National Register of Historic Places listings in Waupaca County, Wisconsin facts for kids

A map showing Waupaca County in Wisconsin

This page lists cool old buildings and places in Waupaca County, Wisconsin that are special enough to be on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list kept by the United States government to protect important historical sites. You can see where these places are on a map if their exact location is shared.

There are 25 different places and groups of buildings in Waupaca County that are on this special list!

Awesome Historic Places in Waupaca County

Browne Law Office

The Browne Law Office building

• Address: 202 E. Union St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1854
• What it is: This old office building was built in the Greek Revival style. It was used by a pioneer lawyer named E. L. Browne and later by his son, E. E. Browne, who became a U.S. congressman. People believe it's the oldest law office in Wisconsin that has been open non-stop!

Clintonville Post Office

The Clintonville Post Office

• Address: 2 N. Main St., Clintonville, Wisconsin
• Built: 1935
• What it is: This post office has a cool, modern look called Art Moderne. It was built during the Great Depression by the Public Works Administration, which was a government program to create jobs.

Commandant's Residence Home

The Commandant's Residence Home

• Address: Off WI 22, King
• Built: 1888
• What it is: This big home is built in the fancy Queen Anne style. It was designed by a famous architect named William Waters. It was built by the Grand Army of the Republic (a group of Civil War veterans) to house retired soldiers. Today, it's where the leader (commandant) of the Wisconsin Veterans Home lives.

Crescent Roller Mills

The Crescent Roller Mills building

• Address: 213 Oborn St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1884
• What it is: This three-story wooden building was a flour mill. It was the last mill in Wisconsin to use water power to grind flour, and it kept doing so into the 1960s!

Danes Hall

Danes Hall in Waupaca

• Address: 303 N. Main St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1894
• What it is: This large, three-story building was a meeting hall for the Danish Brotherhood in America. It was designed by William Waters and shows off both Queen Anne and Romanesque styles.

Henry and Elizabeth Delong House

The Henry and Elizabeth Delong House

• Address: 509 W. Fulton St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 2002
• What it is: This house is an American Foursquare style with Classical Revival touches. It was built by Conrad Gmeiner for his wife's parents. Conrad owned a local brickyard, so he used different materials and designs to show off his building skills.

Halfway House

The Halfway House

• Address: Potts Ave., King
• Built: 1852
• What it is: This building was a Stagecoach stop, meaning it was a place where horse-drawn coaches would stop for a break or to change horses. It was also known as Jones' Tavern.

Jens Hansen Wagon and Carriage Shop

Jens Hansen Wagon and Carriage Shop

• Address: 117 E. Fulton St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1868
• What it is: This two-story brick shop has cool Italianate details. It was built in 1868 and had more parts added around 1894.

Matt and Lena Jensen House

The Matt and Lena Jensen House

• Address: 501 W. Fulton St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1894
• What it is: This is a grand, three-story Queen Anne house. It was built for the Jensens by Hans Knudsen. Matt Jensen was a butcher and cattle-buyer who came from Denmark in 1872.

Philip H. Kasper Cheese Factory

• Address: West of Bear Creek on WI 22, Bear Creek
• Built: 1891
• What it is: This small, wooden building was a cheese factory. Philip H. Kasper was a big name in the dairy world. He was one of the first to pay for milk based on its butterfat content instead of just how much milk there was. He also helped start the Wisconsin Cheesemakers' Association and won many awards for his cheese!

Lake Street Historic District

Buildings in the Lake Street Historic District

• Address: Roughly bounded by S. Washington St., E. Badger St., Fifth St., and Tioga St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• What it is: This area is mostly made up of old homes. It includes 71 important buildings from different time periods and styles. You can see everything from an 1865 Greek Revival church to a 1926 Colonial Revival house.

Main Street Historic District

Buildings in the Main Street Historic District

• Address: Roughly along S. and N. Main Sts. from W. Union to Granite Sts., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• What it is: This is a business area with 43 important buildings. It includes the Hansen Wagon Shop (mentioned above), an 1877 Italianate-styled Masonic Meeting Hall, and the 1919 Godfrey Auto Company. It shows how the town's main street grew over time.

Mead Bank

The Mead Bank building

• Address: 215 Jefferson St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: Around 1862
• What it is: This small, early bank was built in the Greek Revival style for Henry C. Mead. Sadly, he was mysteriously murdered there in 1882.

Mumbrue-Penney House

The Mumbrue-Penney House

• Address: 404 S. Main St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1873
• What it is: This three-story house is built in the Second Empire style. It was first owned by Henry Cook Mumbrue, a storekeeper and politician. Later, Adelbert Penney bought it. He was known as the "potato king" because he owned many potato farms and helped make Waupaca a big center for trading potatoes.

Old Hospital

The Old Hospital building

• Address: Off WI 22, King
• Built: 1929
• What it is: This two-and-a-half-story brick building was once a hospital. It's built in the Mediterranean Revival style, with orange bricks and a red roof.

Peter and Jessie Olfson House

The Peter and Jessie Olfson House

• Address: 415 Granite St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1899
• What it is: Peter Olfson made his money trading potatoes starting in 1892. In 1899, he and his wife Jessie built this beautiful Queen Anne home, which has pretty stained glass windows and a fancy cast-iron fireplace.

Rural on the Crystal Historic District

A historic building in Rural, Wisconsin

• Address: Roughly bounded by Arbor St., Rapley St., Rural Rd., and Cleghorn St., Rural
• Built: 1850s (founded)
• What it is: This community was started in the 1850s by people from New England. It's located along the Crystal River. When the railroad was built, it went around Rural, so the town has stayed much the same as it was in 1870.

Sanders Site (47WP26 and 47WP70)

• Address: Address Restricted (meaning the exact location is kept secret to protect it)
• Built: Around 600 to 1100 CE
• What it is: This is an important archaeological site along the Wolf River. Woodland people lived here long ago and built effigy mounds (mounds of earth shaped like animals). Bones found here show that they ate a lot of elk, as well as bear and deer.

Shearer-Cristy House

The Shearer-Cristy House

• Address: 315 E. Lake St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1891
• What it is: This exciting Queen Anne home was built from a design by George O. Garnsey. The first owner, Caleb Shearer, ran a local planing mill. Later, Joseph Cristy, who owned a dry goods store, bought the house.

Veterans Cottages Historic District

Cottages at the Wisconsin Veterans Home

• Address: Off WI 22, King
• Built: 1887 (founded)
• What it is: The Wisconsin Veteran's Home was started by the Grand Army of the Republic to house veterans of the Civil War. What was special about it is that it let wives live with the veterans in their own small cottages. The state took over the home in 1929, and it still houses veterans from different wars today.

Veterans Home Chapel

The Veterans Home Chapel

• Address: WI 22 and Grandview, King
• Built: 1890
• What it is: This wooden church is part of the King Veteran's Home. It's built in the beautiful Queen Anne style.

Waupaca Free Public Library

The Waupaca Free Public Library

• Address: 321 S. Main St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1914
• What it is: This library is a Carnegie library, meaning it was built with money from the famous businessman Andrew Carnegie. Women's groups in Waupaca helped support it. It was designed in the Tudor Revival style with Arts and Crafts influences.

Waupaca Post Office

The Waupaca Post Office

• Address: 306 S. Main St., Waupaca, Wisconsin
• Built: 1938
• What it is: This is the first federal post office in Waupaca. It's a Neoclassical building that was built with help from the WPA, another government program that created jobs during the Great Depression.

J. & C. Wipf Mills

The J. & C. Wipf Mills complex

• Address: 280 N. Main St., Iola, Wisconsin
• Built: Around 1860
• What it is: This is a three-story complex of water-powered mills. It was started by Henry Wipf, an immigrant from Switzerland, and his sons Jacob and Conrad. Over a hundred years, the Wipfs added planing (smoothing wood) and moulding (shaping wood) to their original gristmill (which ground grain).