SW WI Historic Driving Tour

Southwest Wisconsin is ripe with significant attractions that mark the region's historical importance from the traders and miners who first settled to the leaders who helped form Wisconsin's first laws, you'll find a variety of historic sites to explore. 

This map, created by the Southwest Wisconsin Chamber Alliance, features the top 45 stops in Crawford, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Counties of Wisconsin. Enjoy the Driftless scenery while discovering the region's top historic attractions. 

CEMETERIES & GRAVESITES

1. Gov. Nelson Dewey Gravesite

S. Jefferson St., Lancaster

Nelson Dewey (1812-1889), Wisconsin’s first state Governor, is buried in the Episcopal Church Cemetery in Lancaster. Learn about his life and death at the historic marker at this location. His historic home near Cassville can be visited with a tour through the Stonefield Historic Site.

2. Fort Crawford Military Cemetery

S. Prairie St., Prairie du Chien

Small Civil War Cemetery

3. Hillside Cemetery

Hwy. 80 South, Platteville

Historic marker about founder Rev. Samuel Mitchell

4. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery

Intersection of Slabtown Road and WI Hwy. 35/81, Lancaster

Remnants of the area’s first African-American community

HISTORIC MONUMENTS

5. Grant County Courthouse & Civil War Monument

130 W. Maple St., Lancaster

Built in 1902, this historic copper-domed county courthouse building was designed by Armand D. Koch in the Classical Revival style using red sandstone. Inside visitors will find G.A.R. and Civil War artifacts. The Courthouse is located on a unique square in downtown Lancaster, the site of the first Civil War monument in the United States. Also home to the Blue Boy and Nelson Dewey statues.

6. Dickeyville Grotto & Shrines

305 W. Main St., Dickeyville

Colorful shrine located at Holy Ghost Parish. 

HISTORIC STRUCTURES

7. Central House / Boscobel Hotel

1005 Wisconsin Ave., Boscobel

Built in 1863, the Boscobel Hotel was originally known as the Central House. In 1898, when two Christian traveling salesmen shared a room and conceived the idea of a Christian travelers’ association, that meeting led to the formation of the world-famous Gideon Society, which has since placed millions of Gideon Bibles in lodging facilities throughout the world. 

8. Dodge Mining Camp Cabin

217 E. Fountain St., Dodgeville

The Dodge Mining Camp Cabin is a glimpse into the minds, daily lives and building practices of the people who settled in the lead region of Southwest Wisconsin. The cabin, built in 1827, has been designated Iowa County’s oldest building. The interpretive center documents the story of Gov. Henry Dodge, the Black Hawk War, the crude beginnings of lead mining in Iowa County, and the actual construction handiwork of lead miners more than 170 years ago.

9. Dodgeville Slag Furnace

400 block of E. Spring St., Dodgeville

The Slag Furnace, built in 1876 by Cornish stonemasons Thomas Carkeek and Samuel Cornelius, was high tech for the times. From 1876 to 1890 men profited from the unsightly tailings piles of partially processed lead embedded in crushed limestone remnants from early mining in Iowa County. The Slag Furnace is the only such furnace left in the state of Wisconsin and stands as a monument to a once thriving mining industry.

10. Grand Army of the Republic Hall

102 Mary St., Boscobel

A meeting hall for veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was established after the Civil War and it still stands today. It is considered by experts to be the only remaining G.A.R. Hall in Wisconsin. The hall received State & National Registers of Historic Places designation on December 27, 2007. The G.A.R. Civil War Museum is filled with mementos of the Civil War era. 

11. Iowa County Courthouse

222 N. Iowa St., Dodgeville

This is the oldest working courthouse in Wisconsin. Construction started June 11, 1859. It was dedicated in 1861, enlarged in 1894 and again in 1927. In 1937 the Doric columns, pediment and cupola were restored exactly as the 1859 original. In 1969 the interior was completely renovated to better utilize space. It is Iowa County’s fourth courthouse. The first three were located in Mineral Point, the county seat from 1829 to 1861. The design is Greek Revival and the material is native Galena limestone quarried north of Dodgeville and cut to precision by local Cornish stonemasons.

12. Mitchell-Rountree Stone Cottage

460 W. Madison St., Platteville

Built in 1837 by Rev. Samuel Mitchell, father in-law of John Rountree, the Mitchell-Rountree Stone Cottage stands today as it has for 18 decades, with original furnishings and a restored interior and exterior. Visitors will enjoy the beauty of the architecture, furnishings and antique clothing as well as the many stories of the fascinating people who lived there.

13. Orchard Lawn

234 Madison St., Mineral Point

In 1868, when the Gundry family moved into their new home, Orchard Lawn was a working estate. But in 1939, it was almost lost. Thanks to the work of the 11 founders of the Mineral Point Historical Society, this marvelous house and grounds is a community landmark open for tours and available to rent for special events.

14. Rountree Hall

30 N. Elm St., Platteville

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville began in 1866 as the first state teacher preparation institution in Wisconsin, then called the Platteville Normal School. Classes were held in Rountree Hall, which was built in 1853 to accommodate the rapidly increasing enrollment of the Platteville Academy, founded in 1839 by the city’s Presbyterian Church. The first mining school was located in Rountree Hall after the normal school vacated the building in the early 1900’s. The complex was later converted into apartments and is not available for tours. Historic markers outside of the building tell more of the story.

15. Dousman House Hotel

230 N. Water St., Prairie du Chien

The Railroad House was touted as the premier hotel on the Upper Mississippi when it was built by the railroad in 1864. 

16. Floyd School

1301 N. Bequette St., Dodgeville

The Floyd School is an excellent example of the one room school houses that once dotted Iowa County, in use 1886-1961.

17. Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin

5607 Cty. Hwy. C, Spring Green

Taliesin is the name of Frank Lloyd Wright’s 37,000-square-foot home, studio, school, and 800-acre estate that includes buildings from nearly every decade of Wright’s career from the 1890s to the 1950s.

18. Log Cabin Heritage Park

16381 WI Hwy. 131, Gays Mills

Log Cabin Heritage Park is an open-air architectural museum of log houses which was established to preserve the folk architecture of the Kickapoo Valley.

19. Old Rock High School

207 Buchanan St., Boscobel

The Old Rock School is an excellent example of turn-of-the century Romanesque revival.

20. Shake Rag Alley

18 Shakerag St., Mineral Point

Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts provides educational experiences in visual, performing, and literary arts for adults and children; cultivates the creativity; and rehabilitates and preserves the historic buildings of its rustic campus.

21. St. Germain dit Gauthier House

419 5th St., Prairie du Chien

This hewn log home built circa 1830 on land owned by Jean Baptiste Caron, a French-Canadian engaged in the upper Mississippi fur trade, was one of the earliest homes in Prairie du Chien. 

HISTORIC TRAILS & PARKS

22. Badger Hut Trail

Intersection of 4th St. and Main St., Potosi

On a hillside overlooking Potosi’s Main Street are several “Badger Huts” where miners in the 1830’s lived while they mined lead from the region. The trail is accessed by walking up 4th St. past a cemetery and on up the hill. Informational kiosks attached to trees along the trail share the region’s mining history. 

23. Belmont Mound State Park

18650 Cty. G, Belmont

Belmont Mound State Park is a day-use state park owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and maintained by the Belmont Lions Club. The Niagara Dolomite that caps this mound and the nearby Platte Mound are the only resultants of this formation that once covered the county. The kilns located within the park were once part of the limestone quarry, heating the stone to form lime. 

24. Cassville Car Ferry

100 Prime St., Cassville

The Pride of Cassville Car Ferry connects two National Scenic Byways: the Wisconsin Great River Road and the Iowa Great River Road. The ferry served the early settlement as far back as 1833 and it continues today, making the same trip back and forth across the mighty Mississippi. It is the oldest operating ferry service in the state of Wisconsin. The ferry service currently runs between Cassville, Wisconsin and Turkey River, Iowa.

25. Nelson Dewey State Park

12190 Cty. Hwy. VV, Cassville

Nelson Dewey State Park overlooks the Mississippi River from a 500-foot bluff. At this park combine your interest in history with your enjoyment of the outdoors. Camp, hike or picnic high above the Mighty Mississippi. Named for Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey, the park’s 756 acres were once part of his elaborate 2,000 acre agricultural estate. The park offers a rich history, featuring the Dewey home and the nearby Stonefield Historic Site.

26. World's Largest 'M'

18600 W. Mound Road, Platteville

The World’s Largest ‘M’ is constructed of limestone and weighs approximately 400 tons. Constructed in 1937, the giant ‘M’ measures 241 feet by 214 feet. The letter represents the first mining school in Wisconsin. Visitors to the area can climb the 290 steps beside the ‘M’ and enjoy a panoramic view of the tri-state area. 

27. David Canny Rountree Branch Trail

275 W. Bus. Hwy. 151, Platteville

This 3-mile paved and lit trail in Platteville boasts beautiful scenery, well-maintained gardens and historical kiosks.

28. Lawler Park

St. Feriole Island, Prairie du Chien

Visitors can enjoy the Walk of History, a series of 10 marble etchings telling highlights of Prairie du Chien’s past.

29. Merry Christmas Mine Hill

Shake Rag St., Mineral Point

Wide mown paths through 43 acres of hilltop prairie takes you to informative signs about the mine that struck it big on Christmas day. Located across the street from Pendarvis Historic Site

MUSEUMS

30. Boscobel Heritage Depot Museum

800 Wisconsin Ave., Boscobel

Since the construction of the “old depot” in 1857, the Boscobel Depot has served as the marshaling point of over 2,000 young enlisted men of the Union Army, and again in subsequent years of WWI and WWII. It also served the area with food and industrial goods, as well as a travel-through station. Included among notable people entering the city were Samuel E. Hill and John H. Nicholson, who began the writings of the Gideon Bible, as well as John Blaine, who left the city for a 3-term governorship of Wisconsin and later adversary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Boscobel Depot has recently been restored to a “Turn-of-the Century Railroad” and “Early Rural America” walk-through museum. 

31. Brisbois Store - Fur Trade Museum

Bolvine St., St. Feriole Island, Prairie du Chien

Built in 1851-52 by fur trader and merchant, B.W. Brisbois, this stone building sits on land having a long association with the North American fur trade. During the War of 1812, a log structure on the property was used by U.S. soldiers for housing while nearby Fort Shelby was under construction. After the war, the property became the site of a U.S. Fur Factory. In the 1820s the land was sold to the American Fur Company who held it until its sale to Brisbois in 1850. Through much of the twentieth century the building was known as the Riverside Boat Repair. The Wisconsin Historical Society acquired the building in the 1970s and established the Fur Trade Museum, operated in conjunction with the Villa Louis.

32. Fort Crawford Museum

717 S. Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien

The second Fort Crawford Hospital was first occupied in 1831, with Dr. William Beaumont as the first surgeon. Zachary Taylor, Jefferson Davis, and Chief Black Hawk are also associated with the second Fort Crawford. Some tireless DAR women bought the site in the 1920s, and in the 1930s it was reconstructed as a WPA project. Until 1995 the site was known as The Museum of Medical Progress and was owned by the State Medical Society of Wisconsin. Since 1995 the museum has been owned and operated as a museum by the non-profit Prairie du Chien Historical Society.

33. Grant County History Museum

129 E. Maple St., Lancaster

Browse through artifacts of the Civil War, World Wars and Grant County’s early black and Indian settlements at the Grant County History Museum.  Since 1935, the Grant County Historical Society has been sharing Grant County history through museum exhibits, local history presentations, and events. Their exhibits relate to geology, mining, military, sports, local artifacts and the Pleasant Ridge Community. Since 1935, volunteers have steered the organization and given generously so that our generation and future generations will have access to the manuscripts, one of a kind photographs, clothing, tools, and other “material culture” held by the Society. These 35,000 objects tell multiple and complex stories about our collective past.

34. Mineral Point Railroad Museum

11 Commerce St., Mineral Point

This Railroad Museum is housed in the oldest standing train depot in Wisconsin and located in the City of Mineral Point’s downtown historic district. They have two floors of fascinating exhibits and documents of the early years of southwest Wisconsin’s development and growth around the mining industry and the country’s western expansion. The second floor features an interactive large scale model train set in a reproduction of 19th century Mineral Point. 

35. National Brewery Museum

209 S. Main St., Potosi

The National Brewery Museum is a joint venture between the Potosi Foundation and the American Breweriana Association to create a world class national brewery museum showcasing an eclectic collection of beer bottles and cans, glasses, trays, coasters, advertising materials and various other breweriana collectibles. The National Brewery Museum is located within the historical Potosi Brewing Company building that originally operated from 1852 to 1972 and refounded in 2008. 

36. Passage Thru Time Museum

104 N. Main St., Potosi

Experience the rich heritage of the area, with emphasis on mining, farming, the historic Potosi Brewery and the Mississippi River. Displays of Native American artifacts, World War II memorabilia, historic business paraphernalia, and agricultural history may be seen. The museum also houses an extensive collection of photos and historic records, perfect for both the casual history buff and intensive researcher. 

37. The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums

405 E. Main St., Platteville

The museums trace the development of lead and zinc mining in the Upper Mississippi Valley using models, dioramas, artifacts and photographs. A guided tour includes a walk down into the 1845 Bevans Lead Mine, a tour of the headframe building and hoist house, and an above-ground outdoor train ride pulled by a 1931 mine locomotive. The Rollo Jamison Collection exhibits include artifacts, stories and music of home, farm and family life and nostalgic local cultural history. 

38. Fennimore Doll & Toy Museum

1135 6th St., Fennimore

The Fennimore Doll & Toy Museum showcases classic and collectible dolls and toys from around the world. 

39. Fennimore Railroad Museum

610 Lincoln Ave., Fennimore

The Fennimore Railroad Historical Society Museum, home of the “Dinky,” also showcases antique farm tools and equipment, military uniforms, war memorabilia, home appliances and tools from the 1900 era.

40. Lafayette County Historic Society & Museum

525 Main St., Darlington

Many displays centered on the lives of Lafayette County citizens, including original artwork, military items, business history and rural life.

41. Shullsburg Badger Mine & Museum

279 W. Estey St., Shullsburg

Experience first hand the daily routine of an 1850s lead miner during the guided museum tour, descending 51 steps into the hand-dug mine.

STATE HISTORIC SITES

42. First Capitol Historic Site

18904 Cty. G, Belmont

In the 1800’s, Lafayette County and this mining region was so prominent that Belmont was chosen as the first territorial capitol. In the fall of 1836, the two buildings were filled with legislators and other officials who came to Belmont for the beginning of Wisconsin Territory’s government. The first territorial legislature met in the Council House in 1836 for a single 46-day session that resulted in the enactment of 42 laws and established framework of government for the territory and future State of Wisconsin. When the capitol moved to Madison in 1837, these buildings were abandoned and the town moved three miles southeast to its present location to connect with the railroad. 

43. Pendarvis Historic Site

114 Shake Rag St., Mineral Point

Tucked away in a valley in historic Mineral Point, Pendarvis celebrates the groundbreaking community of some of the first Wisconsin “badgers.” As you approach this charming neighborhood, the 19th century will instantly come alive through the quintessential limestone buildings and cozy nooks.  Business and life partners Bob Neal and Edgar Hellum met in 1934 and dedicated their lives to saving the structures and stories of Mineral Point’s Cornish & mining history. The campus consists of five restored structures: Pendarvis, Polperro, Trelawny, Martin Cabin and Kiddleywink Pub.

44. Stonefield Historic Site

12195 Cty. Hwy. VV, Cassville

At Stonefield, you’ll explore history by the acre, including a 1900s Farming Village and Farmstead, the State Agricultural Museum, and the former home of Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey. You will learn about the amazing story of the Badger State’s agricultural advance from a struggling group of wheat farmers to a worldwide agricultural powerhouse.

45. Villa Louis Historic Site

521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien

This Victorian estate was home to three generations of the Dousmans. The estate was first developed in the 1840s by fur trader and frontier entrepreneur Hercules Dousman. The prominent mound was first built by Indians and later modified by several military installations. The estate offered both an elegant and a flood-proof setting. The present residence was built in 1870 by Dousman’s son, H. Louis Dousman. After living in St. Louis for more than a decade, Louis and his wife Nina Sturgis Dousman returned in the mid-1880s. Louis established the Artesian Stock Farm to breed and race trotting horses. Nina directed a major remodeling of the residence. After a brief illness, Louis died in 1886. Life for the Dousmans changed. The horses were sold, paddocks became fields, and the estate was dubbed Villa Louis as a memorial to young Dousman. The family closed the estate in 1913 but returned 20 years later to establish the home as one of the first historic house museums in the midwest. The property became Wisconsin’s first State Historic Site in 1952.