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

Winnebago County is in Wisconsin.

This page lists amazing historic places in Winnebago County, Wisconsin! These places are so special that they are on the National Register of Historic Places. Think of it like a national hall of fame for buildings, areas, and even old archaeological sites.

There are 92 properties and districts listed in Winnebago County. Each one has a unique story about Wisconsin's past.

Cool Historic Places in Winnebago County

Homes with History

• Algoma Boulevard Historic District in Oshkosh: This area was once called the "Gold Coast" because many rich lumber barons and company leaders lived here. You can see many different old house styles, like the 1857 Kohlmann house (Greek Revival) or the 1917 Hunt house (Prairie Style), designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
• Havilah Babcock House in Neenah: Built in 1883, this beautiful home has a cool round tower. Havilah Babcock was one of the four people who started Kimberly-Clark, a huge paper company.
• George, Sr., and Ellen Banta House in Menasha: This house was built in 1878. In 1888, George Banta started his printing business right in the dining room! This small start grew into the big Banta Corporation.
• Edward D. & Vina Shattuck Beals House in Neenah: This 1911 home has an Arts and Crafts style. Edward ran a door company, and Vina was an heiress from the Kimberly-Clark family.
• George O. Bergstrom House in Neenah: This large Queen Anne style home from 1894 might have been designed by William Waters. George Bergstrom came from Norway and became a mayor and bank director. His son even helped design the Pentagon!
• Abraham Briggs Bowen House in Oshkosh: This fancy Italianate house was built in 1856 for Abraham Bowen, who invested in real estate and lumber.
• Hans Gram House in Neenah: This 1887 home shows a mix of Queen Anne and Italianate styles. Hans Gram owned a dry goods store.
• Richard Guenther House in Oshkosh: A big Queen Anne house from 1888, designed by William Waters. Richard Guenther was a druggist, state treasurer, and even a US Congressman! For a while, it was also a school for nurses.
• Frank Winchester Hawks House in Neenah: This Shingle-style home was built in 1904. The famous film director Howard Hawks spent part of his childhood here.
• Jessie Jack Hooper House in Oshkosh: This Shingle-style house from 1888 was the home of Jessie Jack Hooper, a very important leader in the women's suffrage movement, which fought for women's right to vote. She also worked for peace in the 1930s.
• Ellis Jennings House in Neenah: Another Queen Anne home designed by William Waters, built in 1893 for a lumber business partner.
• Rev. Jens N. Jersild House in Neenah: This Queen Anne house from 1886 belonged to a Danish Lutheran minister. He was also a publisher and started a knitting company!
• Judge J.C. Kerwin House in Neenah: This Queen Anne house with Georgian Revival touches was built in 1885. Judge Kerwin was a local lawyer who became a judge on the state Supreme Court.
• Perry Lindsley House in Neenah: A classic Shingle-style home from 1893, also designed by William Waters.
• Robert Lutz House in Oshkosh: This unique 1910 house is made of limestone and has a covered entrance for carriages. It even has a matching barn and a pigeon coop! The limestone came from Lutz's own quarry.
• Mayer-Banderob House in Oshkosh: This brick Italianate home was built around 1868 for George Mayer, Oshkosh's first jeweler. Later, it was home to John Banderob, a Civil War veteran and a mayor of Oshkosh.
• John R. Morgan House in Oshkosh: An elaborate Queen Anne home with an octagonal tower, built in 1884. John Morgan was a leader in the community and owned a large company that made windows and doors.
• Henry Paepke House in Neenah: Built in 1885 by Henry Paepke himself, this house has a unique Stick style. Henry was a German immigrant and a building contractor who worked on many important buildings.
• William E. Pollock Residence in Oshkosh: This Spanish-Mediterranean Revival home was built in 1920 for William Pollock, who led the Oshkosh Overall Co. (which later became Oshkosh B'Gosh!). He later gave it to the Teachers College.
• J. Leslie Sensenbrenner House in Neenah: The main part of this house was built in 1932. J. Leslie Sensenbrenner, an executive at Kimberly-Clark, later expanded and remodeled it in 1941.
• Franklyn C. Shattuck House in Neenah: A Georgian Revival home from 1890-93. Franklyn Shattuck was another founder of Kimberly-Clark. His son, Arthur, became a famous concert pianist.
• Henry Sherry House in Neenah: This impressive home from 1883 has a four-story tower and a mix of Victorian Gothic and Queen Anne styles. Henry Sherry was a lumberman.
• Charles R. Smith House in Neenah: This large mansion was started in 1890 and grew with many additions. Charles Smith expanded his father's Menasha Wooden Ware company. His second wife later married a silent movie actor who lived in the mansion!
• Henry Spencer Smith House in Neenah: Another grand mansion, started in 1892, by another son of the Menasha Wooden Ware founder. It had a music room, a conservatory, a three-story tower, and even a ballroom!
• Hiram Smith House in Neenah: This unique two-story brick octagon house was built between 1851 and 1854. Hiram Smith was a businessman who started an early paper company.
• Dewitt Clinton Van Ostrand House in Neenah: This brick Italianate house was built between 1855 and 1861. Dewitt Van Ostrand was a pioneer businessman involved in many industries, including one of the first paper companies in the Fox Valley.
• Gorham P. Vining House in Neenah: A well-preserved Greek Revival home with a summer kitchen, built in 1848 by an early settler of Neenah.
• Thomas R. Wall Residence in Oshkosh: This 1898 home blends Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. Thomas Wall was a businessman in lumber, steamships, and banking. It's now part of UW-Oshkosh.
• S.H. Waterman House in Oshkosh: A large Queen Anne house from 1889 with delicate wooden decorations. S.H. Waterman was a lumberman.
• Frank B. Whiting House in Neenah: This Queen Anne-style home was built in 1885. Frank Whiting remodeled it and even added a secret liquor vault during Prohibition (when alcohol was illegal)! He was a paper company leader and promoted air travel.
• William C. Wing House in Neenah: This French Renaissance-style house from 1918 overlooks Lake Winnebago. It was built for George Gaylord of a carton and paper company, and later bought by William Wing of a paper company.

Important Buildings and Districts

• Algoma Boulevard Methodist Church in Oshkosh: This Richardsonian Romanesque church was designed by Oshkosh architect William Waters and built in 1892. Many important Oshkosh families attended here.
• Gustav Augustin Block in Menasha: Built in 1894, this building is a great example of a late 19th-century commercial building. Gustav Augustin, a German immigrant, ran a grocery store on the first floor and lived upstairs.
• Brin Building in Menasha: This brick building from 1928 has a Mediterranean Revival style. It used to have a movie theater, stores, a bowling alley, and apartments!
• Brooklyn No. 4 Fire House in Oshkosh: This Italianate-style fire house was built in 1868 after big fires in Oshkosh. It saw the fire department change from volunteers to professionals and from horses to motorized trucks!
• Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot in Neenah: This red-brick train station was built in 1892 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It served trains until 1982.
• Cole Watch Tower in Omro: This unique seven-story brick and steel tower was added in 1935 to an older farmhouse. The Coles used the tower to watch their fox pens without disturbing the animals.
• Daily Northwestern Building in Oshkosh: This Neo-Italian Renaissance style building from 1930 was the office for The Daily Northwestern newspaper. This paper, started in 1860, was very influential and is the only early paper still around.
• East Forest Avenue Historic District in Neenah: This neighborhood has 27 historic homes built between 1882 and 1937, showing many different architectural styles like Italianate, Queen Anne, and Arts & Crafts.
• Equitable Fraternal Union Building in Neenah: This Neoclassical building from 1908 was a meeting hall for a life insurance group.
• Eureka Lock and Lock Tender's House in Eureka: This navigation lock on the Fox River was first built of wood in 1876 and rebuilt with concrete in 1941. It's the only working lock on the upper Fox River today!
• First Methodist Church in Oshkosh: This unusual church building started as an opera house in 1874! After a fire, the Methodist church bought it and finished it in a Neo-Classical style.
• First Presbyterian Church in Oshkosh: A beautiful Richardsonian Romanesque church built in 1893.
• Fraternal Reserve Association in Oshkosh: This four-story office building from 1913-14 was designed in a Neoclassical style. It housed a fraternal insurance company.
• Frontenac in Oshkosh: A two-story Victorian apartment building built between 1893 and 1899, mixing Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque styles.
• Grand Loggery in Neenah: This large house, made of squared logs, was built in 1845 by James Doty, who was a judge and governor of the Wisconsin Territory. It's now a museum!
• Augustin Grignon Hotel in Butte des Morts: This early inn and trading post was built in 1843. It's one of the oldest wooden buildings in Wisconsin!
• Irving-Church Historic District in Oshkosh: A large neighborhood with homes built from 1858 to 1938. It has many Queen Anne homes, plus Italianate, Neoclassical, and Craftsman styles.
• Kimberly Point Park Lighthouse in Neenah: This lighthouse was a gift from J. C. Kimberly, built in 1945. It helps guide boats into Neenah harbor and is a landmark for boat races.
• Carl Koch Block in Menasha: An elegant brick commercial building from 1882. The first floor had a saloon and Carl Koch's dry goods store.
• Larson Brothers Airport in Clayton: This is an early Wisconsin airport, opened in 1922 by four brothers. It still has its original grass landing field and a hangar built like a barn!
• Menasha Dam in Menasha: This concrete dam on the Fox River was rebuilt in 1937. It's part of the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway, which helps boats travel between lakes.
• Neenah United States Post Office in Neenah: This Georgian Revival post office was built between 1916 and 1918.
• North Main Street Bungalow Historic District in Oshkosh: This neighborhood has many Craftsman bungalows built between 1908 and 1930, mostly for middle-class workers.
• North Main Street Historic District in Oshkosh: This is the old commercial downtown of Oshkosh. It was rebuilt with brick after big fires in 1874 and 1875. You can see many styles, from Italianate hotels to Neo-Gothic buildings.
• Omro Downtown Historic District in Omro: Omro's old commercial downtown has buildings from 1871 to 1927, including hardware stores, hotels, and a meat market.
• Omro High School, Annex and Webster Manual Training School in Omro: This school complex includes a Romanesque Revival high school from 1893 and 1909, and the Webster Manual Training School from 1906, which was one of the first vocational schools in Wisconsin.
• Omro Village Hall and Engine House in Omro: This late Victorian building from 1896 has a tall tower. It used to house Omro's offices, fire department, and jail, and is now a museum.
• Orville Beach Memorial Manual Training School in Oshkosh: Built in 1911, this was one of the earliest vocational-technical schools in Wisconsin. It's a three-story Neoclassical building.
• Oshkosh Grand Opera House in Oshkosh: This cream-brick Victorian opera house was built in 1883. Famous performers like Enrico Caruso and Mark Twain appeared here! It was a movie theater for a while but is now a live theater again.
• Oshkosh State Normal School Historic District in Oshkosh: These are the buildings of the old teachers' training school, built between 1912 and 1926.
• Oviatt House in Oshkosh: This Victorian house with rough blue limestone and a corner tower was built in 1882. It was home to Moses Hooper, a lawyer who argued cases in the US Supreme Court, and later Dr. Charles Oviatt, a famous surgeon.
• Paine Art Center and Arboretum in Oshkosh: This large English-style country house with gardens was built between 1927 and 1947 by lumberman Nathan Paine as a gift to his community. It's now an art museum and a tree garden.
• Paine Lumber Company Historic District in Oshkosh: Edward Paine started a lumber mill here in 1853. His family grew it into the world's largest window and door company by 1929! You can still see workers' homes and the dock wall.
• Read School in Oshkosh: This public school was built in stages, with the first sections designed by William Waters in 1879.
• Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh: This old cemetery, started in 1855, has a 1921 chapel, a veterans' plot, and family mausoleums.
• Security Bank in Oshkosh: This brick and limestone bank was built in 1926-27 in a Neoclassical style. It even had a 20-foot vault!
• Tayco Street Bridge in Menasha: This drawbridge across the Government Canal was built in 1928-29. It's a type of bridge called a bascule bridge, with a classical design.
• Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh: This Richardsonian Romanesque church was built between 1887 and 1889 and features a large, beautiful Tiffany stained glass window.
• Upper Main Street Historic District in Menasha: This old downtown area includes buildings from 1884 to 1905, showing styles like Victorian, Queen Anne, and Romanesque Revival. It also has the Neoclassical Elisha D. Smith Library.
• US Post Office-Menasha in Menasha: This Colonial Revival post office, built in 1931, has an unusual sloped roof.
• Washington Avenue Historic District in Oshkosh: A large neighborhood with homes built from 1870 to 1929, featuring Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival styles.
• Washington Street Historic District in Menasha: This district includes buildings from 1930 and 1935, both in a Tudor Revival style. They were part of a plan to create an "English-styled" commercial area.
• Frank Whiting Boathouse in Neenah: This Spanish Revival-style boathouse from 1932 has a rooftop dancing pavilion! Frank Whiting hosted parties here. He later donated it to the city.
• Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh: This five-story Moderne-styled courthouse was designed by architects from Chicago.
• Wisconsin Avenue Historic District in Neenah: This is the old commercial center of Neenah, with buildings from 1858 to 1934, showing styles like Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Art Deco.
• Wisconsin National Life Insurance Building in Oshkosh: A Neoclassical office building from 1927 with four huge columns and cool sculptures.

Ancient Sites and Hidden Gems

• Brainerd Site in Neenah: This is an archaeological site, meaning it's a place where scientists study human history by digging up old things. Its exact location is kept secret to protect it.
• Carpenter Site (47 Wn 246) in Eureka: Another archaeological site with a secret location.
• Doty Island (47-WN-30) in Menasha: An archaeological site on Doty Island, its location is also kept secret.
• Doty Island Village Site in Neenah: This archaeological site is also on Doty Island.
• Kamrath Site in Winneconne: This archaeological site has found tools from very early people in North America, called Paleo-Indians and Archaic people.
• Lasley's Point Site in Winneconne: This site was once a village of the Oneota people, who lived here between 1200 and 1500 AD. Scientists have found garden beds, tools, pottery, and more here.
• Menasha Lock Site in Menasha: The location of this old lock is restricted.
• Metzig Garden Site (47WN283) in Wolf River: An archaeological site that has helped scientists understand different types of early tools.
• Overton Archeological District in Oshkosh: An archaeological district with a secret location.

Past Listings

Some historic places were once on the National Register but have since been removed.

• Amos House in Oshkosh: This Greek Revival home was built in 1866. It was removed from the list in 1989.
• Buckstaff Observatory in Oshkosh: This private observatory was built around 1924 by an amateur astronomer who studied sunspots and even discovered a variable star! It was taken down and moved in 2011.
• Menasha City Hall in Menasha: This Victorian Gothic public building was built in 1885. It was demolished in 1988.