Property Record
E 467 CAPSER RD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 27531 |
| Location (Address): | E 467 CAPSER RD |
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| County: | Ashland |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | La Pointe |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 49 |
| Range: | 3 |
| Direction: | W |
| Section: | 5 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1900 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1992 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Side Gabled |
| Structural System: | Log |
| Wall Material: | Log |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | Associated Individuals: Leo & Bella Capser. Historical Background E467 Capser is the original family vacation home of Leo Capser. The original log cabin was constructed in the 1900s, and an addition made at an unknown later date. The Madeline Island Museum [E226 Colonel woods Avenue, 43-5] began in 1955 as the result of Leo and Bella Capser's inspiration and hard work. It consists of the only remaining American Fur Company building, local farmer Gus Dahlin's barn, the old village jail, and the old Sailor's Home.[A, p.58.] Al Galazen supervised the construction of the museum and donated his collection of local artifacts. Other local residents contributed family artifacts. The museum opened in 1958. In 1969 the Capsers donated the museum to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. It is now a Wisconsin State Historic Site run by the State Historical Society.[A, p.58] Historical Significance This small cottage contributes to the Capser Historic District as a physical embodiment of the social history of mid-westerners who summered on Madeline Island. As the summer home of Leo and Bella Capser, it is closely associated with a significant Capser family. Description This cottage consists of a log cabin main block with later additions of an angled wing and an enclosed porch. The original log cabin rests on piled stone piers, while the wing has a more modern enclosed basement containing usable space. While the cabin main block walls are constructed of log, the walls of the wing are wood fram clad in wood siding simulating logs. Architectural Significance Originally constructed as a rustic log cabin, this cottage is typical of the modest cottages built on Madeline Island for summer residence. It contributes to the Capser Historic District as a local example of this type. |
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| Bibliographic References: | [A] John O. Holzhueter, Madeline Island and the Chequamegon Region. (The state Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1974). [B] Malcolm Lein, telephone conversation with Rebecca sample Bernstein, 18 April, 1993. [C] Historic Photograph, Capser Cabin before addition, c.1915, Whi (H91) 63 in collection 4277, Visual and Sound Archives, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |