National Register of Historic Places listings in Walworth County, Wisconsin facts for kids
Have you ever wondered about the oldest and most special buildings or places in your area? In Walworth County, Wisconsin, there's a list of these amazing spots! It's called the National Register of Historic Places. This list helps protect important buildings, homes, and areas that tell us about the past.
Walworth County has 49 places on this special list. Imagine how many stories these places could tell! A few other places were once on the list but have since been removed, maybe because they were changed or torn down.
Cool Historic Places in Walworth County
Let's explore some of the fascinating historic places you can find in Walworth County!
Homes with History
Many of the buildings on the list are old homes, each with its own unique style and story.
The A. H. Allyn House
This grand house at 511 E. Walworth Ave. in Delavan was built in 1885. It's a great example of the Queen Anne style, which means it has lots of fancy details, towers, and different textures. It was designed by a famous architect named E. Townsend Mix for a rich farmer, Alexander Allyn. Over the years, it's been a nursing home, a furniture store, and now it's a home again!
The John and Margaret Bell House
Found at 554 Spring Prairie Rd. in Spring Prairie, this house was built in 1852. It's special because it's made from local sandstone. It mixes two cool styles: Greek Revival (like ancient Greek temples) and Italianate (with wider eaves and tall windows). John Bell was important because he started the first tree nursery in Walworth County!
Black Point: A Mansion by the Lake
At 580 S. Lake Shore Dr. in Linn, you'll find Black Point. This huge Queen Anne mansion was built in 1888 for Conrad Seipp, a German immigrant who became a Chicago brewer. It even has a four-story tower with amazing views of Geneva Lake. Today, it's a museum you can visit!
Bonnie Brae
This Queen Anne mansion at 78 Snake Rd. in Linn was built in 1881. It was made for Judge Thomas Withrow and named after his daughter, Bonnie.
Buena Vista House: A Cobblestone Wonder
Located at 2090 Church St. in East Troy, this building was an inn built in 1846. It's in the Greek Revival style and is the largest building in Wisconsin covered in cobblestones! Imagine how long it took to place all those stones.
Douglass-Stevenson House
This house at Main and Mill Sts. in Fontana was built in the 1840s. Some of its walls are even made with a unique style called stovewood construction. Carlos Douglass, who lived here, helped develop Fontana by building grist mills and donating land for the first school. He even became a state legislator!
Edward Elderkin House: An Octagon Home
At 127 S. Lincoln St. in Elkhorn, you'll see a very unusual house. Built in 1856 for lawyer Edward Elderkin, it's an octagon house, meaning it has eight sides! It also has a small tower on top called a cupola.
Halverson Log Cabin: A Pioneer Home
This simple but important log cabin is on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. It was built in 1846 by Norwegian immigrants Gullik and Dorothea Halverson. In 1907, it was moved to the campus to become a museum, showing what pioneer life was like.
A.P. Johnson House and Fred B. Jones Estate
These two properties near Delavan and Delavan Lake are special because they were designed by the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The A.P. Johnson House (3455 S. Shore Dr.) is a Prairie School home from 1905. The Fred B. Jones Estate (3335 S. Shore Dr.), also known as Penwern Estate, is a group of Prairie School buildings from 1900-1903, including a gatehouse, main house, boathouse, and barn.
Horace Loomis House
South of East Troy on WI 120, this two-story Greek Revival house was built in 1851. It's another example of a building with a unique cobblestone exterior.
Important Public Buildings
Walworth County also has several public buildings on the list that served important roles in their communities.
Delavan Post Office
Located at 335 E. Walworth Ave. in Delavan, this post office was built in 2000. It's part of a larger group of historic post offices across Wisconsin.
Elkhorn Band Shell
You can find this beautiful band shell in Sunset Park in Elkhorn. Built in 1926, it has a Classical Revival style, designed for great sound. It was moved to this park in 1962 and still hosts summer concerts today!
Elkhorn Municipal Building
At 9 S. Broad St. in Elkhorn, this public building was designed in the Art Deco style and built in 1931. It used to house the fire department, city offices, and even an auditorium!
Elkhorn Post Office
This post office at 102 E. Walworth St. in Elkhorn was built in 1936. It has an Art Moderne style, which is a sleek, modern look. Inside, there's a cool mural painted by Tom Rost that shows how mail used to be delivered on horseback!
Horticultural Hall
At 330 Broad St. in Lake Geneva, this Craftsman-styled building was built in 1912. It was used by the Lake Geneva Horticultural Society and gardening clubs, showing the community's love for plants and nature.
The Riviera
This building at 810 Wrigley Dr. in Lake Geneva is a well-known landmark. It was added to the National Register in 1986.
Smith and Meadows Store Buildings
Located at 2888-2890 Main St. in East Troy, these brick storefronts were started in 1854. They have cool round-arched windows, showing the style of old shops.
Whitewater Hotel
At 226 W. Whitewater St. in Whitewater, this hotel was added to the list in 2010. It's a reminder of how travelers used to stay in the area.
Whitewater Passenger Depot
This old train station at 301 W. Whitewater St. in Whitewater was where people would catch trains. It was listed in 2013, reminding us of the importance of railroads in the past.
Whitewater Post Office
Another historic post office, this one at 213 Center St. in Whitewater, was built as part of a program to construct post offices across Wisconsin.
Historic Districts and Other Sites
Sometimes, not just one building, but a whole area or a special site is considered historic.
Delavan Downtown Commercial Historic District
This district in Delavan includes the 200, 300, and 400 blocks of E. Walworth Ave. It's a collection of buildings that show what the downtown area looked like long ago.
Delavan's Vitrified Brick Street
The 100-300 blocks of E. Walworth Ave. in Delavan are special because they were paved with brick in 1913. This was a huge improvement from muddy or dusty roads! Some of the original bricks are still there today.
Delavan Water Tower Park Historic District
This district in Delavan includes Park Place and E. Walworth Ave. It's another area that shows the town's history, including its water tower.
Downtown Darien Historic District
This commercial area in Darien developed after the railroad arrived in the 1850s. Many of the original wooden shops burned down in fires in 1909 and 1912, and were rebuilt with sturdy red brick.
Grace and Pearl Historic District
In Sharon, this residential district has 62 historic homes! They show different architectural styles from the 1860s to the early 1900s, like Italianate, Queen Anne, and Dutch Colonial Revival.
Main Street Historic District (Whitewater)
This district in Whitewater covers parts of W. Main St. and Church St. It's a collection of buildings that tell the story of Whitewater's main street.
Main Street Historic District (Lake Geneva)
Similar to Whitewater, this district in Lake Geneva includes parts of Main St. It shows the historic heart of Lake Geneva.
Maple Park Historic District
This district in Lake Geneva is generally bounded by North, Cook, Main, and Maxwell Sts. It's another area with many historic homes and buildings.
Maples Mound Group and Mile Long Site
These two sites, near Whitewater and Delavan respectively, are "Address Restricted." This means their exact locations are kept secret to protect important archaeological findings, like ancient Native American mounds or other historical remains.
Other Interesting Listings
Heart Prairie Lutheran Church
South of Whitewater on Town Line Rd., this Greek Revival church was built in 1855. It's made of cream-colored brick and is a beautiful example of early church architecture.
Sheboygan Light, Power and Railway Company Car#26
This historic railway car, number 26, is located at 2015 Division St. in East Troy. It's a piece of transportation history, showing how people used to travel by electric railway.
Wandawega Inn
At W5453 Lake View Dr. in Sugar Creek, the Wandawega Inn was listed in 2015. It's part of a historic camp that has been around for a long time.
Former Listings
Sometimes, a place that was once on the National Register of Historic Places is removed. This can happen if the building is torn down or changed so much that it no longer has its historic value.
For example, the Bradley Knitting Company in Delavan, the Lake Geneva Depot, and Loramoor (a property near Lake Geneva) were all once on the list but have since been removed. Phoenix Hall, part of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan, was also delisted.
Images for kids
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The historic Douglass-Stevenson House.
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The cobblestone Horace Loomis House.
