34880 Lake Dr.

Summary

Okauchee House
34880 Lake Drive, Okauchee, Waukesha County
Builders: Israel McConnell and Homer Hurd
Date of Construction: 1850-51

Israel McConnell and his family moved to Wisconsin from New York in the 1840s. He bought Reed¿s Mill on the southwest shore of Okauchee Lake and much of the land around it. His purchase capitalized upon the newly formed Madison, Watertown and Milwaukee Plank Road scheduled to be built near McConnell¿s mill. At its completion McConnell and his son-in-law Homer Hurd opened the doors of their new inn, the Okauchee House, profiting from increased traffic on the plank road.

The Okauchee House featured the refined Greek Revival ornamentation typical of Wisconsin stagecoach inns. The symmetrical five-bay façade was embellished with returns, a wide frieze, a molded cornice, and wide fluted corner pilasters with molded capitals. The main doorway featured a fluted entrance surround, and molded corner and center blocks. McConnell used a rare construction method known as ¿plank wall¿ construction. The exterior walls are formed of solid 8¿ wide oak planks laid one on top of the other. The planks are held together by long oak dowels inserted vertically at the door and window frames creating a massive solid wood wall. The oak planking remains a visible reminder of the days of the plank road and the heyday of stagecoach.

The arrival of the railroad in 1855 combined with the high expense of maintaining wooden roads cut plank road travels short. By 1863 the road was dilapidated and dangerous. After the death of Israel McConnell in 1871 his wife, Vesta, continued operation of the inn until 1874. She lived in the house until her death in 1893. Fred Faulkner bought the then vacant structure in 1911 and reopened it as a resort hotel. In 1929 the building reverted to a private residence.

The building is now a private residence, please respect the privacy rights of the owners.

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