Haney’s Tavern: Dane County Historical Society

“In 1838 at the foot of this bluff Berry Haney, a migrant from Cross Plains, Tennessee, established the Cross Plains Post Office in a log house. Early Cross Plains was the site of important military road crossings and Haney became the pioneer village’s best known settler. One mile east stands Haney’s Tavern, one of Dane […]

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Patrons Mercantile Co-op: Dane County Historical Society

“Oldest Cooperative in the Nation. Town of Vermont farmers, beset by a depressed economy in the early 1890’s, organized a company to obtain quality products at fair prices. Amos Thorsrud was the first general manager. He and Nels Simley toured local farms to sell $10 shares in a company store, raising $1800 capital to finance […]

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Blue Mounds Fort: Dane County Historical Society

“The onset of the Black Hawk War in northwestern Illinois in April, 1832 triggered panic in southwestern Wisconsin’s lead mining region, prompting erection of over a dozen stockades. On an open prairie knoll 3/4 mile south of this marker, area miners and settlers who became part of Col. Henry Dodge’s militia built Blue Mounds Fort. […]

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John F. Appleby: Dane County Historical Society

“It was here at Mazomanie in the late 1870’s that John F. Appleby perfected the knotter. Still used on binders and balers, the knotter is a mechanical device which binds grain into compact bundles with twine.  Appleby was born in New York State but spent his boyhood in Walworth County, Wis. In his youth he […]

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St. Mary of the Oaks: Dane County Historical Society

On the brow of a hill, one-half mile east overlooking Indian Lake, rests a tiny stone chapel. The structure was built in 1857 by John Endres in fulfillment of a religious vow he made in return for protecting the lives of his family during a diphtheria epidemic. Aided by his son Peter, Endres hauled several […]

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Indian Lake Passage: Dane County Historical Society

“On July 21, 1832, during the Black Hawk War, Sac Indian leader Black Hawk and his band left Pheasant Branch, west of Madison, retreating ahead of the military forces commanded by Colonels Ewing and Dodge. The band fled north following a route past the west end of Indian Lake and turned westward down the broad […]

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Historic Mazomanie: Wisconsin Historical Society

“In 1850, the Milwaukee and Mississippi Rail Road Company began building a line to span the lower third of Wisconsin between Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien. Chief Engineer Edward Brodhead concluded that this area’s topographical features were ideal for constructing a railroad servicing station and a commercial trading village. In 1855, he platted the village […]

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Old Halfway Prairie School: Dane County Historical Society

“This building is Dane County’s oldest existing country schoolhouse. Repeated remodelings conceal an original framework of logs. The land was donated for school purposes in 1844 by Mary Fowler, a widow and member of the British Temperance Immigration Society. The name Halfway Prairie was coined by early lead miners who often camped here when traveling […]

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