Walworth Avenue, Delavan's brick road
 Delavan's Vitrified Brick Street
In 1913, most roads in Walworth County were rutted dirt tracks, barely passable for most of the year. Street workers oiled urban streets like Walworth Avenue once a year, which served the dual purpose of keeping dust down and encouraging water runoff when it rained. Despite the oil treatment, Delavan's streets were miserable dusty or muddy messes. In 1912, Mayor Daniel Le Bar led the charge to improve conditions along Walworth Avenue, the town's main thoroughfare, spearheading a community-wide assessment to improve this three-block portion. At the time, brick paving was no more expensive than other methods of road paving like bituminous asphalt and reinforced concrete pavement. The brick street was important to residents of Delavan because it signified a switch from an agrarian service center to a modern community that embraced engineering and technology.
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Related Topics: |
The Progressive Era
Automobile Culture |
| Creator: | None |
| Pub Data: | Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places. |
| Citation: | Delavan's Vitrified Brick Street. Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places.
Online facsimile at:
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1470;
Visited on: 5/18/2013
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