1074 W Fond du Lac St | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

1074 W Fond du Lac St

Architecture and History Inventory
1074 W Fond du Lac St | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:Little White Schoolhouse
Other Name:LITTLE WHITE SCHOOLHOUSE
Contributing:
Reference Number:27174
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):1074 W Fond du Lac St
County:Fond du Lac
City:Ripon
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1853
Additions:
Survey Date:2001
Historic Use:one to six room school
Architectural Style:Greek Revival
Structural System:
Wall Material:Clapboard
Architect: PRATT & ATKINS
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: Little White Schoolhouse
National Register Listing Date:8/14/1973
State Register Listing Date:1/1/1989
National Register Multiple Property Name:
NOTES
Additional Information:A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. Builder was Alvan Bovay. CLAIMED AS THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. NHL. HABS WI-15. In 1908, this building was moved from its original location at Thorne and E. Fond du Lac streets to the northwest corner of Ripon College. Moved to its present location in 1954. This one-story Greek Revival influenced school was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark for its historical significance. This building became significant for a meeting that took place on the evening of March 20, 1854. The people at the meeting were mostly Whigs, Free Soilers, and Democrats who believed that their respective parties could not prevent the extension of slavery to the north. They came out of the schoolhouse in agreement that one unified front was crucial to the fight against slavery and thus began the Republican Party. In 1860, the schoolhouse was converted into a private residence. The schoolhouses' final owner, Miss Perrine, put the schoolhouse up for sale in 1908. At this time, Samuel Peddrick called the community's attention to the historical importance of the building. It was decided by a committee to purchase the schoolhouse and preserve it for the benefit of the community. In 2023, the building was moved from 305 Blackburn Street to 1074 W Fond du Lac St.
Bibliographic References:RIPON COMMONWEALTH PRESS 3/17/1994. RIPON COMMONWEALTH PRESS 2/23/1995. OSHKOSH NORTHWESTERN 7/27/1995. OSHKOSH NORTHWESTERN 10/13/1995. FOND DU LAC REPORTER 1/3/1996. APPLETON POST CRESCENT 1/16/1996. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. Fond du Lac Reporter 5/25/1999. Ripon Commonwealth Press 1/25/2001. Janesville Gazette 10/23/2003. Ripon Commonwealth Press 5/22/2003. Voyageur magazine Winter/Spring 2005. Ripon Historic Walking Tour brochure, 2015.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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