Israel Stowell Temperance House
The Israel Stowell Temperance House was built in 1840 in Delavan, Wisconsin, and is in dire need of restoration. This landmark needs to be restored to educate future generations about the early temperance movement. In 1836, two brothers from New York came to the Wisconsin Territory to develop a temperance colony in an attempt to spread the temperance movement. In 1840, Israel Stowell was contracted to build a Temperance House. The contract stipulated that no alcohol could be manufactured, sold, given away or consumed on the property forever. This prohibition on alcohol was declared unconstitutional in 1845, and the dream of a Temperance Colony vanished. This Temperance House is the last symbol of Delavan’s beginning as a Temperance Colony and is the last Temperance House in Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The building served as a multi-family dwelling for over 120 years, until owners the 1970’s removed all utilities from the structure to begin renovations for several retail outlets. Local codes stopped their work and the building has been without utilities for over 30 years. Uninhabitable, except for raccoons and other wildlife; Mother Nature has taken its toll on this wooden landmark.
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