretary of Wisconsin Territory.

The John Scott Horner House.

• Little White Schoolhouse: This small, one-room schoolhouse at the corner of Blackburn and Blossom Sts. is famous! It's believed to be where the U.S. Republican Party was formed during an anti-slavery meeting in 1854. It was built in 1853.

The Little White Schoolhouse, birthplace of the Republican Party.

• Longfellow School: This two-story elementary school at 221 Spaulding Ave. was built in 1927-28. It has a Collegiate Gothic style, which makes it look a bit like an old college building.

Longfellow School in Ripon.

• Marcellus Pedrick House: This Italianate house at 515 Ransom Ave. was built around 1858. It's special because it's believed to be the earliest house in Wisconsin built with concrete blocks! Marcellus Pedrick, a mason, built it himself.

The Marcellus Pedrick House.

• Ripon College Historic District: This district includes the older buildings of Ripon College. You can see East Hall, built between 1851 and 1863, which has both Greek Revival and Italianate styles.

East Hall at Ripon College.

• St. Peter's Episcopal Church: This church at 217 Houston St. was built in 1860. It has a Carpenter Gothic style and is covered in a unique board and batten siding.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Ripon.

• Southwest Historic District: This is a large residential area in Ripon with many historic homes. You can see different styles, like the Greek Revival Walcott house from 1853 and the Queen Anne Mead house from 1886.

A home in the Southwest Historic District of Ripon.

• Tygert Street Historic District: This neighborhood was partly developed by John Scott Horner, who helped found Ripon. It has homes from the 1850s to the 1930s, showing many different architectural styles.

A house in the Tygert Street Historic District.

• Watson Street Commercial Historic District: This district covers most of Ripon's old downtown area. It includes buildings like the Pettibone dry goods store from 1872 and the First National Bank, built in 1930 in the Art Deco style.

Buildings in the Watson Street Commercial Historic District.

• Jacob Woodruff House: This Octagon house at 610 Liberty St. was started in 1850. Jacob Woodruff was a blacksmith who helped found the Ceresco Phalanx commune. He also worked to end slavery and helped start the Republican Party in Wisconsin.

The Jacob Woodruff Octagon House.

Other Fond du Lac County Historic Sites

• Brandon Village Hall and Library: This building at 117 E. Main St. in Brandon was built in 1894. It first housed a harness shop and cold storage. In 1897, the village bought it and used it for meetings, the fire department, and later, the library.

Brandon Village Hall and Library.

• Club Harbor: Located at the junction of WI 151 and WI W in Pipe, this 2.5-story brick building was a stagecoach inn built in 1846. It was along the old Military Road that connected two forts.

Club Harbor, an old stagecoach inn.

• End of the Trail: In Shaler Park in Waupun, you'll find this bronze statue of a Native American warrior on his horse. It was created by James Earle Fraser in 1929 and given by Clarence Shaler.

The "End of the Trail" statue in Waupun.

• Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 89: This lodge at 203 W. Division St. in Rosendale was built in 1891. It was used for meetings, basketball games, plays, and dinners. Today, it houses the Rosendale Historical Society.

The Odd Fellows Lodge in Rosendale.

• Raube Road Site: This site in Springvale includes two parts of the old Military Road, which was built around 1835. This road connected Fort Howard (Green Bay) with Fort Crawford (Prairie du Chien).

A segment of the old Military Road.

• The Recording Angel: You can see this beautiful bronze sculpture in Forest Mound Cemetery in Waupun. It shows an angel holding the Book of Life and was created by Lorado Taft around 1923.

The "Recording Angel" sculpture.

• Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church: This rural church at 670 County Trunk Hwy. S in New Fane was built around 1871. It's made of fieldstone and has a Gothic style.

Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church.

• Sisson's Peony Gardens: At 207 N. Main St. in Rosendale, these gardens were started by Wilbur Sisson around 1920. They are a beautiful place to see peonies and even have a unique fieldstone windmill!

Sisson's Peony Gardens.

• St. John the Baptist Catholic Church: This Catholic church in Johnsburg was built of limestone from the local fields. It was started in 1857 and has a prominent steeple. The community was so strongly German that services were held in German until 1948!

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Johnsburg.

• St. Matthias Mission: This rural Catholic church at 1081 County Trunk S in New Fane was built in 1861 by immigrants from Prussia. It has a Carpenter Gothic style and an adjacent cemetery.

St. Matthias Mission.

• Waupun Post Office: This post office at 400 E. Franklin St. in Waupun was built in 1932. It has a Neoclassical style with red brick and limestone, and a cool carving of an eagle above the main door.

The Waupun Post Office.

• Zion Congregational Church: Located at N4042 Amity Rd. in Alto, this church was built in 1858 by Dutch immigrants. It has limestone walls and a Greek Revival style, and it also has a cemetery.

Zion Congregational Church.