List of the oldest buildings in Wisconsin


This article attempts to list the oldest extant, freestanding buildings in the state of Wisconsin. Some dates are approximate and based on architectural studies and historical records; other dates are based on dendrochronology. All entries should include citation with reference to: architectural features indicative of the date of construction; a report by an architectural historian; or dendrochronology. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.
To be listed here a site must:
BuildingImageLocationFirst BuiltUseNotes
Tank CottageHeritage Hill State Historical Park, Allouez1776ResidentialOldest extant building in Wisconsin. Voyageur Joseph Roi built the cottage using the pièce-sur-pièce à coulisse method, which was once common in French-Canadian architecture. Originally located on the Fox River in Green Bay, the cottage was moved to Heritage Hill State Historical Park in 1976.
Strange Powers HousePrairie du Chien1800-1820ResidentialBuilt using the pièce-sur-pièce à coulisse method common in early 19th century French-Canadian architecture, the exact date of this building's construction is uncertain. When Zebulon Pike visited the area in 1805, he noted at least eight buildings similar to the Strange Powers house in Prairie du Chien; it is not certain if the house was one of the buildings that Pike saw, or if it was built by early settler Strange Powers, who purchased the lot in 1818.
Francois Vertefeuille HousePrairie du Chien1810-1820ResidentialBuilt by French-Canadian fur traders using the pièce-sur-pièce à coulisse method between 1810 and 1820.
Fort Howard Officers' QuartersHeritage Hill State Historical Park, Allouez1816-1817MilitaryOne of the original buildings of Fort Howard in Green Bay, the U.S. Army built the Fort Howard Officers' Quarters in the Federal style and garrisoned the fort until 1852. The building was donated to the Brown County Historical Association in 1952 and relocated to Heritage Hill State Historical Park in 1975.
Fort Howard HospitalHeritage Hill State Historical Park, Allouez1816-1817MilitaryOne of the original buildings of Fort Howard in Green Bay, the U.S. Army built the Fort Howard Hospital in the Federal style and garrisoned the fort until 1852. The building was relocated to Heritage Hill State Historical Park in 1975.
Fort Howard Hospital WardHeritage Hill State Historical Park, Allouez1816-1817MilitaryOne of the original buildings of Fort Howard in Green Bay, the Fort Howard Hospital Ward functioned as part of the fort hospital. The U.S. Army built the structure in the Federal style and garrisoned the fort until 1852. The building was relocated to Heritage Hill State Historical Park in 1975.
Fort Winnebago Surgeon's QuartersPortage1818-1828Residential/fur trading/militaryOriginally the home of French-Canadian fur trader Francois LeRoi, the U.S. Army bought the structure in 1828 and used it as one of the original buildings of Fort Winnebago.
Dodge Mining Camp CabinDodgeville1827ResidentialRemaining building of a lead mining and smelting camp organized by Henry Dodge, who would go on to become the first governor of the Wisconsin Territory and first U.S. senator from the state of Wisconsin. Lead mining was one of the major industries in Wisconsin's early history.
Astor Fur WarehousePrairie du Chien1828Fur tradeBuilt in 1828 by Jean Joseph Rolette, an agent of the American Fur Company, the warehouse is a National Historic Landmark and the only known surviving fur trade warehouse in the upper Mississippi valley.
18F Shake Rag StreetMineral PointResidentialPart of the Mineral Point Historic District.
Mark Ingraham House, 28 Shake Rag StreetMineral PointResidentialOne-story limestone cabin built by Cornish lead miners in southwestern Wisconsin. Today a part of the Mineral Point Historic District.
Baird Law OfficeHeritage Hill State Historical Park, Allouez1831 or 1835BusinessGreek Revival structure built by Samuel Wooten Beall at the Main and Monroe Streets in Green Bay. Housed law office of Henry Samuel Baird from 1841 to 1865, and was moved to Heritage Hill State Historical Park in 1975.
Old Indian Agency HousePortage1832Government/residentialThe house was the residence for John H. Kinzie, who served as an Indian Sub-agent to the Ho-Chunk.
Prairie Spring HotelWillow Springs1834Hotel/residentialBuilt by Daniel Morgan Parkinson, a settler from Tennessee, the Prairie Spring Hotel's construction is more typical of the vernacular style seen in the early 19th century Southeastern United States. The structure served as an inn on the road from Galena, Illinois to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, and was later the homestead of the Parkinson family.
American Fur Company postLa Pointe1835Fur tradeIn the early 19th century, the American Fur Company maintained a trading post on Madeline Island in the Apostle Islands. A small warehouse remains from that complex of buildings and today is part of the Madeline Island Museum.
Cothren HouseMineral PointResidential1.5-story wooden cabin originally located in Blue River, Wisconsin. Moved to Mineral Point in the 1970s.
Gratiot HouseShullsburg1835ResidentialBuilt by Indian agent and entrepreneur Henry Gratiot in the vernacular Georgian style. The house is the last remaining structure of Gratiot's Grove, a lead mining settlement that thrived in the 1820s and 1830s.
Henry Merrell HousePortage1835-1839ResidentialResidence of Henry Merrill, sutler and postmaster for Fort Winnebago along the Portage Canal. Built 1835 to 1839 in Greek Revival style, originally across the canal from the fort.
John Harris CottageMineral PointResidentialOne-story cabin built by Cornish lead miners in southwestern Wisconsin.
Pendarvis House and Trelawny HouseMineral PointResidentialLimestone cabins built by Cornish lead miners in southwestern Wisconsin. Today the houses are a part of the Pendarvis Historic Site.
Polperro HouseMineral PointResidential2.5-story cabin built by Cornish lead miners in southwestern Wisconsin. First floor is limestone with upper 1.5 stories made of wood. Today a part of the Pendarvis Historic Site.
Second Fort Crawford Military HospitalPrairie du Chien1835MilitaryBuilt by Col. Zachary Taylor between 1829 and 1835. The original Fort Crawford was built in 1816in the aftermath of the War of 1812. After the Winnebago War of 1827, the U.S. Army decided to build a larger fort, which was garrisoned from 1829 to 1856, temporarily reactivated during the Civil War, and then permanently abandoned in 1865. The hospital was separate from the military installation and is the only surviving building.
Denniston HouseCassville1836Government/HotelBuilt in 1836 when the Wisconsin Territorial legislature was in the process of choosing a state capital, Denniston House was designed to house the territorial Supreme Court in the hopes that Cassville would be chosen as the seat of government. Cassville was passed over, and the building sat vacant for 18 years until Nelson Dewey bought the building in 1854 and opened it as a hotel.
First Capitol Historic SiteBelmont1836GovernmentThe legislature of the Wisconsin Territory held its first session in Belmont on October 25, 1836. Much of the session was spent deciding on a new location for the territorial capital, and the legislature never reconvened in the Belmont capitol building after 1836. The buildings were later used as private residences and livestock barns.
Walker HouseMineral Point1836HotelOldest hotel in Mineral Point. Constructed of limestone in three parts, the first in 1836 and the last completed in 1860. Part of the Mineral Point Historic District.
Bendickson cabinWind Lake1837ResidentialBuilt by Norwegian immigrant Halvor Bendickson in 1837, the structure is one of the oldest buildings in Racine County. It is one of several structures built by early Norwegian immigrants that are preserved in Heg Memorial Park.
HazelwoodGreen Bay1837ResidentialBuilt in 1837, Hazelwood was the home of early Wisconsin political Morgan Lewis Martin, who drafted the Constitution of Wisconsin. The building is owned by the Brown County Historical Association and is a museum.
Mill HouseSheboygan Falls1837Residential/hotelTwo-story wood-frame Greek Revival structure built by the Rochester Lumber Company in 1837 as a boarding house for workers. Also functioned as an inn for settlers arriving in the area. Part of the Cole Historic District in Sheboygan Falls.
Mitchell-Rountree HousePlatteville1837Residential1.5-story cottage built in 1837 of carefully fit dolomite for Rev. Samuel Mitchell in a style from his native Virginia. Mitchell had served in the Revolutionary War. John Rountree, founder of Platteville and husband of Mitchell's daughter, probably built the house.
St. Germain dit Gauthier HousePrairie du Chien1837-1840ResidentialBuilt by French-Canadian immigrants. Owned by the City of Prairie du Chien.
209 Commerce Street cottageMineral Point1838-1839ResidentialTwo-story limestone cabin built by Cornish lead miners in southwestern Wisconsin. Part of the Mineral Point Historic District.
Gredler-Gramins HouseBrookfield1839ResidentialBenjamin Carpenter built the initial fieldstone house in 1839. In 1850 John Gredler expanded that building with a 2-story brick Greek Revival-styled front, producing a saltbox form.
Isham Day HouseMequon1839ResidentialOne of the oldest known buildings in Ozaukee County, the cottage was built by Yankee Isham Day in 1839, before the influx of German immigration in the 1840s. The construction is unusual, with walls framed in vertical sawn timbers joined by mortise and tenon and infilled with brick.
Odd Fellows HallMineral Point1839Fraternal meeting placeWooden Greek Revival structure built as a meeting place for the Iowa Lodge No. 1 chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Still used by the organization, it is reputed to be the oldest chapter west of the Allegheny Mountains. Part of the Mineral Point Historic District.
Old St. Peter's Catholic ChurchOld World Wisconsin, Eagle1839ChurchThe first Catholic Church in Milwaukee, originally located at 2469 N. Murray Ave. before being moved to the grounds of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary c. 1940. It was later moved to the Old World Wisconsin open-air museum.

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