The Free Thinkers Society was formed in Germany in the 1840s in opposition to the rigid authority of the state churches in Europe of that time. Many of these independent minded folks emigrated to America and settled in Wisconsin in search of religious freedom.  There were over two dozen Free Thinkers Societies organized in Wisconsin in the mid 19^th century. The Bostwick Valley Society was organized in 1868; one of two in La Crosse County, and built the meeting hall in 1872. The society ceased to operate in 1916 and the solid brick vernacular building has served as the town hall ever since.

 The Free Thinkers Hall/ Barre Town Hall building has national and state significance because of its association with an important German immigrant religious movement of the 1800s.  The Free Thinkers Society Building/Barre Town Hall was listed as a La Crosse County Historic Landmark in December, 1999.   The Barre Town Hall is eligible for the National and State Register of Historic Places. The Free Thinkers Hall in Sauk City, Wisconsin was listed on the National and State Register in 1988.

The Freethinkers Hall/Barre Town Hall is endangered because the Town Board has threatened to demolish the building.   With the strong support of town officials the township voted in October of 2002 to demolish the existing building and erect a new town hall. The Town Board has refused to consider other options proposed earlier by the La Crosse County Landmarks Commission and area historic preservationists.

The Convent was built in 1874 as a residence for John Armory, a prominent Fond du Lac developer.  The handsome Italianate residence was home to the Armory family until 1894 when the house was sold to the bishop of the Fond du Lac Diocese, Charles Chapman Grafton (who was the uncle of its last inhabitant, Jane Armory). The Bishop intended to use the elegant structure as his residence and as a convent for the sisters of the Holy Nativity, an order that he helped found.  He added a second story chapel, a copper pinnacle, Gothic details, elaborate wood carvings by the noted artisan Anton Lang, two libraries, reception rooms, and other amenities.   In 1904, the Bishop commissioned Fond du Lac architect, M.O. Pillsbury, to design an addition for the north end of the existing building.  The three-and-a-half story brick addition was done in the Gothic Revival style with parapeted gables and a hipped roof covered in slate shingles. 

Bishop Grafton died in 1914, and the sisters obtained ownership of the convent and occupied the building until 1999.   After vacating the building, the sisters attempted to find a non-profit organization to give the building to, but their efforts were unsuccessful.  In 2000, the City of Fond du Lac hired an architect to conduct an adaptive reuse study for this important local property.  The study concluded that the most viable use for the property would be mixed use office and residential.  In October of 2000, the building was listed for sale, and was purchased in 2001by Patrick Frank and his two brothers.  The brothers planned to use the building as a college dormitory for the area schools, but their plans met with opposition from local residents.  They decided to sell the building rather than pursue the redevelopment proposals outlined in the reuse study.  The City has been working with the owner, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to find a solution that will save the property.

The Convent is endangered because the current owners do not want to develop the property, and have put it on the market at an inflated price.  They have not yet found a buyer and have applied for a demolition permit. While the City of Fond du Lac does have a preservation ordinance, it is powerless to stop the demolition; it can only delay the demolition by three months. The demolition delay expires on March 19^th. 

The Milwaukee Road Depot or Marinette Depot was completed in 1903.  It was a “combination station”, providing shelter to passengers; a freight area and train control all under one roof.   The Marinette Depot is the most intact remaining clapboarded depot in the county and one of only two remaining railroad related resources in Marinette. Although the depot has been altered over the years, overall the building retains a high degree of historic integrity; intact architectural details include diamond paned windows, interior wainscoting and decorative woodwork on the exterior.

In 2000 the City of Marinette was awarded an ISTEA Enhancement grant to purchase and restore the depot.  The only action taken to date has been to remove the local designation of the depot and issue a demolition permit. The current City Administration has no plans to proceed with the project, citing funding issues.   The depot was listed on the Preservation Watch list last year because of the threat of development.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation has obtained verbal commitments from both the developer and Walgreen’s to provide the matching funds needed for the Enhancement grant, thus removing the city’s financial obligation to provide matching funds.   To complicate matters, the City hopes to use another grant to extend Hattie Street that will require that the depot be moved due to right-of-way issues for the proposed extension.   GNI, the developer for the Walgreen’s project, (which will abut the proposed roadway) has agreed in writing to move the depot if the grant application is successful.

The cream brick Italianate house on a hill was built in 1850 by twin brothers, Argulas and Agustus Foote, who were born in 1818.  The grand landmark had 30 rooms in two identical halves, which was to be home for each of the brothers and the brides they married in a double ceremony in 1852.  They did everything together and planned to farm the 400 surrounding acres. It was credited with being the largest farmhouse in the state.  The sudden death of one of the wives brought such sorrow to the brothers that they sold their farm about 1855. At one time it belonged to a Chicago family. It was used for square dances, summer resort and even an auction house for selling hogs.  During the Depression the house fell on hard times.  During Prohibition, the houseguests were gangsters and their molls and it was rumored that Al Capone spent some time there with his boys, leaving behind evidence of their secret moonshine production.  The property with a colorful past became a frequent tourist attraction.

 While a portion of the house was refurbished and used as a residence, the rest of the property has not been maintained in many years.  The house now suffers from extreme neglect, which will serve to eventually demolish the building.

5.       The Wittman Hangar, Oshkosh

This was the first airplane hangar at Wittman Regional Airport, and was built around 1924.  The hangar served as the laboratory shop of experimental airplane pioneer, Steve Wittman.  It also served as his office from 1931 to 1969.   Wittman hangar is the original Oshkosh ground zero for experimental and general aviation, serving as the first headquarters for the EAA fly-in 1953.  Wittman also trained World War II pilots.  The building is currently leased to aviation businesses.  One of the business owners has attempted to purchase the building to no avail.  Winnebago County, which owns the building claims the cost to bring the building up to code would make it prohibitive to rent. 

The hangar is endangered because the County has indicated it wants to demolish the building in the summer of 2003.  The delayed maintenance of the hangar has increased the cost to bring it up to code.

6.       The Mineral Point Masonic Lodge, Mineral Point

This is the oldest continuous operating Lodge, designed by Cornish immigrant John Charles, and is very important to the Masonry heritage in Wisconsin.  The red brick and native limestone building is in the Vernacular/Richardson Romanesque style of architecture.  It was built about 1896.  A compatible addition was added in 1924.  The building commands a prominent location on the west end of the Mineral Point Historic District.  It is recognized on the State and National Register of Historic Places and is locally designated as an historic site. The Lodge continues to use the building during warm weather months.  A lack of funds has resulted in the building not being properly maintained.

The Lodge is endangered due to demolition by neglect.  Upgrades to the building are necessary because the heating system is inefficient, there is inadequate wiring and insulation, the building has suffered extensive water damage, resulting in rotting wood, rusting tin ceilings, and weakened stairwell.  Lack of funding prevents repair and maintenance of the building.

The Dinesen House is an endangered property with an exceptional story that spans two centuries, two continents and two cultural traditions.  Built sometime in the 1860s, the woodland vernacular log cabin was a stopping over point along the military road between Fort Howard near Green Bay and Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor, Michigan.  After the US Government suspended mail service between the two frontier outposts, the house was acquired by Danish adventurer and expatriate Wilhelm Dinesen in 1873. He named the cabin “Freydenlund” (Grove of Joy) and lived there for over a year with a Chippewa housekeeper named Catherine, who later had a child named Emma. Dinesen returned to Denmark in 1874, married in 1885 and fathered a daughter, Isak Dinesen, who later wrote the novel “Out of Africa”. This novel was later made into a film of the same name starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.

 Before he left Wisconsin, Dinesen sold the property to a Norwegian immigrant named Ludwig Motzfeldt.  Motzfeldt later married Dinesen’s housekeeper Kate. Motzfeldt served as the first county treasurer in Langlade County and postmaster of Freydendlund from 1878 t0 1888. Later, he moved with his wife to the Bad River Indian reservation near Odanah, where he died in 1928.

The property is endangered because it has not been occupied for over a decade and suffers from serious deferred maintenance. The roof has deteriorated badly and threatens the overall integrity of the building. The current owner, the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, has hired a preservation architect with support from the Jeffris Family Foundation to provide a report detailing how to preserve the structure. 

The Pape House/Louis Martini Store was built between 1849 and 1860 by Louis Martini in the Greek Revival style.  It was originally built as a store, and qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places.  The store was an essential commercial enterprise for the frontier community that existed when it was built.  It not only provided goods needed for life’s necessities, it was also a gathering place for isolated farm folk to catch up on village news.  Martini was a central figure in Springfield Corners, serving as village postmaster and justice of the peace, in addition to storeowner.  The Pape House is the only frame structure associated with commerce that evolved along the 19^th century road between Madison and Sauk City that is still standing.

Through many years and changes of ownership, the house has retained its historic integrity.  The central house like structure rests on a limestone foundation.  Its topped with a gable roof and covered with the original clapboard siding attached with square nails.  Attached to the main structure are two ells also with the same clapboard siding and window treatments.  There is no running water and the house is heated by one pot bellied stove.

The house was spared from the Highway 12 expansion project, but its future is uncertain.  The current owner is not interested in restoration, stating the building is in such bad shape it can’t remain standing.  The town of Springfield has recommended it be preserved as a landmark in its neighborhood plan, but does not suggest a specific use for the property, only a general use of “low-impact community use.”

The property is endangered due to threat of demolition.  The owner has no intention of keeping the house, and there is not a buyer that would preserve it.  The costs to restore the house and make it usable are a hindrance to its preservation. 

The Big Box store is a term commonly used to describe the massive stores created by discount merchandisers.  They range in size from 90,000 to 200,000 square feet (or two to five times the size of a football field).  To save on cost, there is frequently little design variation, thus a store in Madison can look the same as a store in Superior. Due to the acreage required to build these stores, they are commonly located on the outskirts of a community along a major thoroughfare. Because of their immense size, lack of pedestrian access, and huge parking areas, big box stores are also referred to as sprawl.  These stores are forever changing the face of Wisconsin---once vibrant historic downtowns are now ghost towns, pockmarked with vacant storefronts.  Picturesque farmsteads are being replaced with endless acres of parking lots and characterless, over-scaled, buildings that dwarf their surroundings.

Despite their unsightly appearance, many consumers appreciate what they perceive to be the low cost of products available.  Unfortunately, the “sticker price” doesn’t usually reflect the true price. These stores are often subsidized with tax dollars, either through direct subsidies or infrastructure improvements such as new roads and sewer lines.  What the consumer saves in product discounts often results in increased property taxes.  Although most big box retailers have multi-million dollar revenues, they will often get substantial subsidies to locate in a community.  By contrast established locally-owned retailers often get little in the way of public incentives.  To further complicate matters, big box stores have tremendous purchasing power and name recognition.  It is not that small businesses are not competitive; it’s that in such an environment, it can be impossible to compete. 

Local governments often provide such enticements to big box retailers because they believe that subsidizing them is sound economic policy because any growth creates revenue and jobs. The problem with this model is that is that even if a big box store brings immediate short-term gain, the long terms costs are usually substantial and often outweigh the short term gains because of the on-going cost of servicing the development.  According to a recent study conducted by the nationally recognized consulting firm of Tischler & Associates, “big box retail generates a net annual deficit of $468 per 1,000 square feet….by contrast, specialty retail a category that includes small-scale Main Street Businesses, has a positive impact on public revenue because it generates more tax revenue than it costs to service. Specialty retail produces a net annual return of $326 per 100 square feet.”  Furthermore, the net job gain can be negative because local businesses close and jobs are lost. According to a recent study, for every two jobs created by a major big box store (and one of the nation’s largest employers), three additional jobs were lost because local businesses closed.

The past decade has witnessed an influx of big box stores into Wisconsin, the development of many made possible by public subsidies.   Unable to compete with the major retailers’ massive buying power and immense marketing budgets, many businesses simply could not survive. Thousands of locally owned businesses, many of them located in Wisconsin’s historic downtowns have closed and thousands more are threatened as major retailers look to break into new markets and seek to dominate existing ones.

10.    Wisconsin Historic Sites

The proposed budget cuts to the Wisconsin Historical Society could result in reduced hours for some of the Wisconsin Historic Sites and complete closure for others.   The Wisconsin Historical Society owns nine historical sites: the H.H. Bennett Studio & History Center in the Wisconsin Dells, the Madeline Island Historical Museum, Old World Wisconsin in Eagle (which is privately funded), Pendarvis in Mineral Point, Stonefield in Cassville, Villa Louis in Prairie du Chein, the Wade House in Greenbush, the first Capitol in Belmont and the Circus World Museum in Baraboo. The fascinating collection of sites represents an irreplaceable part of Wisconsin’s history.

It has been reported that the Historical Society will likely make cuts to the sites that have lower attendance.  In addition to losing a direct and immediate link to the state’s history, closure of these sites could have a devastating effect on the communities in which they are located because those communities depend heavily on the tourist dollars generated by these sites.   The sites are not only a vital part of their local economy but also that of the state. Tourism is a major component of Wisconsin’s economy and heritage tourism is among the fastest growing segments of the visitor industry worldwide and will continue to be so. According to a recent study that focused on the habits of heritage travelers, for every $3 a person spends at a historic site, they spend $97 elsewhere - food or shopping or hotels. The leverage of that historic site, therefore, is incredible.

Ironically, last year a special panel was appointed by Gov. Scott McCallum to study the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Historic Sites. The report documents the historic sites’ capital assets and artifact collections, which exceed $100 million, and recommends that state government take immediate steps to protect the taxpayers’ investment in these irreplaceable resources.  To that end, the report recommends a formal needs assessment of the historic sites system that goes far beyond the scope of the commission’s study and will serve as a blueprint for the future. In addition, the report emphasizes the importance of empowering local support groups who have a vested interest in the success of nearby historic sites and suggests developing a mechanism whereby local support – from mustering volunteers to raising funds – will also include involvement in daily decision making.

The sites are endangered due to potential budget cuts and staff reductions, causing the Wisconsin Historical Society to consider closing some of its Historic Sites and reducing the operating hours of others. 

2003 Preservation Watch List

North Point North and North Point South Historic Districts, Milwaukee, WI:

These two historic districts within the City of Milwaukee are potentially threatened by a planned expansion of the St. Mary’s East Facility on Lake Drive due to the merger of Columbia and St. Mary’s Hospitals.  Initially the hospital indicated plans to demolish the entire complex, but has recently stated that the historic St. Mary’s building will remain in the expansion plans.  The hospital site, a Beaux Arts building that wraps around a curve on Lake Drive also includes the historic 1873 North Point Water tower.  The building was given historic designation by the City in 2002 based on the initial plans to demolish the building.  The hospital did not contest the designation, and is working with the neighborhood residents to develop plans for the expansion that will not negatively impact the area.

The Walker House,  Mineral Point, WI

The Walker House is a huge railroad hotel that was built in the mid-1900s.  It was converted to a popular restaurant in 1960, but has been vacant and neglected for many years. It is located in a National Register district.  This property was previously listed by the Wisconsin Trust as endangered, and its future remains uncertain.

Aldo Leopold Community School/St. Joseph’s Academy, Green Bay, WI

St. Joseph's Academy was founded as a private Catholic girls school in 1893.  The building was expanded over the years due to increased enrollment and the addition of more grade levels creating the need for more space. It became part of the Green Bay School District in July, 1995 as the Aldo Leopold School.  This property was on the Watch list last year due to plans by the Green Bay School District to tear down the oldest part of the building for renovation.   The building’s future still remains uncertain.