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    Forgotten Delavan
    Forgotten Delavan
    Forgotten Delavan
    Ebook187 pages1 hour

    Forgotten Delavan

    By Patricia Ruth-Marsicano and Douglass J. Yadon

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    About this ebook

    When they left New York in 1836, brothers Henry and Samuel Phoenix intended to establish a temperance colony where inhabitants could live a life free from demon alcohol. They found the perfect location in the Wisconsin Territory and named it Delavan after temperance leader and abolitionist Edward C. Delavan. The Phoenixes purchased 400 acres of land to sell to friends and family back in New York. The population soon boomed thanks to people like themselves who embraced the belief in an alcohol- and slavery-free society. All deeds were written with covenants prohibiting alcohol, but in 1845 the covenants were deemed unconstitutional. Since then, Delavan has been home to abolitionists, circus performers, and artists. It has drawn tourists from around the Midwest to its ballrooms, resorts, steamers, and beautiful lake. From Delavan s humble beginnings, the community has continued to grow to a population of more than 13,000, and today Delavan thrives on its industry, agriculture, and tourism.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateNov 17, 2014
    ISBN9781439648438
    Forgotten Delavan
    Author

    Patricia Ruth-Marsicano

    Author Patricia Ruth-Marsicano has assembled images from the collections of the late Gordon Yadon, the Delavan Historical Society, and current and former Delavan residents, as well as from her own collection. Images of America: Forgotten Delavan takes readers on a sentimental journey featuring images and recollections from the 1880s through the 1980s.

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      Book preview

      Forgotten Delavan - Patricia Ruth-Marsicano

      (CD).

      INTRODUCTION

      People are often amazed when they learn about the fascinating history behind Delavan. Most towns have one thing to brag about, while we have several. Delavan has led a pretty interesting life.

      What we know as Delavan was at one time an inland sea. It was formed during the Ice Age, when a large portion of the Michigan tongue glacier broke off and pushed southwest through what is now Walworth County.

      The first inhabitants of Delavan were Native Americans. There are several areas around Delavan Lake where effigy mounds can still be seen. These mounds were built during the Middle Woodland Period, and the people who constructed them are referred to as the Mound Builders. They were primarily hunters and gatherers who had a settlement here at Delavan Lake. Many mounds have been obliterated since the 1900s, but they can still be seen on the property at Lake Lawn Resort, in Community Park, and in Assembly Park. These mounds were built in the shape of animals, although some are just cone shaped. In addition to skeletal remains, some items found in effigy mounds include pottery, weapons, and tools. The Pottawatomi were also in this area into the early 1800s.

      Due to changes of rule and ownership, this area was under French, and later, British rule until the Treaty of Paris forced its turnover to the United States, at which time it became a part of the Northwest Territory. At the beginning of the 19th century, Delavan belonged to the Indiana Territory, then the Illinois Territory, and finally the Wisconsin Territory in 1836.

      It was while Wisconsin was a territory that Col. Samuel Phoenix and his older brother Henry set out to find a location to begin a temperance colony. They headed west in search of land away from the influence of any other city. They were desirous of a place where they could live a pure life away from the evils of alcohol. When they reached this area, they saw a landscape that reminded them of their home in Perry, New York. Their business acumen helped them to realize the potential for this location, and they began laying out their new village and what would become Walworth County.

      The family of Allen Perkins was the first to settle here, shortly before the Phoenixes arrived. Perkins planned to name the new settlement Wilkes Barre after their former home, but the Phoenixes had connections that inexplicably held up Perkins’s application, assuring the Phoenixes the first opportunity to name the settlement. They decided on the name Delavan for their new colony, after temperance leader Edward C. Delavan. They also applied to name the county Walworth after Reuben Hyde Walworth, former president of the New York Temperance League.

      The Phoenixes began selling land to friends and family back in New York. Perkins left Delavan, and the Phoenixes took over his claim. They built Delavan on a strong foundation of temperance and Christian principles and wrote a covenant into each deed that no alcohol could be stored, bought, sold, or consumed on the property, thus guaranteeing a temperate community. Samuel Phoenix began clearing the land while his brother was back home in New York tying up their business affairs. They built a mill and a dam and opened the first mercantile shops. As Delavan quickly grew, they contracted to have a hotel and boarding house built in 1840; this structure still stands today. The Phoenixes were very active in the community. Their vision of a temperance colony worked well for a while, but by 1845, both Phoenixes had died, and the covenant included in the deeds was declared unconstitutional. Although there was still a core temperance population, alcohol came to Delavan soon after.

      Jeremiah and Edmund Mabie left Brewster, New York, in search of a location that would accommodate their circus during the winter months. The Mabie brothers were owners of the United States Olympic Circus and reasoned that if they could find good winter quarters in the West, they could begin touring earlier in the spring. When they came to Delavan in 1847, the abundant green pastures and fresh water supply from the lake could support their animals quite well. They purchased property on Delavan Lake and settled into their new winter quarters. This idea caught on, and for the next 50-plus years, 26 circuses would utilize Delavan as their winter quarters, earning Delavan the name 19th Century Circus Capitol of the Nation.

      The Mabies took over where the Phoenix brothers left off. They purchased the mill and became active in the community. The Mabies divided their joint holdings around the early 1860s. When Jeremiah died a few years later, his widow, Anna Mary, inherited the farm property at Delavan Lake. The Mabies had two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Antoinette. Anna Mary Mabie later married Chester Phillips and had two more children, Ernest and Chester Jr.

      In 1878, after the death of her husband, Chester, Anna Mary Phillips opened a boarding house and hotel on the shores of Delavan Lake and called it Lake Lawn Hotel. It was during the late 1800s that tourism took hold around the lake, and many resort hotels were built to accommodate the visitors. Over 100 years later, the property, now known as Lake Lawn Resort, continues its tradition of catering to guests.

      The activity that became most popular in the early 1900s was dancing. Delavan was once a ballroom mecca, boasting great dance halls and top-of-the-line entertainment. Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller, and Lawrence Welk are just a few of the big bands that played here. The most popular ballrooms around the lake included the Dutch Mill, Delavan Gardens, Lake Lawn, and the Capitol. After the 1940s, attendance started to decline. The last of the ballrooms, Lake Lawn, was sadly razed in 1978.

      Delavan became an art colony at the turn of the last century when John Vanderpoel, a teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, began summer classes here. Delavan has produced many talented artists, including Adolph Shulz, Ada Shulz, Frank V. Dudley, and William Thorne.

      Delavan has continued to grow into a community known for its industry, agriculture, and tourism. Walworth County ranks sixth in Wisconsin for tourism, and Delavan Lake’s assets are undoubtedly an integral reason for that. The focus for vacationers is the 2,072-acre lake, popular for its great fishing and water sports. The lake underwent an enormous rehabilitation project in the late 1980s and was restocked with game fish in the early 1990s. The success of the rehabilitation of Delavan Lake has been the focus of many popular fishing magazines.

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