Black Point Estate, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Louise Speaks:  Day 33:  As I stated yesterday, we were unable to take the Geneva Lake boat cruise and see Black Point yesterday due to schedule conflicts, so we left Jan’s early this morning and headed for the lake…once again.  This is such a beautiful lake and the beaches are breath taking…so it was not a hard decision when we decided to come back to the lake today.  As usual I try to get the biggest bang for my buck, so I loved the opportunity to take a lake cruise and see the Black Point Estate combined into one excursion.  This was perfect as the only way to get to Black Point is by boat so it all worked out.

We had bought our tickets when we were here yesterday so we were certain to have a seat.  We boarded the boat and had a great captain and bartender…yep at 10:00 in the morning they were serving alcohol…I thought I was in Canada.  There were about 60 people on the boat so the boat was busy.  The captain sailed slowly and gave us tid bits of information all the way up the shore line.  He would tell us who owned which house, but the names were foreign to me.  It appears that the  Geneva Lake shore line is owned by wealthy people from Chicago.  Chicago is just a ways south and they tend to vacation at Geneva Lake to escape the hot Chicago summer days.  So the names being rattled off were of famous business men or people who may have invented something or were avid art collectors.   No movie stars and very few names I recognized.

Railroad access from Chicago made the area a popular summer retreat for the barons of wealth in lumber, cattle, oil, steel, cement, manufacturing, and durable goods. A few of the names I did recognize were Morton Salt and Wrigley Chewing Gum. These wealthy people built mansions and large homes such as Stone Manor and Black Point.  The Wrigley’s actually own miles and miles of shore line and have several homes built along the shore. These homes were originally built on the lake during the heyday of the Roaring 20s.  The city was then known as “The Newport of the West.”  The city is also known today as “The Hampton’s of the Midwest.” The city has been named one of the “Best Small Towns in America” on numerous lists during the last 50 years.

Some facts that we were told on our cruise is that Geneva Lake is the second deepest lake in Wisconsin. It consists of 5,500 acres, is 152 feet deep, is 21 miles around, is 3 miles wide, and is 9 miles long.  Stone Manor is the largest mansion on the lake and was built by Otto Young in 1900-1901. Young made his money on real estate along State Street in Chicago after the great fire of 1871. There was a great story to go along with this fact, but to sum it up, lets just say Young was in the right place at the right time and believed in a leap of faith.  The captain told us if we wanted to go scuba diving in Geneva Lake we would find some very interesting things.  He said that at the bottom of Geneva Lake you can find things such as a 50’s era cabin cruiser just south of Black Point.  Also a Nash over by Cedar Point.  How about a Volkswagen North of the Academy, and the hull of the “Lady of the Lake” can be found by the  Geneva Inn, yes the one I posted about yesterday.  And just to confuse you a bit more, the city is Lake Geneva, but the lake is Geneva Lake.

Maybe you’ll recognize some of these names.  I wrote them down for the purpose of blogging, but really don’t know who they are.  The Geneva Lake area is home to cartoonists Joe and Jay Martin, writers of the “Mr. Buffo”, “Willy’n Ethel”, and “Tommy” comics.  It was also the home of Sidney Smith, creator of the Andy Gump comic strip.  A statue of Andy Gump stands in Flat Iron Park.  The famed Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing Game was founded in Lake Geneva.

After cruising the lake for 45 minutes we arrived at Black Point.  As I said earlier, the only way to get to Black Point is by boat.  There is now a road out back, but it is locked to the general public.  Once docked at the lake we had to climb 127 stairs before reaching the front door.  They were made of nice wood with sturdy hand rails, but 60 people climbing 127 steps was a task for sure.  Once on top we were invited to sit on the porch where we were told a bit about the history of Black Point.  We were then divided into 3 groups and we all went separate ways.

In 1887, Chicago beer baron Conrad Seipp began construction of Black Point Estate. This was to be used as a respite for his family from the heat and bustle of the city. Owners like Seipp never envisioned their homes could ever be more than that since there were no roads nor access to utilities. The estate could be reached only by boat.  The 20-room Queen Anne style “cottage” was completed in 1888 for $20,000. It included 13-bedrooms and only one bathroom. It sat on nearly eight-acres of beautiful grounds that included 620 feet of undisturbed Geneva Lake shoreline.

While building Black Point, Seipp was also building a new mansion in Chicago. During this process Mrs. Seipps wanted to have all new furniture in the new Chicago mansion, so Mr. Seipp moved much of the family’s furniture from the previous Chicago home into Black Point.  Unfortunately, Seipp was able to enjoy the house and gardens for only two seasons before his death in 1890. His family and four generations of descendants, however, never left. The original furnishings remained in the house while each generation added its own touches. So, today the home is a rare time capsule for historians. Everyday household items range from Victorian to modern but share the same family provenance.   Folklore has it that over 70 species of evergreen trees are planted on Black Point.

 The last descendant was Seipp’s great-grandson, William O. Petersen.  Prior to his death in September of 2005 ,he donated the 20-room house all the grounds and furnishings to the State of Wisconsin  for use as a historic site.  After a $1.9 million State-financed restoration, Black Point Estate opened for tours in June 2007.  This was not an easy task.  The nearby residence did not like the idea of having tours at the estate.  They pictured tour buses coming up the road next to their driveways several times a day.  When it was proposed that tours would only arrive by boat, and would only be once a day, the neighbors agreed.  Lucky for us that they did because this tour was awesome.

Black Point Preserve Inc. Board of Directors, composed of dedicated volunteers, managed the house and property for five years.  The Wisconsin Historical Society assumed responsibility for Black Point Estate on January 1, 2013. Black Point Estate and Gardens is open for tours from May through October. Visitors can reach the site by boat, just as family and friends did in a bygone era.  Black Point Estate remains one of the finest examples of Queen Ann architecture and is considered to have one of the most intact collections of Victorian furnishings in the Midwest.  The boat ride back is another 45 minutes and you cruise along the opposite side of the lake.  This gives a great opportunity to see homes, boats and beaches on each side of the lake.

This goes without saying that I enjoyed touring this home.  The homes that have original furniture are so much more interesting than historical homes that are just empty.  Our tour guide was very thorough and shared with us so many family secrets.  When Bill Peterson moved out he left everything…and I mean everything.  There were papers in the desk, clothes in the drawers and food in the cupboards.  This house could not be more authentic.  I would rate this home an A.  It had a great view, had gorgeous grounds and what we saw of the house, it made you want to move in.  As usual something as incredible as this was not in Patricia’s book “1000 Places To See Before You Die”.  She did mention Geneva Lake and some of its mansions, but not Black Point particularly.  I on the other hand loved it, and the boat ride on a warm summer day, with a cool breeze was heavenly.

AM…Page 578

Thelma Speaks:  Saying good by is not fun but knowing you are going to come back and stay at the Geneva Inn sometime helps to make the day more fun… so off we went and back to Lake Geneva where our boat awaits us.  We got our tickets yesterday so we are ready to sail….oh and we saw where the ice cream shop is for when we get back!  Well once on board we were greeted by our wonderful captain and the bartender.  Yup you heard me right it is 10 and drinks are ready!  What a great time this is going to be!  A boat ride to the Black Point Estate and around Lake Geneva, how can you miss!  The weather was perfect and not too hot so let the cruise begin!  As we leave the dock our captain begins his tour telling us about the homes and the early times on the lake.  All of those of importance from Chicago would summer here on the lake.  Many names were those people from the mid west, like myself, had heard of before.  Each homes had its own story to tell and our captain told us many of the tales as we slowly cruised the lake.  But wait!  Can you imagine all of the lost treasures that are in this deep lake just waiting to be pulled up and explored?  Sounds like an adventure to me!  Back to reality….and on with the cruise!

Our reason for taking the cruise is that it is the only way to get to the 127 stairs that take you to the Black Point Estate which is high above the lake.  The porch is the first place to stop and rest after the climb! This is a fantastic Queen Ann home that has the original furnishings from family members up until 2005 when the last of the family willed the estate to the state of Wisconsin for use as a historic site.  I am grateful for his donation and for the state spending $1.9 million to restore the home so we can enjoy the tours.  Our tour guide was very informative and we got to see all of the home and outside grounds.  This was a very enjoyable tour since the original Victorian furnishings were left where they had been many years ago.  Seeing everything as it was when the family lived here made Black Point Estate even more special!  All of the fireplaces are done in different tiles.  The bedrooms are all upstairs and the house has only one bathroom so sharing is important in this house! I  for one am glad the Seipp family shared their lives with us through this Queen Ann home with Victorian furnishings and rate this home an A. 

Now back to the 45 minute cruise back via the other side of the lake.  It is a beautiful day for a boat ride and when we dock the ice cream is calling us in for a nice ending to a great boat trip and the Black Point Estate.  This is definitely a place to enjoy and one I would say everyone should make time to explore!