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attractions & oddities

resources

 

1

Swiss-Themed Town of New Glarus
"America's Little Switzerland"

 

location:  New Glarus
town with character

      

photos contributed by Jeff Dallas

"Located in the rolling hills of south central Wisconsin, New Glarus is surrounded by farms and woodlands like those of Glarus, Switzerland, homeland of New Glarus' first settlers...Enjoy the European atmosphere of the Swiss chalet-style ARCHITECTURE in the restored downtown as you explore the many retail shops, restaurants, and pubs."
- section from the official site

  on Highway 69 at the intersection with west Highway 39

New Glarus Chamber of Commerce
www.swisstown.com

Green County Official Site
greencounty.org

book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)  pages 161 - 165

(3rd ed., 2009)
  pages 156 - 157
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

Midwest's Largest Urinal
at Glarner Stube Bar & Restaurant

 

location:  New Glarus
record holder

The Glarner Stube translated into English means "The Living Room of New Glarus."  Inside their men's room is what is claimed to be the Largest Urinal in the Midwest (42"h x 25"w x 16"d), which is a noticeable improvement over the normal 37"h x 18"w x 8"d.

  518 1st Street
New Glarus, WI  53574
(608) 527-2216

Urinal.net
www.urinal.net/glarner_stube/

book:
"Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
page 87
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

3

Swiss Historical Village

 

location:  New Glarus
historical recreation

"The Swiss Historical Village, offering a glimpse of life in America's heartland as experienced by Swiss immigrants, is comprised of 14 buildings on attractive grounds"
- section from Official Site

"Fourteen buildings representing a facet of the daily life of the early New Glarus pioneers, including a traditional Swiss bee house, replica cheese factory, school house, church, blacksmith shop, log community building, smoke house/sausage shop, farm implement building, general store, firehouse, and print shop."
- section from Green County website


  (From Highway 69, go eight blocks west (on 6th Avenue) and the museum will be on your left.  Entrance is on 7th Avenue.)
612 7th Avenue
New Glarus, WI  53574
(608) 527-2317

                          

hours:
May thru October  (daily)  10am – 4pm

Official Site
www.swisshistoricalvillage.com

book:
"Oddball Wisconsin"
by Jerome Pohlen
Chicago Review Press, Inc. (2001)
page 127

buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)  pages 161 - 162

(3rd ed., 2009)
  pages 155 - 156
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

4

Chalet of the Golden Fleece

 

location:  New Glarus
museum

photo courtesy of SuePics

" 'Unique' is the best way to describe this collection of one-of-a-kind antiques and treasures...The Chalet is an authentic copy of a Swiss Bernese mountain chalet."
- section from Portal Wisconsin website


  618 2nd St.
New Glarus, WI  53574
(608) 527-2614 or (800) 527-6838

                      

hours:
 May thru Oct  (daily)  10am – 4pm

New Glarus Chamber of Commerce
www.swisstown.com

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

book:
"Great Little Museums of the Midwest"
by Christine Des Garennes
Trails Books (2002)
pages 6 - 7

buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

5

Halfway Tree

 

location:  Brodhead
natural marker

"The Half-Way Tree, which is located South of Brodhead on Half-Way Tree Road. This Bur Oak tree marks the half way point from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The Indians relayed the tree’s importance to the early settlers of Brodhead. It had been paced off by Indian runners and confirmed by a U.S. survey team in 1932 to be remarkably accurate."
- section from Brodhead COC website

  old Oak south of Brodhead on Halfway Tree Road

Brodhead Chamber of Commerce
www.brodheadchamber.org

book:
"Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
page 218
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

 

6

Monroe: Cheese City & Limburger Paradise

 

location:  Monroe
cheese pride / event

photo courtesy of American Profile

Monroe hosts the Cheese Days festival which occurs every other September.  It is also home to the only cheese factory in the nation that produces Limburger cheese.  Baumgartner's Tavern offers delicious Limburger Sandwiches to those who dare.

Cheese Days is held the 3rd week of September in even numbered years.

  Chalet Cheese Co-Op
N4858 County Road N
Monroe, WI  53566
(608) 325-4343

        

  Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern
1023 16th Avenue
Monroe, WI  53566

(608) 325-6157

        

tavern hours:

(daily)  8am – Close

Monroe Chamber of Commerce
wicip.uwplatt.edu

Cheese Days Official Site
cheesedays.com

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

Explore Wisconsin
www.explorewisconsin.com

Trip Advisor
www.tripadvisor.com

American Profile
www.innserendipity.com

book:
"Wisconsin Curiosities"
by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook
Globe Pequot Press
(2nd ed., 2004)  pages 159 - 160

(3rd ed., 2009)
  pages 152 - 153
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"This is Wisconsin"
by Robert E. Gard
Stanton & Lee (1969)
story "The Aroma of Cheese"
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Oddball Wisconsin"
by Jerome Pohlen
Chicago Review Press, Inc. (2001)
page 125

buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

7

Shed Festooned with Small Objects
private property

 

location:  New Glarus
roadside oddity

      


A modest garage is covered with hundreds of small stones and items imbedded in concrete.

  1319 Second St.
New Glarus, WI  53574

Detour Art Atlas
detour.webdatabases.net

book:
"Oddball Wisconsin"
by Jerome Pohlen
Chicago Review Press, Inc. (2001)
pages 128 - 129

buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book
"Sacred Spaces and Other Places"
by Lisa Stone and Jim Zanzi
School of Art Institute of Chicago Press (1993)

pages 62 - 63
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

8

Toy Train Barn

 

location:  Argyle (Lafayette County) & Monroe
business with character

"A barn in Southern Wisconsin that was home to a herd of dairy cows has been transformed into a toy train museum. The barn is owned by Wisconsin & Southern / Wisconsin & Calumet Engineer Buck Guthrie. He is a lifelong collector of American Flyer Trains as well as other toy trains."
- section from Official Site


  (8 miles west of Monroe)
W9141 Highway 81
Argyle, WI  53504
(608) 966-1464

                               

hours:

(daily)  10am – 5pm
Official Site
www.whrc-wi.org/trainbarn/

Journal Sentinel Online
article "Back road bonanza" or (here)

 

9

"Car Crash" Through Garage Wall

 

location:  New Glarus
roadside oddity

 Yes, those old Chevy Impalas are lengthy, but this one fits inside the shed just fine.

  east of town on County Road W at intersection with County Road CC

 

10

"The Giant Brown Swiss"

 

location:  township of  Cadiz
local folklore

 In the book "Giants in the Land", author Dennis Boyer tells of a dairy cow, specially-bred for size by a Swiss farmer, that exceeded all anticipations and preparations.


"It had the height of the biggest draft horses and weighed over five thousand pounds.  It was thicker than a rhinoceros.  The legs were as thick as utility poles.  And, ach, what a head.  It took a half bushel of oats in one mouthful."
- section from "Giants in the Land"
book:
"Giants in the Land: Folk Tales & Legends of Wisconsin"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1997)
pages 120 - 123
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

 

sighting  /  phenomenon  /  morbid curiosity

resources

 

1

Hell's Playground

 
ghost
location:  Brodhead

"At night, when the wind is still, you can hear children playing and the swings will be swinging. Sometimes a growl will be heard from out of nowhere. The story is, is that 2 children and an adult were murdered there. Be careful when going around the slide. That is where one of the kids were slaughtered."
- section from The Shadowlands website

  playground is located in Brodhead

The Shadowlands
theshadowlands.net

book:
"Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
page 21
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Ghostly Tales of Wisconsin"
by Ryan Jacobson
Adventure Publications, Inc. (2009)
pages 50 - 51
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

2

"Green County's Kδsegeist"

 
ghost
location:  New Glarus

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of the cheese ghost that gave an early cheese maker the know-how to create Wisconsin's famous product.

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 175 - 178
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

3

"Postville and Town of Perry Ghosts"  (1991)

 
haunted
location:  New Glarus

"As I pulled in I saw a form walking from the machine shed toward the barn. After that time I saw the form on several other occasions but it really didn't bother me. But a week later my wife came home and saw the same thing and it really freaked her out."
- section from Weird Wisconsin report
Weird Wisconsin
www.weird-wi.com

 

4

Triangular Craft Over Junkyard  (2002)

 
UFO
location:  albany township & Albany

"The lights seemed to, for lack of a better term, jiggle in place. There was a noticeable blurring around the object and there were no stars around the object."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

5

New Glarus UFO Sightings

 
UFO
location:  New Glarus

"Another one looked like it had white lights in the center and red ones around it. 'They weren't stars, and they weren't planes,' she said with conviction."
- section from UFO Wisconsin 02-06-87 report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

6

"Browntown's Thresher"

 
ghost
location:  Browntown

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of a specter working the lands east of Browntown near Zander Creek using hand tools and steam tractors.

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 172 - 174
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

7

Flynn's Steak House /  Supper Club

 
haunted
location:  Brodhead

"This steak house is one of the oldest buildings in Brodhead and along with currently being a restaurant, it also used to be a hotel. Many people in the town have had haunting experiences that they attribute to ghosts, such as unexplained noises and moving objects. In Brodhead, the rumors are well known and generally believed."
- section from The Shadowlands website


  1101 1st Center Avenue
Brodhead, WI  53520
(608) 897-2626

                      

hours:
• restaurant hours:  (Wed, Fri, Sat)  5pm –-10pm
• bar hours:  4pm – close

The Shadowlands
theshadowlands.net

book:
"Ghosts of Madison, Wisconsin"
by Sherry Strub
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd (2008)
page 152
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

8

Two Friends See Same Object Simultaneously From Different Areas   (2001)

 
UFO
location:  Albany & Monticello

"When it was visible to him, he and his grown son had it in site through binoculars - and said it looked like a long oval with two spumes of fire coming out."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

9

Mysterious Craft Spotted  (1964)

 
UFO
location:  Monticello

"Four huge red lights in a rectangular formation, with a white light above, were near the ground, tilted and flew away after 3-4 minutes."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

10

"Boner's Ghost"

 
ghost
location:  Exeter, east of New Glarus

In the book "Driftless Spirits", author Dennis Boyer tells of a trio from the early 19th century that became involved in what has been called Wisconsin's first ghost story.

  Exeter is 2½ miles east of Highway 39 on Exeter Crossing Road.

book:
"Driftless Spirits"
by Dennis Boyer
Prairie Oak Press (1996)

pages 178 - 184
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

11

Object Over Highway 69  (1967)

 
UFO
location:  New Glarus & Monticello

"As I recall, it had red and yellow lights. I don't recall the exact number, but there were several of each color. Just about the time I saw the object, and realized it was out of the ordinary, it took off at a high rate of speed, heading southeasterly, in the direction of Monticello."
- section from UFO Wisconsin report

UFO Wisconsin
www.ufowisconsin.com

 

12

Alligator on the Loose  (1976)

 
out-of-place animal
location:  Monroe

"An alligator-like footprint, a mysterious bellow like a "sick cow" and strange splashing noises in a farm pond have touched off an alligator hunt in this unlikely spot."
- section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com

 

13

Ghost at the Greenwood Cemetery

 
"ghost"
location:  Monroe

"The road goes straight toward the cemetery, and just at the gate it turns sharply to the left. I was just a few rods from the gate when I saw a white, iridescent figure flitting about among the tombstones and monuments."
- section from The W-Files report
The W-Files
www.w-files.com

book:
"Strange Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey
Trails Books (2007)
page 97
buy it at
Amazon.com
buy it at
Barnes & Noble.com

book:
"Wisconsin Lore"
by Robert E. Gard & L.G. Sorden
Heartland Press (1962, 1987)

pages 55 - 56
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

14

"The Strange Case of Henry James Brophy"

 
     
ghost? unexplained
location:  New Glarus

When poltergeist-like activities began to occur in 1909, the blame shifted from evil spirits to an 11-year-old boy, who may have been the unwitting catalyst for the frequent disturbances.

book:
"Haunted Wisconsin"
by Michael Norman & Best Scott
Trails Books (revised ed., 2001)
pages 175 - 179

buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

15

Piano-Shaped Gravestone

 
grave
location:  Brodhead

A unique headstone marks grave of a young girl killed in 1967 while on a senior class trip.

  cemetery is just outside Brodhead

book:
"Weird Wisconsin"
by Linda S. Godfrey & Richard D. Hendricks
Barnes & Noble Books (2005)
page 247
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

"Ghosts of America" Haunted Location Reports
(take with a grain of salt)

 
ghosts
location:  statewide

The reports on this site are presumably fiction, using random Wisconsin place names in the stories listed there.  Even so, you might get a kick out of reading them.

"The ghost of a mail carrier may be distinguished frequently in Durest Valley at midnight flickering a lamp."
- section from Ghosts of America website

Ghosts of America
www.ghostsofamerica.com

 

17

Idle Hour Mansion
(now called Ludlow Mansion Bed & Breakfast)

 
ghost
location:  Monroe

Now a stately B&B, this 1857 manor is said to still be home to its former occupant, the deceased Lady Ludlow.

  1421 Mansion Dr.
Monroe, WI  53566
(608) 329-4719

The Shadowlands
theshadowlands.net

book:
"Ghosts of Madison, Wisconsin"
by Sherry Strub
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd (2008)
pages 79 - 80
buy it at Amazon.com
buy it at Barnes & Noble.com

 

 

 

taste of local history

resources

 

1

Albany Historical Museum

 

location:  Albany
museum

"The Albany Historical Society Museum is housed in two connected buildings set on the Sugar River in Albany. The buildings were among the first built in Albany, dating back to the mid-1840s. The museum collects all memorabilia pertaining to Albany, including a collection devoted to military history."
- section from the Portal Wisconsin website


  117 N Water St.
Albany, WI  
(608) 862-3423

                     

hours:
• June thru Sept  (Saturdays)  9am – Noon & 1pm – 3pm
• Oct - May  (Saturdays)  1pm – 3pm

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

 

2

Brodhead Depot Museum

 

location:  Brodhead
museum

"Housed in a restored railroad depot, with adjacent locomotive and caboose. Exhibits include local history, railroad memorabilia, cheese and butter making equipment, antique milking machines, and community band memorabilia."
- section from the Green County website


  1108 1st Center Avenue
Brodhead, WI  53520
(608) 897-4150

                 

hours:
Memorial Day thru Sept  (Wed, Sat, Sun & holidays)  1pm – 4pm 

Brodhead Chamber of Commerce
www.brodheadchamber.org

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

 

3

Historic Cheesemaking Center

 

location:  Monroe
museum

"Housed in a relocated and meticulously restored 1880's Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Depot, the Historic Cheesemaking Center showcases the rich history of the cheese industry. Displays of cheesemakers' tools and tales, a replica of the interior of a late 19th century cheese factory and other artifacts of the area's cheese-making history are sure to fascinate and entertain."
- section from Explore Wisconsin website


  (Highway 69 & 21st Street)
2108 7th Avenue
Monroe, WI  53566
(608) 325-4636

                   

hours:
• March thru November  (daily)  9am – 4pm
• December - February  (Thurs - Sat)  11am
– 3:30pm
• closed major holidays

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

Lorenzo-Stout
lorenzo.uwstout.edu/cheese/

Green County Cheese Days
www.cheesedays.com

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

Center for the Studies of Midwestern Culture
csumc.wisc.edu

 

4

Green County Historical Museum

 

location:  Monroe 
museum

"During the Civil War the building was used to store wheat and wool for the Union Army...The museum displays a general collection of local artifacts, including surveyor's wheels, Civil War items, antique kitchen furnishings, items from the local Joseph Huber brewery (currently the producer of Berghoff beer), lithographs of birds-eye views of Monroe, a piano which dates back to 1857, quilts and more. Also located on the museum grounds is a red schoolhouse; behind it sits a small building housing antique cheese-making equipment."
- section from Portal Wisconsin website


  1617 Ninth Street
Monroe, WI  53566
(608) 325-2609

               

hours:
Memorial Day thru Labor Day & Cheese Days
(Sat & Sun)  2pm – 5pm   (groups by appointment) 

Portal Wisconsin
www.portalwisconsin.org

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

 

5

Browntown Historical Museum

 

location:  Browntown
museum

"Native American artifacts, local history, community band and school memorabilia, renovated double-bunk jail cell, agricultural equipment."
- section from the Green County website


  110 S. Mill Street
Browntown, WI  53522
(608) 966-3273

                  

hours:
Memorial Day thru Labor Day  (Sundays)  1
pm –  4pm

Green County Chamber of Commerce
greencounty.org

Cheese County Heritage
www.cheesecountryheritage.com

 


updated 04-20-09  •  all images excluding those attributed to others are property of Wisconsinosity.com