| Historic Sites & Sights |
Green County, Wisconsin has a unique and storied history. Native Americans comfortably made their home here for thousands of years. Euro-American settlers began arriving more than 150 years ago to mine lead and farm. Swiss emigrants from the Canton of Glarus came in 1845 and established the Swiss colony of New Glarus. Both prehistoric and historic sites (and sights) dot our rolling hills and scenic backroads.
Many of our guests have a deep appreciation for the history and heritage imbued in our architectural delights.
Many buildings and districts are listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Locations open to the public are marked with an asterisk (*).
Shown at right: New Glarus Depot
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Bingham, Judge John (Home)
621 14th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
A classic Greek revival home built for the county's first attorney and Monroe's first elected Judge - John A. Bingham. The home was built based on plans of the family home in Vermont.
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Bintliff, General James (Home)
723 18th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
Barge boards and nine-foot windows adorn this cross gabled brick structure of Victorian Gothic design. Mr. Bintliff was editor of the Monroe Sentinel in 1860.
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Blumer, Dr. Samuel (Home)
112 6th Avenue
New Glarus, WI 53574
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Brodhead Depot *
1108 1st Center Ave.
Brodhead, WI 53502
608.897.4150
Housed in a restored railroad depot, with adjacent locomotive and caboose. Exhibits include local history, railroad memorabilia, cheese and butter making equipment, antique milking machines, and community band memorabilia.
Website: http://www.brodheadhistory.org/
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Chenoweth, Frank L. (Home)
2004 10th Street
Monroe, WI 53566
This San Francisco style architecture home was built in 1887 by Frank Chenoweth. The home was the first in Monroe to receive electricity. A balastraded veranda and carriage house to the rear remain unchanged.
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Cleveland's Hall and Blacksmith Shop
Attica (Town of Brooklyn), WI
Located in the former village of Attica, this highly intact and recently restored two-story building was built in 1873 as a blacksmith shop for David C. Heathman. In 1883, Benjamin K. Cleveland purchased the building. He took over operation of the blacksmith shop and opened the second floor as a dance hall and performance space called "Cleveland's Hall." He continued to operate the blacksmith shop and dance hall until 1899, when the Modern Woodmen of America purchased the building. The Woodmen, a fraternal order, used the second story as their lodge hall for meetings, and continued Cleveland's tradition of offering it to the general public for other uses.
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Exchange Square Historic District *
Downtown Brodhead
Brodhead, WI 53502
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First Methodist Church/Monroe Arts Center (MAC) *
1315 115h Street
Monroe, WI 53566
608.325.5700
Home to the Monroe Arts Center (MAC), this Victorian High Gothic Church and the nearby parsonage were designed by Edward Townsend Mix, a Wisconsin architect. It was placed on the National Register in 1975.
MAC was recognized with a Wisconsin Historical Marker in 2009. The marker was made possible through a grant from the Woman’s Club of Monroe.
Website: http://www.monroeartscenter.com
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Freitag Pure Oil Service Station (Business) *
1323 Ninth Street
Monroe, WI 53566
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Green County Courthouse *
1016 16th Ave.
Monroe, WI 53566
608.328.9430
Open weekdays 8 am - 4:30 pm.
Since 1891, the Green County Courthouse has been the cornerstone of Monroe's downtown square - a building distinguished by arched porticos with polished marble pillars, windows with white granite block accents, and a 120-foot clock tower.
Request a Green County Courthouse brochure (incuding a timeline of historical highlights) by calling Green County Tourism at 1.888.222.9111 or by emailing tourism@greencounty.org
Website: http://www.co.green.wi.gov
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Green County Historical Society Museum *
1617 - 9th St.
Monroe, WI 53566
The Green County Historical Society Museum is housed in the former Universalist Church that was built in 1861. The building was used to store wheat and wool during the Civil War. The musuem is open June 6 through September 6, 2009 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 4 pm. The Museum includes an archive with letters, papers, and newspaper articles of historical interest about Green County including obituaries, antique books, and pictures of our ancestors and items used in their daily lives. There is also the original Bethel one-room schoolhouse on the Museum grounds.
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Hurlburt, C.D. (Home)
1205 13th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
This French Second Empire style home was built in 1870. A huge ginko tree, the largest recorded in Wisconsin, graces the front lawn.
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Jennings, Janet (Home)
612 22nd Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
Author and Civil War nurse Janet Jennings lived in this 1860 Frame Four Square. Miss Jennings went to Washington in May of 1863 to care for wounded soldiers, and it is believed she met President Lincoln at this time.
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Lincoln Park Water Tower
Intersection of 16th Ave. and 20th St.
Monroe, WI 53566
1889 Water Tower, added to the National Register for historic and architectural significance. For more information: Donna Glynn at 608.325.5351
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Milwaukee Road Depot/New Glarus Chamber *
418 Railroad
New Glarus, WI 53574
608.527.2095
Depot is home to the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce and serves as the headquarters of the Sugar River Trail
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Monroe Commercial District *
A Two-Block radius of Monroe's Historic Courthouse Square
Monroe, WI 53566
Monroe's Court House Square is a large midwest commercial square that grew into its present form during the decade of 1870 - 1910. Architectural styles include Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Beaux Arts.
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Regez, Jacob (Home)
2121 7th St.
Monroe, WI 53566
Architect Fridolin Heer designed this 1901 home, which replaced the original 1884 structure destroyed by fire during a lightning storm. The interior features oak, cyprus, and sycamore woodwork, leaded and stained glass windows.
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Swiss Historic Village *
612 7th Ave.
New Glarus, WI 53574
608.527.2317
Open daily from 10 am - 4 pm (May - October). Admission charged. Replica of a Swiss village including traditional Swiss Bee House, Cheese Factory, School, Church, Blacksmith Shop, Print Shop, Smoke House, Sausage Shop, and General Store.
Website: www.swisshistoricalvillage.org
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West, General Francis H. (Home)
1410 17th Avenue
Monroe, WI 53566
This octagon style home was built by architect Orsen Fowler for General Francis H. West in 1860. The home features inlaid parquetry, three winding grand staircases, natural air conditioning, and an enclosed cupula.
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