The Nodolf Nightmare

If you’ve heard of the Platte Mound, you may have heard of it’s “haunted house”
As you approach the Platte Mound from the south, you see a row of houses and on the far right, a farm. The old Nodolf house is hidden by the trees in the gap just to the left of the farm.

Numerous folktales start with the words “it was a dark and stormy night.” However, not all of them have influenced a community as much as “The Nodolf Incident.” This unique piece of lore has fascinated Platteville residents for over a century. Locals still remember the legend of “the strange night,” where the “dark and stormy” weather resulted in the mysterious disappearance of Minnie and Louie Nodolf. This article will introduce the Nodolf family and their unforgettable run-in with the supernatural.

The Nodolf Family Legend
The old Nodolf house as viewed from the road.

In the 1800s, an industrious German settler named Carl Nodolf (also known as Charles or Karl) set up his homestead near the Platte Mound. The Mound is a natural rock formation that is now marked with the world’s largest “M.” Carl bought a sturdy stone cottage surrounded by lush fields, taking the first step to creating a farm he could call his own. According to folklore, he then went back to get his fiancé in Hanover, Germany. Carl was eager to take his sweetheart to America and build a life with her in the frontier town of Platteville.

Carl and Louise Nodolf. Photo courtesy of Ancestry.com

However, his dream was not to be. When he got to Hanover, he discovered that his fiancé and most of her family had died in a diphtheria outbreak a few weeks before his arrival. Only her sister, Louise Steinhoff, and her mother had survived. Heartbroken, Carl almost gave up on his Platteville home before deciding to give the States another try. He and his fiancé’s remaining family members moved to the Mound and did their best to live a normal life. Not too soon after the trip, Carl noticed the deepening affection he had towards his departed fiancé’s sister. The similarity between the two siblings must have been striking. As Louise Steinhoff was only sixteen at the time, Carl waited two years to ask her hand in marriage.

The Real Nodolf Family

Caroline Steinhoff and Rudolf Nodolf also came to the U.S. Photo courtesy Ancestry.com

Carl Nodolf did settle by the Platte Mound in 1866 (“Charles Nodolf”). About six months later, he went back to his hometown of Hanover, Germany. There Carl met with his in-laws, the Steinhoffs. The family was safe and sound; nobody had died from diphtheria. Carl helped Johanna Steinhoff move to the Platteville area with her children Louise and Heinrich (“Johanna Caroline Bertram”).    Johanna’s other daughter, Caroline, had already moved to Wisconsin. Caroline had married Carl’s brother, Louis Rudolf Nodolf, in 1861 (“Caroline Steinhoff”). In 1875, twenty-eight-year-old Carl Nodolf married eighteen-year-old Louise Steinhoff, creating more branches in the Nodolf-Steinhoff family tree (Johanne Marie Louise Steinhoff”).

The Strange Night

Carl and Louise took extra caution when they prepared their home for the impending storm.

By 1880, Carl and Louise Nodolf were doing well in their Platteville home. They had two children: a four-year-old named Minnie and a two-year-old named Louie. All was peaceful until “the strange night” in June when a massive storm rolled over their property. Oddly enough, the dark clouds seemed to hover over their home while the rest of the sky was blue and serene (Gard and Sorden). The soft rain turned into never-ending sheets at dusk, and the wind picked up into fierce gales.

Louise Nodolf heard wolves howling nearby. Public domain photo.

They fastened each shutter tightly and slid bolts across every door. After making sure that the house was completely secure, they tucked Minnie and Louie into bed. The chaotic lightning and howling of wolves kept Carl and Louise awake long after their children had dozed off. Louise had never heard the wolves so close to her home before. At around midnight, Carl and Louise decided that they would at least try to get some sleep. Louise led the way up the stairs with her lantern as she and her husband checked on the children. After seeing that Minnie and Louie were sound asleep, they finally went to bed.

Louise woke up in the midst of a thunderstorm to find her children missing. Public domain photo.

Several hours later, Louise woke to a crash of thunder. She thought she could hear her daughter crying out for help. She grabbed her lantern and ran to the children’s bedroom. Louise looked at their beds and saw they were empty. Carl was also awake by this point, and the two of them ran downstairs to see if their children had wandered in the night. Not finding them anywhere in the house, Louise and Carl called out, “Minnie!” “Louie!” in panic. All they heard was the rain beating down on the roof. Then, through the tumult of the storm, they noticed Minnie and Louie answering them from outside the house.

Carl unbolted the main door and found the children standing on the steps shivering. He ushered them into the house while Louise rushed to get them a warm change of clothes. Before she made it very far, Carl told her not to bother. Miraculously, Minnie and Louie had not gotten wet while they were in the middle of the storm. This detail was strange, considering the house did not have much of a porch, and there was no shelter for miles around that could have kept them dry. In the words of Haunted Heartland authors Beth Scott and Michael Norman, “it was as if they had been standing in some invisible shell on the doorstep of the house” (451). Carl and Louise were thrilled that their children were safe, but baffled by the bizarre event. They wondered not only how Minnie and Louie stayed dry in the rain, but also how they got out of the house in the first place.

Carl rechecked the house and saw that all the locks and bolts were untouched. Everything was still sealed from the inside. It would have been challenging for young Minnie and Louie to reach the bolts and slide the heavy bars to the side. Even if Minnie and Louie had managed to leave the house, who locked everything behind them? When Carl and Louise asked Minnie what had happened, she said that she did not know. The more she tried to talk, the worse she stuttered.

Minnie had never stuttered before that night, but both she and Louie would keep stuttering for the rest of their lives. According to Scott and Norman, they were the “only two of the eight Nodolf children to do so” (451). According to legend, Minnie and Louie never remembered what occurred on the “strange night.” 

Minnie and Charles survived the strange event and grew to adulthood. Here they are pictured with the rest of the Carl and Louise Nodolf family, as shared by descendant on Ancestry.com
What happened that night?

What happened to Minnie and Louie defies all logic. But that fact has not stopped people from trying to explain the unexplained. The Nodolfs themselves tried in vain to come up with a reason for what happened on that “strange night.” Carl thought maybe some nomads (he used the term “gypsies”) had tried to carry off the children, before being scared off by the storm. This theory does not make any sense, and there were no camps or caravans anywhere near the Platte Mound at the time. Neighbors speculated that perhaps one of the parents had been sleepwalking and accidentally locked the children out of the house. This explanation is also strange because Carl and Louise kept waking up during the loud storm. Recently, independent researchers have rekindled interest in the case. Some of their wilder theories regarding Minnie and Louie’s disappearance include teleportation, alien abductions, and paranormal activity.

Did Minnie and Louis have an extraterrestrial encounter?

Michael Winkle and other proponents of the teleportation theory cite David Paulides’ Missing 411 series. These books focus on accounts where young people unexpectedly vanish and reappear in the Midwest area. The children in these cases, like Minnie and Louie, seldom remember how they got from one area to another. UFO enthusiast Joseph Trainor notes that Minnie and Louie may have experienced something that they could not comprehend, like an alien craft. Not too long after the incident, in 1894, local newspapers reported a strange ball of fire dashing through the sky in the Chicago area. The celestial anomaly was accompanied by “a terrific peal of thunder and vivid lightning” (“Fall of a Ball of Fire”). Some theorize that odd meteor-type objects like this one were actually spaceships. The trauma of seeing or being abducted by aliens could have led Minnie and Louie to their lifelong stuttering.

Some locals believe that Carl Nodolf’s long-dead fiance (of legend) was responsible for Minnie and Louie’s disappearance that night.

Finally, many Platteville residents think that the Nodolf house is haunted. Some people who believe Louise’s sister died from diphtheria point to her as the ghost (“Platteville, Wisconsin Ghost Sightings”). After all, she might have wanted to come to Platteville with the rest of her family. She could have unlocked and locked the door without anyone knowing. As stated before, Louise did not have any siblings who died of diphtheria, but it makes for a compelling story. A few of the people who have visited the old Nodolf home insist there is a ghost because of the eerie wailing sounds they have heard at the site (“Platteville, Wisconsin Ghost Sightings”).

Legacy

Only a few sources describe the Nodolf incident, with the primary account coming from Erva Loomis Merow (Gard and Sorden). She was a successful children’s book author from Kenosha, and there is a chance she “embellished” the tale when she relayed it in the 1960s (“Erva Merow”). Although the Nodolf Incident story is less well known today than it was in previous decades, the legend lives on. In 2015, Wisconsin composer Heidi Joosten wrote a collaborative choral piece about the incident. The work was performed by sixth through twelfth-grade choir students at Platteville High School (“Platteville schools The Strange Night”).

This painting of the Nodolf House adorns the Platteville Senior Center

The Nodolf home still stands today and is a great site to visit by the “M.” Although the walls are intact, the house is crumbling and structurally unsound (Burns). An outside glance is fine, but it is not safe to venture inside. Those who are brave enough to visit the property cannot help but wonder what really happened to Minnie and Louie on that “strange night” so long ago.

Works Cited

Burns, Terry. “The Platte or Platteville ‘M’ Mound.” Adventures in Driftlessness, 11 November  2019. Accessed 10 August 2020.

Charles Nodolf Obituary.” Shared by Scott Wichmann on Ancestry.com, 02 March 2011.   Accessed 10 August 2020.

Erva Merow Obituary.” Bruch-Hansen Funeral Home. Accessed 10    August 2020.

“Fall of a Ball of Fire.” The Weekly Wisconsin [Milwaukee, Wisconsin], 15 Sept. 1894, p. 1.

Gard, Robert and Leland Sorden. Wisconsin Lore, Antics, and Anecdotes of Wisconsin People and Places. Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1962.

Platteville schools The Strange Night premieres Monday.” SWNews4U.com, 21 October 2015. Accessed 10 August 2020.

Scott, Beth and Michael Norman. Haunted Heartland. Stanton & Lee, 1985.

Trainor, Joseph. “1881: A Possible Abduction in Southern Wisconsin.” UFO Roundup, vol. 5, no. 29, 2000, http://www.ufoinfo.com/roundup/v05/index.shtml. Accessed 10 August 2020.

Winkle, Michael. “Missing 411 Annotations.” The Fantasy World Project,             Accessed 10   August 2020.

Wichmann, Scott. “Caroline Steinhoff.” Ancestry.com, . Accessed 10 August 2020.

—. “Johanna Caroline Bertram.” Ancestry.com. Accessed 10 August 2020.

—. “Johanne Marie Louise Steinhoff.” Ancestry.com. Accessed 10 August 2020.

Tavern Spirits: The Legend of Walker House, part two

[You’ll enjoy this article more if you read the first article, containing parts I-V, first! Parts I-V include: (I) the Berry Inn Ball; (II) the Berry Inn Brawl; (III) Caffee in Hiding; (IV) Trying Times; and (V) Conversations with Caffee. That article discussed the murder of Sam Southwick by William Caffee after a dance at the old Berry Inn, pleas for Caffee’s release, and his escape, re-imprisonment and trial. Caffee was sentenced to hang. The second half of this series tells what seems the end of Caffee’s story… but for Mineral Point’s Walker House, it was just the beginning!]

Despite the “Walker House 1836” signage, the famous old building could not possibly have been built in 1836, and it almost certainly did not exist in 1842, when Caffee killed Southwick. Why, then, have many people reported that the ghost of the hanged man, and others, haunt the premises?

Part Six: Execution Myths

None of the original accounts of Caffee and Southwick mention an inn or any other landmarks at the hanging location. The Walker House was not yet built, despite its supposed establishment in 1836. Jack Holzhueter of the Wisconsin State Historical Society states that the building’s lot “wasn’t even purchased from the government until 1845” (Lewis and Terry, 80; Peterson). Additionally, founder William Walker did not move from Ireland to the United States until 1847 (“Relatively Haunted”). Berry’s Tavern, where Caffee actually shot Southwick, is much older. It is therefore safe to say that Caffee did not hang next to Wisconsin’s oldest inn.

Caffee hung from wooden gallows, not from a tree, and his was not the last execution in the state. Public domain photo.

Caffee also did not hang from a tree, as some versions of the story claim. Instead, a scaffold was placed on part of the “low ground below town, surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills which were literally covered by the eager multitude” (“Caffee’s Execution”). According to an 1893 issue of the Iowa County Democrat, the execution took place “where the Mineral Point depot now stands” (“Death of Warren Johnson”).

The hanging took place on the site of what’s now the old Mineral Point train Depot, about 100 yards from the Walker House. Photo by Terry Burns.

This description provides the exact location of the hanging. The Mineral Point Depot, constructed in 1856, still stands today across from the Walker House (“Mineral Point Railroad Museum”). Caffee’s hanging was also not the last execution in Wisconsin. John McCaffrey’s hanging takes that spot, and thousands of people flocked to Kenosha to watch the murderer die in 1851 (Historic Madison Inc.). McCaffrey had drowned his wife, Bridgett, in a well (Historic Madison, Inc.; “Wife-slayer hung”). In 1853, the death penalty was abolished in Wisconsin (Gajewski).

Part Seven: The Fateful Day

On November 1st, 1842, thousands of curious Wisconsinites flocked to the Mineral Point hanging site. It was a pleasant fall day, and the spectators occupied themselves with picnic lunches and conversation before the grand attraction arrived. The crowd of 4,000-5,000 was diverse, with people of “every age, sex, color, and condition…fully represented” (“Execution of Caffee”).

Hanging of William Caffee
Wood print from The Story of Mineral Point 1827-1841, “Compiled by the Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration” during the Great Depression, courtesy of Friends of Berry Tavern. Notice how Caffee is carried to the gallows seated on his own coffin.

At two o’clock, a macabre parade assembled in front of the local jail (“Execution of Caffee”). At the front was Major Gray’s dragoons wielding pistols and sabers. Second was a band of uniformed men with muskets under the charge of Captain Shaw. Next was a series of horse-drawn wagons, one of which contained Caffee’s coffin (“Execution of Caffee”). Deputies brought him out in a long white robe and a cap, with a rope already tied around his neck. Caffee may have specially requested the robe, as white garments symbolized “entry into heaven” at the time (Miller).

Instead of taking a seat in the front of a wagon, Caffee sat astride his own casket. The rest of Shaw’s command followed Caffee’ wagon. Finishing off the assembly was Colonel Sublett’s company of dragoons (“Execution of Caffee”). There must have been some musicians in the group as well because a funeral dirge accompanied the strange procession. Caffee enjoyed the music, keeping beat to the melody by striking his coffin lid. Many accounts say he used two empty beer bottles, though he probably just used his fists (Lewis and Terry, 80-81; Godfrey, 39). In either case, Caffee made himself memorable.

The procession supposedly traveled down High Street and Commerce Street to the outskirts of town. A posse of seven Black Hawk War veterans kept the crowd thirty feet away from the hanging site. They wore handmade uniforms made from blankets and bed ticking (Carted). Warren Johnson led the group with a sword that he had never gotten to use in the war (“Death of Warren Johnson”; Carted). When Caffee arrived, sheriff George Messersmith helped him up the stairs to the gallows. Reverend Wilcox, who frequently visited Caffee in prison, also climbed the stairs and prayed for Caffee’s redemption in God’s eyes (“Execution of Caffee”).

An example of the old-style sheriff’s gallows. Photo courtesy of Sierra County Sheriff’s Gallows

Caffee showed no emotion during the whole ordeal. In prison, he had bragged about being able to “stare death out of countenance.” (“Execution of Caffee, Breihan et al.). His nonchalant attitude at the hanging seemed to prove this point. During speeches and prayers, Caffee leaned casually on one of the scaffold posts until it was time for the grim ceremony to end (“Execution of Caffee”). The sheriff asked Caffee if he had any last requests. Always the jokester, Caffee replied that he wanted the rope adjusted “with a good long slack” (“Execution of Caffee”).

Earlier that day, he had allegedly asked for a slice of Judge Jackson’s heart as his final meal (Gajewski; Godfrey, 39). The sheriff did the honors of pulling the cap over Caffee’s face, pulling the lever on the scaffold, and ending his existence (“Execution of Caffee”). Legend has it that Caffee’s friends tried to restore him to life, but he remained dead (Crawford 112; “Execution of Caffee”). Or did he?

Part Eight: The Haunting of the Walker House

The Walker House may well be one of America’s most haunted inns. William Caffee’s spirit is said to roam the halls, appearing in various forms to guests and employees alike. According to Becky Busher, a former Walker House employee, he “lives” on the third floor (Peterson). Some people also claim to see the apparition of a little girl who plays on the upper floors with a ghost cat and ghost dog (“Relatively Haunted”). It is unclear why they inhabit the building. Mysterious footsteps, voices from nowhere, and flying objects make the Walker House spirits seem almost cliché. But unlike most ghosts, William Caffee and his friends do not mean to hurt anyone. If anything, they may be trying to help with the building. They seem to like taking part in renovation plans, as they show up the most while the property is being refurbished.

The ghost began to appear when new owners started to restore the property. This is how Walker House looked in the 1960s.

Reports of the building’s strange activity began in 1964 when Ted Landon purchased the run-down property with dreams of restoring it to its original glory. The place had been abandoned since 1957, and fixing it brought unprecedented challenges (Godfrey 39; Norman and Scott, 452 – 453 Haunted Heartland). Aside from the substantial financial investment, Landon had to deal with spooky visitors while he organized repairs. He heard unknown footsteps and creepy breathing sounds that seemed to follow him wherever he worked. In 1978, Landon had enough and sold the building to Dr. David Ruf. One of Ruf’s first guests, a college student from Madison, left due to hearing the doorknobs constantly rattle while he was trying to sleep (Norman and Scott, 453 Haunted Heartland).

Part Nine: Calvert’s New Friends

Eager for some help, Dr. Ruf hired Walker Calvert (a descendent of the original owner, William Walker) to be his property manager and chef. Calvert started noticing paranormal events right away. Most afternoons, a wooden panel covering the water pipes would slide to one side on its own, before falling to the ground (Norman and Scott, 453-454 Haunted Heartland). It looked almost like some invisible person was inspecting the plumbing. But floating objects were commonplace compared to what Calvert would come to experience at the Walker House. In the late 1970s, Calvert had at least three chats with Caffee’s ghost. Employees would hear two men talking in the dining room, but when they came in, only Walker was there (Norman and Scott, 454 Haunted Heartland). Walker could not remember who he had been talking to or what they discussed. He spoke with the person in a semi-hypnotic state, never realizing that his conversation partner was not “real.”

Before his afternoon discussions with Calvert, Caffee helped the employees make breakfast. Early in the morning, before anyone had started cooking, Caffee was already getting the pots and pans together (Norman and Scott, 454 Haunted Heartland). He also liked to move the breadbox (Peterson). The clanging noises could be heard outside as kitchenware flew across the room. Workers in the kitchen felt like they were being watched, judged even. One cook refused to work in the kitchen alone (Peterson). Some employees had a difficult time getting into the building, as the door would lock on its own. Caffee usually locked up early at night, much to the dismay of Calvert and everyone working the late shift (Norman and Scott, 456 Haunted Heartland). It seemed that Caffee wanted to control who went in and out. Caffee’s ghost did not appreciate crowds very much, which is understandable considering the ruckus when he died (Balousek, 45). However, he was fond of certain people and would let them in. One morning, when Calvert and his wife Linda were opening up, Caffee was there to greet them with a disembodied “Hello!” (Norman and Scott, 457 Haunted Heartland).

Caffee’s ghost seemed to like places in Walker House where alcohol was being served. Photo courtesy of HauntedHouses.com.

Ever the partier, Caffee made sure to keep tabs on the alcohol. A bartender on the second floor was taking stock of the glassware when he heard heavy breathing and footsteps. After asking the ghost to leave him alone, he heard the noise slowly fade away (Norman and Scott, 455 Haunted Heartland). When they waitresses served drinks, they often bumped into something invisible but substantial (Peterson). Out of the corner of their eye, some of them saw “a white shape” (Norman and Scott, 454 Haunted Heartland). Occasionally, a beer bottle would fall to the floor without anyone disturbing it. If the legend that Caffee swung beer bottles on his coffin is true, he may have been confirming his identity (Norman and Scott, 458 Haunted Heartland).

little girl ghost
The ghost of a little girl also sometimes appeared… (public domain photo… sorry, this is not the actual ghost!)

Calvert commented in an interview with Beth Scott and Michael Norman that “The ghost was always doing something. It was as if he tried to prove to everyone in the Walker House that he was there” (455 Haunted Heartland). One of the ghosts, either the little girl or Caffee, loves to tug on people’s ears and hair. The little girl was more likely responsible for scaring Calvert in the root cellar. On a summer day in 1981, Calvert heard someone running up and down the cellar’s wooden steps “over and over again, like a child at play” (Norman and Scott, 456 Haunted Heartland). The cellar was well lit with electric light, but Calvert could not see anything that could have made the sound. The walls were made of thick rock, blocking out any noises from outside. The ghosts seemed to be visiting Calvert, and this was just the beginning of his encounters.

One day, Calvert was working in the office when he heard footsteps approaching. They stopped at his door. When Calvert got up to open the door and investigate, he did not see anyone. Everything was normal until he heard a low groan, which intensified into a horrendous growl (Norman and Scott, 455 Haunted Heartland). This noise may have been the ghost dog, or Caffee playing a prank. Either way, Calvert would never forget the experience.

Walker Calvert saw the ghost of Caffee sitting on this porch in 1981. Notice that at that time the “Walker House 1836” sign was on the other end of the building from where it hands today.

Calvert finally saw what appeared to be Caffee’s spirit in 1981. It was a cool October evening, and the atmosphere was perfect for a ghost sighting. Calvert was checking the door that opened from the second-floor barroom onto the porch. As he walked outside, Calvert was shocked to find a headless figure sitting on the bench. He looked old and wore a gray mining jacket with denim pants. There was a black, felt hat where his head should have been. Calvert was not concerned with the ghost’s sudden appearance. He had spent so much time interacting with Caffee that he felt he knew the ghost well. Calvert recalled what he saw that day in a matter-of-fact way:

Headless man
Caffee often appeared with no head! (Public domain photo.)

He was just a rumpled, funny-looking old man. His clothes were pretty nice, but they were old, dusty, and wrinkled. He was sitting on the bench facing me. I knew right away it was Caffee. But I didn’t reach out to touch him. I didn’t want to get that close. (Norman and Scott, 457 Haunted Heartland)

(Walker Calvert as quoted by Norman and Scott, 457 Haunted Heartland)

When Calvert glanced away, the man disappeared. He assumed the apparition was Caffee because ghosts of hanging victims frequently appear without their heads. The figure was also wearing a mining jacket, which makes sense given Caffee’s occupation as a miner in White Oak Springs. The only thing that does not make sense is the age of the ghost. Caffee died at 29, so why was the ghost so old?

In Haunted Heartland, Beth Scott and Michael Norman point out that spirits “can come back at the age [they] feel” (458). Maybe Caffee felt like an old man after spending all those years wandering the Walker House. Oddly enough, a waitress saw the ghost of a young man a few days later. He had a head and only appeared for a couple of seconds before fading away. Perhaps Caffee wanted to flirt with the waitress by showing her what he looked like when he was alive.

One employee accidentally gave Caffee’s ghost a ride back to her house. Debra Enerson said that she was leaving the Walker House when she noticed the carpooler: “I got in the car and I felt someone was there. I could hear someone breathing. I don’t mind the guy. He didn’t bother me” (Peterson). Debra also points out that Caffee’s ghost likes to come out in the morning and at the “bewitching hour” of “5 or 6 pm” (Peterson). At those times, the pub suddenly becomes drafty: “The rest of the place can be warm, but it gets cool in there. People can feel his presence, feel him whoosh past them” (Peterson). In addition to Caffee’s presence and the little girl’s spirit, there may have been many more ghosts in the 1980s. According to The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations, there was an exorcism in 1984 to cast out the “seven spirits that were said to haunt the place” (Lewis and Terry, 82). Apparently, the exorcism did not do much good, because the sightings were far from over.

Part Ten: Sightings in the 21st Century

The ghosts kept rather quiet in the 1990s and early 2000s. After Calvert and subsequent owners left, the property was abandoned once again. By 2002, the Walker House was on the “most endangered properties in Wisconsin” list (Brown, 209; “Relatively Haunted”). Joseph and Suzan Dickinson bought the building in 2008, taking on the herculean task of repairing years of vandalism and disrepair. In total, the Dickinsons replaced over two-hundred pounds of leaded glass during their restoration of the property. Oddly enough, all of that glass was broken from the inside (“Relatively Haunted”). The Dickinson’s think it was the work of vandals, but there could have been paranormal activity involved.

With their haunting grounds disturbed, the spirits were on high alert. They came to like the owners but were wary of any strangers. One day Joseph Dickinson was away from town and asked his daughter to check in on the Walker House. It was a frigid day, so she went over to make sure that none of the pipes were freezing. Suddenly she encountered an unknown man who told her, “get the hell out, you’re not the owner” (“Relatively Haunted”). Joseph Dickinson explained that the man was “very protective of the building” and sometimes acted like a supervisor when he was away (“Relatively Haunted”). The mysterious figure stood at the top of the stairs and watched as the food was being prepared.

Aside from the strange man, there were also some other unusual happenings. For example, Dickinson’s grandson experienced the floor “weaving” underneath his feet (“Relatively Haunted”). Visitors allegedly saw floating heads and moving chairs (Akamatsu, 167). The ghosts messed with technology by draining batteries, making the phone ring when no one was on the line, and playing voicemails “that had been deleted long ago” (“Relatively Haunted;” Godfrey, 40). Cameras supposedly acted up in the Walker House. When they did work, the photos they captured featured orbs and misty wisps (Godfrey, 39, Institute of Extreme Beauty).

By the 20th century, the once-beautiful Walker House became so run down it was on the states “Top 10” of Historic Properties needing restoration. One-time owner Joe Dickinson talks a little about the Walker House’s history in this 2010 “Ghost Hounds” video.

The Dickinsons welcomed paranormal investigators into the Walker House, hoping that some unique publicity would bring them the funds they needed to keep the building. In 2011, the Relatively Haunted team did a special on the Walker House, where they attempted to communicate with William Caffee’s spirit. The Dickinson’s created ghost-related newsletters and publications to help with the fundraising efforts (Brown, 210). Unfortunately, they were unable to keep up with costs in the great recession and had to give up the building.

In 2012, Dan and Kathy Vaillancourt took over and have been running the restaurant and inn ever since. The new owners vehemently deny the existence of any ghosts. They even have a website page “debunking” some of the supposed ghost activity . Unlike the Dickinsons, they avoid reaching out to ghost hunters and fans of the supernatural. To them, ghost stories are just a small part of the rich history surrounding the Walker House.

Whether the Walker House is haunted or not is ultimately up to the visitor to decide. The building is fascinating to explore with or without unexplained presences and things that go bump in the night. Whatever the case may be, William Caffee’s bold exploits will not be forgotten anytime soon. If they are, he might just come back to refresh our memories.

Works Cited

Come back for more Driftless Lore by Nettie Potter next week!

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Articles in order published:

The Mounds – an overview of Driftless Region Mound Complexes

The Platte or Platteville “M” Mound parts one and two

Winding North to Vernon County

Driftless Books and Music: The Most Eclectic Bookstore in Southwest Wisconsin

Cuba City, City of Presidents

A Game for the Driftless Region: Rugby

UW-Platteville Pioneer Football

Road American: The National Park of Speed

The Potosi Brewery

Potosi Point

Folklore Village: Dance Yourself into the Past

Be Mine! (Bevans Lead Mine and the Rollo Jamison Museum)

New Glarus Oktoberfest

The Mick Hill (A Driftless Region Memoir by Gary Jones)

The Mysteries of Indian Park, Part 1 , Part 2, and Part 3, plus Laurie Graney’s research on Indian Park as of March 20-20

Conical Mounds, Linear Mounds, Effigy Mounds

What Did Platteville Look Like in 1827?

Fall Color in the Driftless Region

The Belmont Mound

Little or “Mootz” Mound

Dickeyville’s Grotto

1850 Hyde’s Mill and Dam

Driftless Lore by Nettie Potter!

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Tavern Spirits: The Legend of Walker House

Parts I-V: the Berry Inn Ball, the Berry Inn Brawl, Caffee in Hiding, Trying Times, and Conversations with Caffee

by Nettie Potter

Historic Walker House in Mineral Point is the home of many local legends. Photo by Terry Burns

The Walker House is an imposing three-story structure located in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. Since its alleged establishment in 1836, the building has changed hands many times. Originally an inn and pub, the Walker House has also been an art gallery and meeting hall over the years. The old building is expensive to maintain, which could account for the frequent shifts in management. But there may be another reason why buyers leave so quickly. Some say a tavern spirit haunts the premises, eager to avenge his death.

Inside the Walker House Tavern. This photo accompanied a “Haunted Houses” article on the Walker House and William Caffee… unfortunately, it placed the Walker House in Menomonie! How much of the William Caffee – Walker House legend can we verify?

Legend has it that after a night of drinking and partying at the Walker House, William Caffee killed his rival, Samuel Southwick, in a dramatic duel (Brown, 209; Norman and Scott, 194 Haunted Wisconsin). He was then sentenced to hang next to the tavern. A few conflicting accounts say that after murdering Southwick in a nearby town, Caffee went to the Walker House to hide. Authorities found him, put him in shackles, and condemned him to hang near his old hideout (Godfrey, 39). Others say that Caffee was a notorious horse thief. When he stopped at the Walker House for a drink, a mob carried him off and lynched him (Akamatsu, 167; Steiger). Whatever the case may be, Caffee got a taste of “frontier justice” when he was hung outside the Walker House in 1842. His was the last hanging in Wisconsin, next to the state’s oldest inn (Balousek, 44; Jacobson). Since then, people say Caffee’s ghost has roamed the Walker House seeking revenge. To this day, workers at the inn see his apparition and flee in terror.

What really happened to William Caffee? Was he a horse thief, a gentleman, or a cold-blooded killer? Most importantly, is he still making his presence known? The true story of the Walker House ghost may differ from what the locals are used to, but it is just as compelling and strange. This ten-part series will explore the life, death, and afterlife of a Mineral Point icon.

Part One: The Berry Inn Ball

Bill Breihan and Cory Ritterbusch have located the original invitation to the Berry’s “Birth-Night Ball.” They’ve provided this and other documentation on the Friends of Berry Tavern Facebook page.

It all started at Berry Tavern, now called the Lamar House, on the night of February 22nd, 1842. Adeline Berry and her husband Fortunatus Berry were hosting a “Birth-Night Ball” to celebrate the 110th anniversary of George Washington’s birthday (Breihan et al.). They invited everyone they knew to their inn (and home) at Gratiot’s Grove, in what is now as Shullsburg. As part of the festivities, the guests would participate in an advanced form of square dancing known as the cotillion (Breihan et al.).

One of those to receive an invitation to the ball was William Caffee, a 29-year-old miner from White Oak Springs, Wisconsin. Bill was an aggressive and determined man, perhaps because he became an orphan at the age of eight and was left to care for his three younger brothers (Find a Grave). Although Bill could be crude and brash at times, he had a soft spot for dancing. Each dance gave miners a rare opportunity to socialize and woo the ladies. As such, Bill tried to behave himself at Berry’s gatherings.

Bill Caffee jumped at the chance to dance with the local ladies! (Public domain drawing courtesy of Square Dancing in the 1800s.)

But on the February 22nd party, he had too much to drink, and his short-temper got the better of him. He claimed he would like to kill, or at least punch, Charles Gratiot (“Trial”). Gratiot liked organization and insisted that callers bring only a set number of people to the dance floor at a time. Caffee hated this rule (and therefore Gratiot). He also assumed the dance caller, Amos Culver, left him out of the fun by avoiding his name. Caffee asked Amos to join him for a drink, hoping to get some answers. Culver explained that he had called Caffee’s name last dance, and did not usually call names twice in a row. Caffee demanded to see the list of names. After Culver gave him the list, Caffee ran off with it yelling, “If I can’t dance, then no one should!” (“Trial”).  

Part Two: The Berry Inn Brawl

The Berry Inn today. The sign says “This stone marks the old Chicago Stage Road, and the tavern built by Fotunatus Berry in 1829.” Photo by Cory Ritterbusch, used with permission.

Caffee hid the list in his pocket, then went outside with his friend Charles Lamar for a chat. He warned the other partygoers not to follow him for the list, threatening, “I’ll cut the God-damned heart out of any man that gets in my way” (“Trial”). Sam Southwick ignored the warning and started advancing toward Caffee. Southwick was the cousin of Adeline Berry and a “peaceable man” according to most accounts. But, unfortunately for him, Southwick chose this day to strike up a fight. He picked up a piece of firewood and looked ready to swing.

Caffee told Southwick to stand back or be killed. He had never met the man before but knew instantly that he did not like him. Sam Southwick did not move very fast as he was a 54-year-old man with a limp. Caffee pulled out a pistol almost immediately and shot him near the heart. Lamar checked in on Southwick and asked how he was doing, to which Sam responded, “I am a dead man” (“Trial”).

Lamar turned on Caffee. “What have you done?” he asked. Bill simply said, “I told him to stand back” (“Trial”). By now, a crowd of people had gathered at the scene. Lamar tried to fight Caffee but stopped when he shouted, “Charley, don’t lay your hands on me,” and someone in the crowd said Caffee had a knife (“Trial”).

According to court testimonies, Samuel Southwick died at 1 am on February 23rd, 1842, a few minutes after the shot was fired. Caffee fled from the scene.

Samuel Southwick, Adeline’s Berry’s cousin, died at the Berry Tavern door. Public domain drawing.

Part Three: Caffee in Hiding

After the shooting, Caffee ran to his hometown of White Oak Springs, Wisconsin. When he arrived in the area, he met Charles Lamar, Samuel Scales, and Samuel Dunbar, who had all been at the ball when the shooting occurred (Breihan et al.). They tried in vain to get Caffee to turn himself in. Lamar has been a constable and told Caffee he had a solid argument for a self-defense case. Caffee was unconvinced and rode off on horseback with his brother Ben. He traveled past Iowa and eventually wound up in St. Louis (Breihan et al.).

During his travels, Caffee met one of a notorious band of horse thieves and counterfeiters. (This encounter started the rumor, mentioned earlier, that William Caffee also stole a horse.) When Caffee tried to turn in the gang member and collect his substantial reward, the criminal reportedly exposed him to the sheriff as the man who shot Sam Southwick (Breihan et al.). Both men ended up in jail.

On June 17th, 1842, Wisconsin territorial governor James Doty “appointed the politically connected Mississippi steamboat captain John Atchison territorial marshal” (Breihan et al.). He then sent Atchison on a mission to pick up Caffee in St. Louis. He promised Atchison a $113.75 payment for returning the prisoner. The next month, Atchison arrived in Mineral Point with Caffee but never received any money (Breihan et al.).

Part Four: Trying Times

Mortimer Jackson, later a member of Wisconsin’s first Supreme Court, was the prosecuting attorney

Caffee’s trial began on September 13th, 1842, in a small log courthouse in Mineral Point – the Iowa county seat at the time (Carted; “Iowa County Courthouses”). Judge Charles Dunn presided over the court. Attorney General Mortimer Melville Jackson served as the prosecutor, claiming that “All the circumstances of this case conspire to establish, clear as the sun at noon day, and as strong as holy writ, the proof of the prisoner’s guilt” (“Caffee’s Trial”).

Mineral Point attorney and legislator Moses Strong defended Caffee. Public domain photo.

Moses Strong served as the defense attorney, assisted by Platteville mine owner Lorenzo Bevans. John Blackstone, Fortunatus Berry, R.C. Buzan, Laban Cassidy, Amos Culver, William Dering, Beon Gratiot, Charles Gratiot, Edward Gratiot, J.R. Gratiot, Samuel Huddlestone, Charles Lamar, David Lufkin, and Joseph Scales were among the many who took the witness stand (Breihan et al.; Crawford, 113; “Caffee’s Trial;” “Trial“). Each of their testimonies matched up, with the exception of Joseph Scales. While the rest of the witnesses stated that Southwick did not hit Caffee, Scales thought he saw Caffee dodging Southwick’s blows (“Caffee’s Trial”).

On September 16th, the jury pronounced Caffee guilty. He showed no emotion during the verdict, remaining “cool and unconcerned” (“Caffee’s Trial”). Caffee’s counsel requested a second trial, so the court decided to reconvene on September 21st. On that day, the motion for a new trial began with affidavits claiming there had been some drinking going on in the jury room. This motion was overruled when the deponent, Thomas Gloster, admitted that he had bought the liquor in the first place (“Caffee’s Trial”). On September 24th, Caffee came to court in irons. He objected to the law clerk, “I don’t think I have had a fair trial, as the evidence against me was not true” (Breihan et al.; “Caffee’s Trial”).

The clerk lamented that someone as young and handsome as Caffee should be sentenced to death. He expressed his sincere hope that Caffee would repent, and that the execution would prevent similar incidents in the future. After insisting that the trial was indeed fair, he announced the sentence:

It is the Judgment of the Court, and the Sentence of the Law, that you, William Caffee, for the crime of Murder, of which you stand convicted, be taken hence to the jail of this county, and there safely and securely kept, until Tuesday, the First Day of November next, on which day, between the hours of 10 o’clock, A. M. and 4 o’clock, P. M. you shall be taken from said jail, and then and there publicly hanged by the neck, until you are dead. And may the Lord have mercy on your soul.

“Caffee’s Trial”

Soon after the verdict, Caffee’s friends allegedly made plans to break him out of the Mineral Point jail but did not follow through. Instead, they petitioned the governor to stop the hanging and issue a less severe punishment (Crawford, 112). Governor Doty thought that long term imprisonment was not enough for a murderer and did not commute the sentence. In a letter to the Iowa County sheriff, George Messersmith, he wrote:

There is little doubt that if Caffee had not lived in a society in which the practice of carrying about the person concealed weapon was not only tolerated, but considered rather as distinguishing the gentleman, than the ruffian or bully, he would not have been guilty of shedding Southwick’s blood. It is painful to see the effect of this barbarous custom visited upon one so young; but I do not learn that since his confinement he has exhibited any evidence of contrition, or that he is fully sensible that his situation which has awakened so strong a sympathy in the bosoms of his friends is occasioned by his violation of the laws of his country, or that he is yet aware that those laws are supreme and that no man has the right to take the life another for any private injury.

James Doty

Caffee did not have any desire to apologize for his actions. Instead, he was hell-bent on making life difficult for his captors. Each week, a blacksmith named James James arrived to re-rivet Caffee’s iron shackles. Whenever he removed the constraints, Caffee threatened, “You had better be careful how you put the irons [back] on, for if I should get loose, you might be sorry” (Carted; Crawford, 112). Caffee’s claims that he would get free were not taken lightly. Mineral Point authorities stationed four armed men to watch Caffee’s cell, just in case (Crawford, 112)

William Caffee was held in the Mineral Point jail, which has recently been excavated. Public domain photo.
Close-up of the old Mineral Point jail. Public domain photo.

Part Five: Conversations with Caffee

Despite Caffee’s rough facade, he was quite light-hearted around visitors. He frequently joked about his upcoming doom in a way that he upset his friends and family. When his brothers came to visit him for the last time, he apologized for not taking his death more seriously (“Execution of Caffee”). On Halloween night, the day before he went off to the gallows, he wrote letters to his loved ones asking forgiveness. He shared his account of what went down at the Berry house and his sudden spiritual revelations. Two of the letters appeared in a local paper and are copied below.

The first letter is to his uncle, A.S. Daugherty:

Dear Uncle,

It was your request that I should leave a statement of those who swear false against me, which I declined at that time; but to satisfy your mind that false evidence convicted me, I will give you a full detail of the transaction. I went to the ball at Capt. Berry’s on Tuesday night, as I usually went to balls, with only the arms that Bryant stated. About 9 o’clock, I had some words with Gillet. I finally told him if he did not let me alone that I would cut him open; to which he asked me not to jump on him; I replied I would not, and so left him. Everything was peaceable until about 12 o’clock when they refused to call my name. I went to Culver and asked him to call my name, which he refused to do. I then asked him to let me have the list, and he gave it to me. I went down stairs, and said I was going home; I was followed into the bar room and collared, and the list demanded of me; I told them they should have it as soon as I looked at it. I do not know who it was collared me, but I pulled loose of them, and went out of the house. When I got to the door, I met Lamar, and stopped to talk with him. I pulled out my knife and said if they undertook to take it from me, I will cut some of them open; and put it up again; and while we were standing there, three or four came out with clubs, and Southwick struck me on the shoulders, and Lamar pushed me off the steps. I stepped back and told them not to strike me any more. Then Southwick turned a club at me, and said to “beat him to death” or something of that kind; but Southwick kept on striking at me, and me backing out, and asking him to desist, till I got to the ditch, and fell to my knees, and when I raised I shot. When I fired I said, “Now God Damn you, you have got it.” I then started home, and Scales came to me and told me to get into the State as quick as I could; and I went to the Springs, and there saw Lamar again; and he told me not to go, for I was defending myself, but I told him it would cost me a good deal, and so I made off. I made no other threats than I have mentioned; and all others that was swore to was false. You heard the evidence, and who gave it. I will not call any names; only Capt. Berry, as he swore to the most of any; though I freely forgive, and do sincerely hope, when they are called to stand before the tribunal of Almighty God, that all their sins may be forgiven, and that they may sit on his right in peace for ever. As my time in this world is running short, I will close by giving you my dying thanks for your support on my behalf. Give my love to Aunt Polly, Margaret, and all the family. These handcuffs are so in the way or I would write more. Tell brother Ben farewell. Farewell to all!  (“Caffee’s Letters”).

The second letter is to his cousin, Miss Margaret M. Daugherty:

Dear Cousin,

When you was here you asked me to join you in prayer, which I thought trouble at that time. But thanks be to God for his merciful kindness to me in giving me grace to believe myself forgiven. He has shown me his only Son crucified for my sins as plain as I see to write to you. I can now ask you to hold out faithful, and send me in that world where all tears are wiped away. Tell brother Ben to address himself to our heavenly Father who alone can save in hour of trouble. I want you to write to all my brothers, and tell them I die happy, and that I hate to leave them but I do not hate to die, for I am going home, and hope to meet all there. Tell Levi [that] when he was here, [I] was in a passion, and did not talk rational, but the Lord has taken away that stubborn heart, and gave me a heart to know and feel his love. I could write forever, but my time has come. I must go home; so I must bid you farewell, but not forever, I hope. Farewell! (“Caffee’s Letters”).

Towards the end of his life, Caffee believed he was going to a better place. Convinced of his salvation, he looked forward to what awaited him on “the other side.” According to one account, Caffee “was not without hope of happiness” after his death (“Execution of Caffee”). Caffee knew he was “going home” after the hanging, but was “home” actually the Walker House?

Come back later this week for parts six through ten of “Tavern Spirits”!

Works Cited

[Editor: The above “Works Cited” page includes sources for both these five sections and the next installment of parts six through ten. Because of that, it comes with an unusual disclaimer. As Potter will show in the next five sections, a few of these sources–particularly those claiming Caffee stopped in at the Walker House–have not checked primary sources of the trial! That’s one reason for putting this story in print. In contrast, those sources closer in time to the actual event are true. The next five sections will look in more detail at the many ghost stories surrounding William Caffee and others at the Walker House.]

Winter along the Mississippi River

Like our earlier piece on fall color, this post will be long on photos and short on text!

One of our favorite things to do on a cold winter day is to visit some of our favorite spots along the Mississippi. As the ice slowly freezes, the bald eagles that range along the river bluffs finally move south. The ice isn’t quite thick enough for fishing huts like the ones which will pop up on nearby lakes soon. But the cold, clear air and the striking blues of sky, ice and river make places that are usually filled with people look pristine.

The Mississippi River as view from Grant River Recreation area
Mississippi River viewed from Potosi Point

A beaver dam as seen from Potosi Point

Of course, it’s really not as pristine as all that… you can find plenty of beaver dams, occasional deer running into the woods, and a few remaining waterfowl. But what I love the most is the deep blues of the water as it freezes.

These photos were all taken between (or in) the Grant River Recreation Area and Potosi Point.

A few remaining geese coming in for landing….
… and they’ve landed!

The road out onto Potosi Point
Who says you can’t take pictures into the sun?
The Soo Line Railway (a subsidiary line of the Canadian Pacific) running along the Wisconsin shore. It crosses over from La Crescent, Minnesota up at La Crosse.
Looking north from Potosi Point
One last look south from the Point before I head home.

1850 Hyde’s Mill and Dam

with a side trip to Hyde Blacksmith Shop and the old stage stop

A favorite stop for local photographers is Hyde’s Mill, in Iowa County Wisconsin near Ridgeway. It must be the most photographed old mill in the state! But the drive through Hyde Valley will also take you by many other picturesque sites, including an old blacksmith shop, stage stop, and the one-time Hyde store, now a local watering hole for hunters, football fans, and wandering photographers.

Fall color Hyde's Mill
Hyde’s Mill near Ridgeway is a favorite place for fall color pictures

We’ll start and finish with what most take as the highlight: the rare old wooden water wheel mill. First built by settler William Hyde in 1850, it burned down in 1870 and was rebuilt by “Ted” Sawle at its original site next to the 1850s stone dam. To get there, you’ll want to drive about five miles north of Ridgeway (or seven miles south of Arena) on County Highway H, or just google “Hyde’s Mill.” You’ll turn off Highway H on (not surprisingly) Mill Road.

Hyde’s Mill in August. Catching this site at different times of year is a favorite hobby for photographers!
Hyde's Mill in winter
Hyde’s Mill in winter. I was experimenting with long-exposure photography that day!
Mill house
The restored old mill house, built in 1870

The Sawle family owned the mill from 1931 until around 2012. According to a Wisconsin State Journal article, the site includes “the wooden mill house, its idle wheel, eight acres of land and a hydroelectric plant that generates up to $300 worth of electricity a month.” The current owners prefer to not be identified.

It appears that the Sawle family, making a virtue of necessity, developed quite a collection of old mill stones! They’re lined up to the left of Mill Creek on old Mill Road. We’ll leave it to you to interpret the Biblical verse that introduces them.

The main millstone
The main millstone headed by this quote from Deuteronomy: “No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge”
More millstones
The Sawle family wound up with quite a collection of mill stones over the years!

While you’re in the area, you might want to take a five-minute drive south on Highway H through Hyde Valley, which is itself a beautiful drive. You’ll go past a little tavern, which for generations served as the Hyde Valley general store. Rumor has it that it’s a great place to watch Packer games!

If you keep going south, you’ll get to the Hyde Blacksmith shop. This yellow-stone building contains quite a story. According to Jeanie Lewis in her 2012 Dodgeville Chronicle article, the shop was originally located down the road at the Dick Keene farm, but taken apart brick by brick in 2000. For a few years, the stones were stored inside while the Hyde Blacksmith Shop Territory committee raised funds.

In 2008, a local stone mason, Art Kirsch, offered to rebuild the shop for a fraction of the estimated cost, something the Territory group considered a “godsend.” Rebuild it he did, at its current location on the Ruggle’s farm on County Highway H.

Hyde Blacksmith shop
The restored Hyde Blacksmith shop, located on the Ruggle’s Farm in Hyde Valley about a mile south of Hyde Mill.

Hyde Blacksmith Shop usually hosts an open house and family days in June or July, though it was cancelled this year due to COVID-19. For next year’s information, you might want to check their Facebook page.

This sign near the restored Hyde’s Blacksmith Shop gives these dates: Ruggle’s Farm (1840); Stagecoach Stop (1844-1883); House (1843); Barn (1852)
The old stagecoach stop, along what is now County Highway Trunk H

The current Highway H runs along the old stage route, and the Ruggles’ farm includes one of the old stage stops. Before the trains came and went as a source of local transportation, the stagecoach was how early settlers made it from place to place. At that time, Hyde Valley was a thriving intersection and the main stage stop between what was then a much-larger Arena, Wisconsin and Wisconsin’s third oldest city, Mineral Point.

We’ll start this piece where we began, at the old Hyde Mill. Long-time owner Theodore “Ted” Sawle maintained it as a working mill for decades and became somewhat of a legend in the area. Along with making this water wheel, he crafted two others, one of which was the 18-foot-wheel still on display in Indiana, which he made for Daniel Boone’s brother, Squire Boone.

Ted Sawle also fought and won a heated 1970s battled with the DNR over water rights. The state does not want any mills or dams on navigable waterways… but the Hyde Mill and Dam had been in the valley years before the state made that decision. Sawle contested it and ultimately won. When he passed on in 2009, he was over 104 years old.

If you visit, please respect the many “no trespassing” signs in front. All of the photos taken here were taken from behind the fence, and its not hard to imagine that the old structure can’t really tolerate lots of people climbing around on it. Though Ted Sawle is gone, his warnings and desire to protect this beautiful old site still remain!

Hyde's Mill Dam
The stone dam was built two years after Wisconsin attained statehood
No tresspassing
Ted Sawle’s old sign asking visitors to stay behind the fence!

Unless noted, all photos by Terry Burns

Tell us about your favorite place in the Driftless Region! We’re accepting submissions.

The Dickeyville Grotto

Grotto front solstice
Dickeyville, Wisconsin’s Grotto on the summer solstice.

The Midwest is blessed with a fascinating legacy of religious structures created primarily by German immigrants. . . . the real architectural gems stemming from the immigrants may be the incredible religious grottoes of the Midwest, which are considered among the most important folk or “outsider” art environments in the United States.”

Peyton Smith, Grottos of the Midwest: Religion and Patriotism in Stone

Yes, it feels strange to use the word “grotto” for structures basically built of stone mixed with concrete then embedded with sparkling glass, shells, and whatever else the builder could find, but let’s just go with it for a moment… and go to one of these grottoes.  They are some of the most fascinating specimens of folk art in the area.  A grotto (or cave) in this sense means the inside of a shrine, and they became popular about 100 years ago in the Midwest.

My favorite Driftless Region grotto is just off of US 151 in Dickeyville, Wisconsin, about ten miles from the bridge across the Mississippi River into Iowa.  It sits on the grounds of the Holy Ghost Parish, right on the main drag in Dickeyville. Entrance to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin is free, though donations are appreciated. As the Grotto approaches 100 years of age, it requires more than a little bit of upkeep.

Mother Mary
Inside the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin at the Dickeyville Grotto

Typically most grottoes are built around a main shrine, usually to the Virgin Mary, and this one is no different. Inside the building you see at the top, you’ll find the 25 feet tall, 30 feet wide and 25 feet deep shrine… yes, it’s large, but it isn’t the size that draws most people’s attention. It is all the shiny items placed around the object of adoration.

Out from the base of the shrine, one may see several huge crystals, the largest of which is more than two feet tall!

Along with Mother Mary holding baby Jesus, you’ll find a collection of objects ranging from stalagmites that seem to be growing up from the floor at her feet, and coral, shells, rocks from around the country, and many other items. This is the handiwork of Father Matthias Wernerus, who was Pastor of the Parish from 1918 to 1931, and built the different shines from 1925-1930. Mother Mary’s shrine was finished in 1929.

Yes, that’s real petrified wood making up the Tree of Life on the back of the shrine.

Father Matthias apparently began collecting things, asked his congregation members to collect things, and before long, he even had Ford Motor Company in Detroit sending him building materials! (Henry Ford sent him those round balls that used to be on top of the Model T stick shifts. They appear most prominently in the Sacred Heart shrine behind the main church.) The church website notes that six or seven truckloads of thirty tons each came from the Dakotas, from Iowa, and from nearby Wisconsin quarries.

Behind the main shrine, you’ll find the stations of the cross, similarly decorated with shiny items ranging from rose quartz to colored glass

The brochures available at the entrance states that it is “a creation in stone, mortar, and bright colored objects” from all over the world, including “colored glass, gems, antique heirlooms of pottery or porcelain, stalagmites and stalactites, sea shells of all kinds, starfish, petrified sea urchins and fossils, and a variety of corals plus amber glass, agate, quartz, ores such as iron, copper and lead, fool’s gold, rock crystals, onyx, amethyst and coal.” Some items, like the large amount of petrified wood, stalagmites, stalagtites and the huge crystal quartz points set out in front of the Blessed Virgin’s feet, would not be obtainable today

If you are Catholic, you might want to learn more about the church and its parish or visit their gift shop. In this piece, I’m addressing the Grotto as an inspired work of folk art, but I do not presume to be an expert on Catholic shrines.

The author having some fun with one of the reflecting balls at the Grotto.

Try to go on a sunny day, and you can get some truly amazing pictures. Maybe Dickeyville can consider the Grotto’s little reflecting balls their version of Chicago’s Bean. Because of the orientation of the building, its much easier to catch the sun reflecting off the back of the main shrine than off the front. In fact, to get the front of the Grotto in the sun, you really have to be there just before high noon and ideally in the late spring or summer! I’ve been told that shrines are supposed to be constructed so that the sun never shines directly inside of them… which means it rarely shines on the front door, either. The very top picture, taken just before noon near the summer solstice, is the closest I’ve ever come to getting the front illuminated by the sun. On the other hand, it is easy to get beautiful sun-lit photos of the Tree of Life which adorns the back side of the main shrine.

The Sacred Heart Shrine, whose banded pillars include old shifter balls from Model T Fords

The grotto has several other works of art. To the left, you’ll see the Sacred Heart shrine, which reproduces an altar erected in Chicago at Soldiers’ Field during the 1926 International Eucharistic Congress. The rock for the four pillars came from New Mexico, and they’re banded in a combination of colored glass and shifter balls from old Model T Fords! (Don’t ask me why the sun can shine on this Corpus Christi altar and not on the Blessed Virgin… as I’ve said, I am no expert on this type of sacred art.)

As you can imagine, one of the most popular secular activities at this sacred site is trying to identify the different components used in the building! The garden and birdhouses in front of the gift shop are similarly decorated with bright, shiny, and often antique objects.

As folk art, most of Dickyville’s Grotto is delightful. There are several other shrines, though I’ve pictured the main ones here. A final shrine, not to God but to patriotism, I personally avoid… not because I’m not patriotic, but because it seems devoted to an outdated sort of “patriotism” celebrating, among others, Christopher Columbus. I understand that this was the view of European Catholic immigrants 100 years ago and part of what Father Matthias celebrated, but since I do not, I’ve chosen to not represent that part of the Grotto in this article.

Instead, I’ll end with some other photos of things I’m happy to celebrate–among them, Wisconsin deer!–then end with a photo of the Grotto in winter.

The garden behind the main shrine
The Grotto in winter

Tell us about your favorite place in the Driftless Region!

“Little Mound”

(or should we say, “Mootz”?)
That’s the “Little Mound” on the right with the transmission antenna coming out of it; Belmont Mount is visible to the left.

Today’s article won’t be long. But for those of you who are interested in the large mounds in the area– a list across three states that includes the Platte, Belmont, Blue, Horseshoe, Charles, Sherill and Sinsinawa Mounds–you sometimes see reference to a, or the, “Little Mound.”

For instance, at the top of one of the Blue Mounds, you even can see a diagram that shows you where “Little Mound” is, about 24.5 miles southwest of the Blue Mound right between the Belmont and Platte Mounds. If you’ve been to either of the latter two places, you may have driven right by it (and if you did, did you try to read that word on the western side? What does it say?)

Signage from the west observation tower on Blue Mound
Helpful though slightly vandalized signage at the top of Blue Mound’s west observation tower points out some of the mounds visible from this point, the highest in the Driftless Region.
Mootz
Those words on the Little Mound spell “Mootz”

“Little Mound” sits about a half-mile west of the Belmont Mound (and about a half-mile east of the Platte or “M” Mound) on County Highway B. It’s on private property, and was once part of a large farm belonging to Don Mootz… and that, plus the large “M” for “Mining” on the Platte Mound, is probably why it too sports a large “M”… in this case followed by the rest of the “Mootz” name! It was very visible even ten years ago, but has become illegible in recent days.

Below, have a look at the Little Mound in winter… and that’s it for today’s road trip!

The Little Mound in winter

Unless noted, all photos by Terry Burns

Tell us about your favorite place in the Driftless Region!

The Belmont Mound

Belmont Mound, just a few miles outside of Belmont Wisconsin near the First Capitol Historic Site, rises from its base of 1,000 feet above sea level 400 feet into the air and is covered with trails used by hikers, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers alike. It’s name comes from French, belle monte or “beautiful mountain,” though most would hardly consider an elevation 1400 feet above sea level to be mountainous!

Hidden away on the eastern side near the picnic area, you can also find some abandoned lime kilns, nearly covered by the profusion of stately oak and walnut trees. More on that kiln later in this article.

Belmont Mound. Photo courtesy of My Wisconsin

Belmont Mound is one of many large “mounds” in the area that are actually worn down mountaintops capped with dolomite, like the nearby Platte, Sinsinawa, Blue, and Horseshoe Mounds (and not to be confused with the conical, linear, and effigy mounds created by the ancestors of the Ho-Chunk, Potowatomi, and other native peoples of this area.)

To get there, take either take County Road G from Platteville or take the Belmont exit from Highway 151. Then, um… look for the large mound! The Belmont Lion’s Club maintains the park and you’ll find parking and shelters at the entrance. The road after that is now blocked to cars, but you use this easy paved road as a pedestrian path to where the observation tower used to stand.

These larger mounds have served as navigation markers for humans for hundreds if not thousands of years: in fact, the reason the 1836 Wisconsin Territorial capitol was located where it was, near Belmont, is likely because it was easy to find and locate the spot in what was then the state’s most populous area, the southwest Wisconsin lead mining region. (The Territorial Legislature only met at that capitol once, in 1836, then after two sessions in Burlington, Iowa they moved to Madison, Wisconsin.)

As we’ve talked about in earlier articles on the nearby Platte or Platteville “M” Mound, the geology of these mounds is what makes them so great to hike upon. On the north side of the mound, you’ll find structures like “Devil’s Dining Table” and “Devil’s Chair” . . . and you can have some fun making up names of your own, since the trails are marked, but without names.

“But wait,” I imagine someone saying, “didn’t you say something about a great observation tower there?”

Belmont Mound Observation Tower
The observation tower still stands, but the Lion’s Club plans to dismantle it for liability reasons.

Yes, there is one, but not for long, and please don’t use it. The 64-foot observation tower at the Mound’s top is scheduled to be dismantled soon. Once, from the top of the tower at night, you could see the lights of Dubuque, Iowa and Galena, Illinois. During the day you could see Lancaster, Wisconsin, 20 miles away. Most prominently, you could also see the back of the Platte Mound in nearby Platteville (to the west) and the largest of the two Blue Mounds, in Blue Mound State Park, to the northeast.

road to observation deck
You can walk up the old car road the the now-closed observation tower.

Unfortunately, three people have committed suicide at different times by jumping from the Tower. Along with those tragedies, according to Lion’s Club members, were other problems, such as people pitching everything from televisions to rotten pumpkins off of the top of the Tower and leaving it to the Lion’s Club to clean up. Because of that, even before the most recent suicide, the Lion’s Club had decided they could no longer maintain the Tower, and it is closed.

(Well, that was a major downer. Let’s shift to some of the hikes and other things you can find at the Mound!)

Platte Mound from Belmont Mound
The author took this picture of the back of the Platte or Platteville or “M” Mound a few years back, before the observation tower was closed.

As mentioned, there are a host of hiking trails around Belmont Mound. Like the other large mounds in the Driftless area, Belmont Mound sits on a deep granite base and was likely a mountain millions of years ago. About 500 million years ago (during the Cambrian geologic period), a very thick layer of mainly sandstone with some limestone mixed in blanketed the granite, followed a few million years later (during the Ordovician Period) with additional blankets of shale, limestone and sandstone. All that was then covered by a particular kind of limestone, Niagara dolomite, in the Silurian period. Since no glacier covered this area during the last ice age, the mountain was never totally eroded… and since limestone in particular holds its form even while very, very slowly dissolving in places where there’s water, its particular chemical structure lends itself to the creation of lots of caves, gorges, and rock outcroppings.

The geology of Belmont Mound resulted in lots of rock outcroppings, like this one: the “Devil’s Dining Table,” about 100 yards downhill from the drive up to the old observation tower. To see more of this particular trail, check out this video by local hiker Harry Kies.

One of several possible cave entrances. . . but please, don’t go caving alone!

The most-noticed cave is located just a few yards north of the Devil’s Dining Table. Take a flashlight and a friend if you want to go through it… its an unlit passage of about 25 feet through a huge rock, and hard to miss. No, that picture on the left is not it. That’s just to tempt you.

The best time for hiking or horseback riding is early spring or late fall, as some trails tend to get overgrown in summer and if you’re horseback riding, your horse won’t appreciate all the thorny berry bushes. On the other hand, if what you’d prefer to do is pick gooseberries or black raspberries, you’ll find them all over the place in late summer, and morel mushrooms a month or so before that. Don’t hike during hunting season, as the area is also a favorite destination of local hunters.

The picnic shelter sits on the site of an old lime quarry. To the far right of it, you’ll see another mini-shelter. That’s the trail to the old lime kilns.

If you aren’t up for caving, berry-picking, or hunting, and you don’t want to hike too far, you might want to explore the history of the area a bit. There’s a mysterious old lime kiln that is within 100 yards of the picnic area. In fact, the picnic area itself is the site of an old lime quarry.

While I have not been able to find the name of whose lime kiln it was, I’m certain that’s what it is, and the type of construction makes it appear that it was made by early settlers from the British isles. (If I find out who operated the kilns, I’ll post that here. However, British isles settlers–Cornish miners but not only them–came with knowledge of how to make kilns to extract lime for use in agriculture and manufacturing processes, because they’d made similar ones in their native country. A similarly constructed lime kiln can be found over in Grant county near British Hollow, on Hippy Hollow Road.)

The old lime kilns
Two old lime kilns sit about 100 yards behind and uphill from the picnic area, which itself was an old lime quarry.
Inside one of the old kilns
Inside one of the old kilns
Path to Kiln
The path to and from from the lime kilns to the picnic area. After this point, it zigs and zags a bit before arriving at the kilns.

Bald eagles
Bald eagles flying over the Mound in mid-December

Getting to the kilns is simple: if you’re at the main picnic area facing away from the road, you should see another small shelter to the right. The trail is right behind that. You may not see the kilns until you’re almost upon them, but if you’ve gone more than a quarter-mile you’ve gone too far.

Belmont Mound is also a great spot for bird-watching, thanks to the huge old oaks that populate its sides. I’ve seen Cooper’s hawks and bald eagles there both, especially in November and December.

The park’s trails are not maintained in winter, but are nonetheless sometimes used by snowshoers. There is a 2.5 mile cross country ski trail nearby. The trail pictured below, which you’ll intersect on the way to the lime kilns, is just over a mile long and usually called “Mound Loop Trail.”

The trails aren’t maintained in winter, but most of them stay open.

One last thing… if you’re driving to the Belmont Mound from Platteville on County B, you’ll probably drive by the “Little” or “Mootz” mound. It’s on private property, but mentioned here since its yet another of the large mounds in the area: a list across three states that includes the Platte, Belmont, Blue, Horseshoe, Charles, Sherill and Sinsinawa Mounds.

Belmont Mound in winter
The Belmont Mound in winter

Unless noted, all photos by Terry Burns

Tell us about your favorite place in the Driftless Region!

Fall Color in the Driftless Region

One of our favorite fall activities is just driving around the Driftless Region and looking at fall color. This week’s post will be long on photos and short on text! If you’d like some suggested routes, scroll to the end.

Fall color Pike's Peak
Fall color on one of the trails at Pike’s Peak State Park in Iowa
Fall color Wyalusing
Overlooking the Wisconsin River from the camping area Wyalusing State Park
Fall Color Yellowstone
Geese at Yellowstone State Park in Wisconsin.
Fall color Wiota church
This Lutheran church in Wiota, Wisconsin is the oldest Lutheran church is the United States. (Yes, we’re shamelessly using it as a backdrop for fall color pictures.)
Fall color Mitchell Rountree
The historic Mitchell-Rountree Stone Cottage in Platteville, Wisconsin. Look for an article on it this spring!
Hay bales fall color
A frequent fall site along country roads. We’re traveling between Platteville and Livingston in this case.
Fall color driving north Sauk City
Driving north towards the Wisconsin River. A shout out to our tour guides, Dick and Laurie Graney!
Fall color old barns
Fall color drives are an easy way to “discover” picturesque old barns like this one near Sauk City
Fall color Taleisin
The drive past Blue Mound towards Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen near Spring Green will take you through some of the best valleys for fall color viewing.
Fall color Mining Museum
Behind Platteville’s Mining and Rollo Jamison Museums. (Check out Mary Franklin’s article on this from last fall!)
Pumpkins for sale somewhere along the road to Sauk City
Cresting one of the many hills in the Driftless Region: in this case near South Wayne, Wisconsin. We’re playing around with photo saturation levels, as you can probably tell.
Fall color Hyde's Mill
Hyde’s Mill near Ridgeway. (We have an article on Hyde’s Mill coming out tomorrow!)
Fall Color near Baraboo
The hills around Baraboo make for beautiful fall color driving
Platteville Mound fall color
This is a wonderful time of year to hike the Platteville Mound! Thanks for the pic, Monica Nordgren.
Fall color
Just another beautiful tree.
leaves
Sometimes its easy to just get lost in the beauty of the leaves!

We did say we’d share some of our favorite fall color drives. Here are our top five:

  1. This first one is only for serious hikers! If you love to hike, you to Effigy Mounds National Monument near Harper’s Ferry. Iowa, and take any or all of the north trails. Each one ends with a stunning Mississippi River overlook.
  2. If you’d rather sit on a boat, take the Cassville Ferry. You can board in Iowa or Wisconsin, and it connects two national scenic byways. (Trouble is, the ferry ends its season at about this same time, but they usually end with a fall cruise. Check the above link for more information.) If the ferry is closed, then just try the road to it: U.S. 52 drom Dubuque IA north through Balltown (home of the oldest restaurant in Iowa, Breitbach’s) and on to Buena Vista.
  3. Take any drive along the Mississippi Bluffs! You could drive out to Potosi Point then drive north up the Mississippi to Glen Haven, Wisconsin; you could drive north from Prairie du Chien towards LaCrosse on Wisconsin 35; you could even cross over the Mississippi at LaCrosse (ha, ha) and drive north on US 61 into the gorgeous Minnesota Blufflands! If you do, be sure to go as far north as the “island city” of Winona and drive up to the Garvin Heights overlook.
  4. If you’re in Illinois, you can head south from Galena down Blackjack Road towards Savannah, or east on US 20, stopping at Horseshoe Mound Preserve and Tapley Woods Conservation area. Be sure to stop at the rest area just after Tapley Woods– the views from there are some of the best in Illinois. Also, you might google “Stagecoach Trail,” in northern Illinois, which is nearby and also has wonderful views.
  5. Two state parks that are particularly beautiful during fall leave change time are Wyalusing State Park in Wisconsin and Pike’s Peak State Park in Iowa… both are pictured above. Yellowstone State Park in Wisconsin is beautiful, too, and also pictured above.
  6. If you aren’t driving along the Mississippi or Wisconsin rivers, then probably the most gorgeous drive inland on Wisconsin 23 north of Dodgeville heading towards Spring Green. That will also take you past Frank Lloyd Wright’s Talieson and near American Player’s Theater… both sights were chosen for their natural beauty, and in our opinion the fall is when they’re most beautiful.

Unless noted, all photos by Terry Burns

Tell us about your favorite place in the Driftless Region!