Brown County Historic Sites

Green Bay, east side Fox River:
Navarino, Astor, and Preble

Site	Monument	Text	Location
Green Bay road	[+]	Historic Green Bay Road In 1829, citizens of the Green Bay area petitioned Congress to build a road to Chicago. Following an ancient Indian trail, the military road to connect Fort Howard at Green Bay with Fort Dearborn at Chicago was surveyed by the U.S. War Department in 1835. Construction began in 1838, but after completion the road was little used by the military and soon became known as the Green Bay Road. This is the north end of the 200 mile historic road that many immigrant settlers used to reach their new homes in Wisconsin. Erected 1996	This marker is now installed a block north of its original site, to the north of the relocated Main Street (which means that the sign is now along the platted route of Navarino's Cedar Street). The new location is in the northernmost section of the Fox River Greenway. [+] Moved. This marker was located in the original Flatley Park in Green Bay, next to Main Street at the east shore of the Fox River. The park and marker have since been removed and Main Street was redirected a block north to Cedar Street. [+] Parts of the road itself continue to exist, known as Main Street in Green Bay and turning into County Trunk Highway R in southeastern Brown County and Manitowoc County. In some places, older alignments (generally closer to the original route) are visible; these include Bodart Way in downtown Green Bay, Manitowoc Road in Green Bay and Bellevue, and Steve's Cheese Road at Lange's Corners.
Augustin de Langlade house	[+]	On the river shore Block 3 Astor directly west of this marker stood about the year 1745 the home and trading house of Augustin de Langlade and his distinguished son Charles, the first permanent settlers of Wisconsin. Charles Michel de Langlade "Bravest of the Brave" led his Indian bands in ninety-nine battles. His tact and diplomacy brought peace to the warring tribes along the Fox River. He was held in high esteem by French, English and Americans. His death occurred in 1800. Erected in 1916 by the Woman's Club of Green Bay.	Outer face of wall along the west side of South Washington Street between Stuart Street and Crooks Street, in front of the building housing Johnson Bank (See location photograph at Freimann Hotel.)
Freimann Hotel	[+]	Freimann Hotel Building In 1896, Michael Freimann built a large three story hotel building on what had previously beena vacant lot. The building first served as the O'Neil Hotel but was soon renamed the New Freimann Hotel in 1898. The building typically housed about ten tenants, many of whom worked on the railroad that traversed the east side of the Fox River. The railroad track is now a bike & walking path that lies between the building and the Fox River. In 1937, after changing its name to the Hofman Hotel, the third floor of the Freimann Building was removed, leaving the building as it presently exists. Over the next seventy years the building continued to serve as a dining and beverage establishment. The Freimann Hotel Building is one of the few 19th century buildings remaining in downtown Green Bay. Approximately 100 feet north of this plaque was the home of Augustin deLanglade and his son, Charles, the first permanent settlers in Wisconsin. The Freimann Hotel Building continues to operate today as one of Green Bay's oldest continuing commercial establishments.	Washington Street (east) face of building at northwest corner of Washington Street and Crooks Street [+]
Milwaukee Road Depot	[+]	Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad ... later known as the Milwaukee Road, came to Green Bay in 1873. This depot was built in 1898 and was the only passenger depot located on the east side of the river. It served as a passenger depot from 1898 until 1938 (approximately 10 passenger trains per day) and again from 1945 to 1946 (about 12 passenger trains per day). After the decline of passenger railway service, the passenger depot closed but continued as a freight depot. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad had a monopoly on freight service for Green Bay's east side throughout the period of rail dominance in area transportation. Its "Alley Track", established in 1889, was a freight line that extended north along the east side of the Fox River through the central Green Bay commercial and industrial district, providing service to businesses along Washinton Street and north. It served major wholesalers such as the Hurlbut Company, the Morley-Murphy Hardware Company and Joannes Brothers' wholesale grocer. This building is an excellent example of the Flemish Rennaissance Revival architecture and served as the office for the Association of Commerce (which became the Chamber of Commerce) from 1957 to 2008. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Source: National Register of Historic Places, August 16, 1996. Supported by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant # NA06NAS4190813; City of Green Bay; Brown County Sheriff's Department; and Leadership Green Bay.	The former depot is located just south of Chicago Street along South Washington Street [+] The platform side of the depot faces the trail of the Fox River greenway, adjacent to the new Flatley Park.
Bank of Wisconsin	[+]	On this site stood the Bank of Wisconsin 1835 The first bank west of Lake Michigan The building was erected by The American Fur Trading Co. and was a part of John Jacob Astor trading house & office	Chicago Street (south) face of building at southeast corner of Washington Street and Chicago Street [+] The building is named Cadillac Square for the auto dealership which formerly occupied the site. This location is directly across Chicago Street from Fire Station Number 1 (Astor Place).
Astor Place	[+]	Astor Place The business center of the Town of Astor Platted in 1835	South end of Washington Street where it meets Adams Street [+] This triangular block now is home to Fire Station Number 1 in addition to being the Astor Place pocket park.
La Baye burial grounds	[+]	La Baye burial place 172[0] - 1835 Land donated by [ ][ ]m[at]elle de Langlade Grignon - Langevin
First Catholic church	[+]	Near this site stood the first Catholic church in Green Bay begun in the year of our Lord 1823 by Father Gabriel Richard Vicar Apostolic of the Northwest and finished by Father Stephen Badin first resident pastor and missionary A short distance north of this was located the first Catholic cemetery, used for nearly a century. It was abandoned in 1835. Erected by the Marquette Club of Green Bay 1924
Union Congregational Church	[+]	Union Congregational Church United Church of Christ This church was organized on September 21, 1835 as First Presbyterian Church and held its first worship service on January 10, 1836 in the surgeon's quarters of Fort Howard Hospital. During the Civil War era, the church was, at one point, on the Underground Railroad, which assisted escaped slaves in gaining their freedom. On May 9, 1899, the church became Union Congregational Church. The church has a long history of ecumenical union and fellowship: first the Bond of Union between the Presbyterian and Congregational churches in 1840; later in 1851, as a charter member of the Winnebago Association and the Wisconsin Conference of Congregational Churches. In 1964, in keeping with its historic relationship with the majority of Congregational Churches, Union Church became a member of the United Church of Christ. We invite all to share in our worship and the joy of discipleship in a community of faith. Erected in tribute to Dr. Charles L. Bagby, Minister 1959-1981	Located on the west side of South Madison Street at the end of Spring Street (near St. James Park). [+]
Cnesses Israel Synagogue	[+]	Cnesses Israel Synagogue Upon this site stood Cnesses Israel Synagogue, the first Jewish Congregation in Brown County dedicated September 4, 1904 (24 Elul 5664). Designed by local architect Henry A. Foeller, the synagogue was Moorish is design and had two octagonal towers flanking a central arched entry. Erected 2005 Wisconsin Historical Society	On the southwest corner of the intersection of Jackson Street and Pine Street. [+] This location is across both streets from Whitney Park. [+]
Jackson Square	[+]	Jackson Square Jackson Square named for President Andrew Jackson Given by the Astor Fur Company in 1835 Commemorated Labor Day 1935 by the Green Bay Federal Trades Council	Located on the east side of Madison Street near the northwest corner of Jackson Square Park.
Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church	[+]	First United Methodist Church is the oldest chartered Methodist Church in Wisconsin, having been started by Col. Samuel Ryan among those stationed at Fort Howard in 1826. The congregation worshipped in several places before coming to this site in 1858. Fire destroyed the previous building in the year of the congregation's centennial. First United Methodist Church continue to witness to the good news of Christ, to support a life of discipleship, and make a difference in our community and world in the 21st century. Given to the glory of God, on the 175th anniversary of the congregation.	Howe Street (south) face of building at southeast corner of Madison Avenue and Howe Street, across Howe Street from Jackson Square [+] The older name of Madison Avenue M.E. Church is attested by the old cornerstone located within the entrance of the current building.
St John the Evangelist Church	[+]	St. John the Evangelist Congregation In the Fall of 1831, a young Dominican missionary, Rev. Samuel Mazzuchelli, was sent to La Baye to establish a Catholic parish for the Indians and French-Canadian fur traders living here. The first church was built at Shantytown, the site of the present Allouez Cemetery, on land donated by Joseph Ducharme. The Redemptorist Fathers and other pioneer missionaries continued the work of Father Mazzuchelli. A fire in 1847 and the change in the center of population brought the congregation to this site in the Borough of Green Bay. Two successive churches were also destroyed by fire, in 1972 and 1911. Under the direction of Rev. L. A. Ricklin, this church was built by the Foeller Construction Company and completed in 1915. St. John the Evangelist is the oldest continuous Catholic parish in the State of Wisconsin.	St John Street, between Madison and Monroe Avenues. [+] For the site of the original church, see Allouez.
Hazelwood	[+]	Hazelwood On this site Morgan L. Martin (1805-87) built this home in 1837, after his marriage to Ellizabeth Smith of Plattsburgh, N.Y. It was a center of social, literay and political accomplishment for nearly a century. Coming here in 1827 as a young attorney, he began the foundations for Statehood. A member of the Michigan Territorial Council 1931-35, he return in 1838-44 to serve on the Wisconsin Territorial Council. From 1845-47 he repesented the Territory in Congress, at which time he introduced the bill "to enable the people of Wisconsin Territory to form a constitution and state government, and for the admission of such state into the Union." The constitution submitted by the convention of 1846 was rejected and Martin, elected president of a second Conventionn in 1847, did much of the preliminary revision here at Hazelwood. It was accepted by a vote of the people and President Polk approved the Act of Admission on May 29, 1848. Erected 1966 by Wisconsin State Society Daughters of the American Colonists	Located on the east shore of the Fox River at the southern end of Green Bay (Astor) and now accessible from the Fox River State Recreational Trail [+] The house is also accessible at the rear from South Monroe Avenue.
Hazelwood	[+]	Hazelwood Hazelwood was the home ... of the Morgan L. Martin family for 100 years (1837-1937). Martin was a prominent Green Bay attorney, civic leader, Indian agent and entrepeneur, originally from upstate New York, who helped lay the foundation for Wisconsin's statehood. In 1848, Martin was elected president of the state convention, which drafted Wisconsin's constitution. President Polk signed the Act of Admission on May 29, 1848, making Wisconsin the 30th state to enter the union. Martin risked his considerable fortune in an ill-fated attempt to construct a system of locks on the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers in the 1850s that would make it possible for ships to navigate from the Fox through the Wisconsin to the Mississippi. This project eventually became a reality in the 1870s, but not before the railroad arrived in Green Bay, making the necessity of the water route less urgent. Martin lost nearly his entire investment in the project. Deborah Beaumont Martin was the youngest child of Morgan and his wife Elizabeth. She was the head librarian of the Kellogg Public Library for 30 years. With her sister Sarah Greene Martin and Ella Hoes Neville, Deborah authored Historic Green Bay, one of the first written accounts of the settlement of the area formerly called La Baye Verte (the Green Bay). Deborah Martin was a civic leader and an ardent preservationist. When she died in 1931, the entire community mourned. Source: Brown County Historical Society Supported by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant #NA06NOS4190183; Borwn County Facility and Park Management; Amerhart; and Leadership Green Bay.
Astor Park	[+]	Astor Park Donated by the Astor Company John Jacob Astor Ramsay Crooks Robert Stuart Originally intended for a manual labor school	Southeast corner of Astor Park, bounded by Roosevelt Street and Eliza Street [+]
Preble	[+]	Preble 1859 Commemorating One hundred years of progress Town of Preble 1859 – 1959 Erected by the people of Preble Dedicated September 6, 1959 Town Chairmen Chauncey N. Aldrich Fred Scheller Frank Liebman John Hogan Frank Heyrman John Cryan J.F. Sullivan Hubert Basten Phil Haevers Frank Zimonick Henry Katers Hilbert Basten Kenneth Katers Ervin P. Berkin	At the corner of Hillside Lane, Skyline Boulevard, and Birch Lane; across from Preble Park [+]