Event Details

Name: Black Entrepreneurialism and Illegal Slavery in Nineteenth-century Wisconsin with Dr. Eugene Tesdahl
Start: 2024-10-15
End: 2024-10-15
Location: Villa Louis

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

2 PM - 3 PM

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Location

Villa Louis

Villa Louis, 521 Villa Louis Rd

Prairie du Chien, WI 53821

villalouis@wisconsinhistory.org

For more information, please contact the box office at 608-264-4848 or boxoffice@wisconsinhistory.org.

Accessibility

Wheelchair access is available to the1850 Brisbois Fur Trade Warehouse and restrooms, the first floor of the Villa Louis mansion, and the restrooms located near the mansion. Guests with additional mobility needs are encouraged to contact Villa Louis directly at villalouis@wisconsinhistory.org or 608-326-2721.

Map

driving directions

About the Event

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Dr. Eugene Tesdahl

Join UW-Platteville History Professor Dr. Eugene Tesdahl as you learn about significant early Black Wisconsinites and confront illegal chattel slavery as it functioned in communities including Prairie du Chien, Potosi, Platteville and Dodgeville. Honor the lives of dynamic free Black entrepreneurs including James D. Williams, Henry Early, America Jenkins and William Maxwell. This dialogue aims to further knowledge and healing about African American history and culture in the Driftless Region and beyond.

This event is part of the Villa Louis Speaker Series.

Cost: Free.

About the Location

When you walk through the doors of Villa Louis, you step into the life of one of Wisconsin’s most historic families – the Dousmans. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, Villa Louis offers a panorama of Wisconsin history, beginning with the arrival of early fur traders through the heyday of the Victorian era. Highlighted by the stunning 1871 Italianate style mansion, the 25-acre site includes over a dozen historic structures including the Dousman Office Building, Ice House, Preserve House, Blockhouse, and the foundations of the first Fort Crawford