Making Their Mark: Wisconsin's National Historic Landmarks
National Historic Landmarks are our country's most exceptional
historic properties. Their stories reflect the breadth and depth
of the American experience and capture the uniqueness of our
communities by recognizing their most important historic treasures.
Landmarks are conspicuous objects, known to many through either
their remarkable appearance or their compelling stories. Our
nation's historic landmarks include places where significant
events occurred, where important Americans worked or lived,
that represent the ideas that shaped the nation, that reveal
our past, or that are outstanding examples of design or construction.
Wisconsin's historic landmarks reflect the diversity of
people, places and events that together make our state unique.
Landmarks shape our sense of place and sense of belonging. Wisconsin's
most renowned prehistoric site is Aztalan, a temple mound and
palisaded village site that was the northernmost location associated
with the Mississippian culture between circa 1100 and 1300 A.D. The Oconto Site contains implements and remains of a copper
working prehistoric people that are among the world's
earliest metallurgical cultures.
Among the first Euro-Americans to arrive in the Midwest, were
fur traders in the employ of John Jacob Astor's American
Fur Company. Prairie Du Chien became one of Wisconsin's
first cities, where the Astor Fur Warehouse and the Brisbois
House bear witness to the early French and British occupation
of the Midwest. The Second Fort Crawford Military Hospital,
a reconstructed portion of a major upper Mississippian Federal
fortification, symbolizes American control of the upper Midwest
after the war of 1812. These events opened the area to more
widespread settlement, leading to Wisconsin statehood in 1848.
Our state's distinctive character is partly the result
of the diversity of ethnic immigrants drawn to Wisconsin by
promises of jobs and cheap land. The
Namur Historic District tells the story of Belgian immigrants
who brought their building traditions and life ways to Door
County and established the largest and best-preserved enclave
of Belgian-American culture. The
Pabst Theater and Turner
Hall both reflect the urban history of immigration, when
Milwaukee was the "German Athens," a high point
of Germanic immigrant culture in America.
Wisconsin was a national leader in progressive reform at the
turn of the twentieth century. Robert
"Fighting Bob" La Follette inspired others to
champion political and social reforms aimed at curbing the worst
excesses of the gilded age. His success in breaking away from
the Republican Party was heralded by an important political
assembly held at the University
of Wisconsin Armory & Gymnasium. The success of the
Progressive Party ushered in an era of political reform in Wisconsin
that became a national model. The Wisconsin Idea, embodied in
the Wisconsin
State Capitol paired University of Wisconsin scholars with
government leaders to craft effective solutions to fundamental
social problems like care for the aged and infirm.
Wisconsin shows us how place can shape profound ideas that reach
beyond our boundaries and resonate throughout America. Aldo Leopold's "shack" in Sauk County was the site that influenced the noted wildlife ecologist's land ethic philosophy. University
researchers like Charles Van Hise, working at Science
Hall conducted breakthrough research in geology at sites
like Schoonmaker Reef, Soldier's Home Reef and the Van
Hise Rock. Along with the prolific fossil collecting of Dr.
Fisk Holbrook Day and the collection amassed at the Thomas
A.
Greene Memorial Museum, Wisconsin became a leader in the geological
sciences.
For some, Wisconsin became a springboard to national or even
international acclaim, though they remained loyal to their home
state. The
Ringling Brothers Circus Winter Headquarters in Baraboo
reflects Wisconsin's importance to the nation's
performing arts. Here, the Ringlings built a circus empire that
became "The Greatest Show on Earth." Their winter
facilities, including an Elephant Barn, Hippo House, Bear and
Deer House, and Camel Barn testify to the origins and rich history
of one of the best known entertainment acts in the country.
Likewise Ten
Chimneys the home of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, celebrates
the lives and accomplishments of America's most famous
theater couple, who innovative performances and long careers
represent the pinnacle of their profession.
Some of our nation's greatest achievements in architecture
and the arts occurred in Wisconsin. Taliesin marks a shift in
the career of perhaps America's best-known architect,
Frank Lloyd Wright. At this retreat, Wright abandoned the geometric
forms of his earlier houses to create seminal architectural
masterpieces such as the Administration
Building and Research Tower for the S.C. Johnson Company,
and Wingspread,
the home of its president Herbert Johnson. Wright's
first home for Herbert and Katherine Jacobs marked a new emphasis
on middle class suburban housing that he dubbed "Usonian," while his design for their second home is an early experiment
in solar architecture.
Wright's mentor Louis Sullivan is also heralded by many
today for his innovative designs. His home for Harold C. Bradley
and his family is one of the nation's most notable Prairie
School designs. Near the end of his career, Sullivan designed
eight remarkable "jewel box" banks in small Midwestern
cities. His Farmers
and Merchants Union Bank in Columbus was the culmination
of this last phase of his inventive and influential career.
These places and the other properties listed below contribute
to the collective history of both Wisconsin and our nation.
These landmarks celebrate our national character and their preservation
reminds us of our shared heritage. To learn more, visit the National
Historic Landmark website.
More examples from the National Register:
Farmers and Merchants Union Bank, Columbus Villa Louis, Prairie du Chien Brisbois, Michael, House, Prairie du Chien Science Hall, Madison University of Wisconsin Armory and Gymnasium, Madison Jacobs, Herbert A., House, Madison Bradley, Harold C., House, Madison LaFollette, Robert M., House, Maple Bluff North Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison Namur Belgian-American District, Taliesin, Aztalan, Oconto Site, Oconto Ringling Brothers Circus Headquarters, Baraboo Van Hise Rock, Leopold, Aldo, Shack, Johnson, Herbert F., House, Wind Point Johnson, S.C., and Son Administration Building and Research Tower, Racine Milton House, Milton USS COBIA (submarine), Manitowoc Day, Dr. Fisk Holbrook, House, Wauwatosa Fourth Street School, Milwaukee Turner Hall, Milwaukee Pabst Theater, Milwaukee Ten Chimneys, Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison University of Wisconsin Dairy Barn, Madison
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