Black Point Estate and Gardens

2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Over the next 250 days we will be highlighting historic people, places or things from around Walworth County.

Up next is RT Crane.

What’s a father to do when his son needs his horse Bill at camp in Lake Geneva in 1879?

According to legend, RT Crane hitched Bill to his surrey, traveled 90 miles from Chicago, delivered the horse, and fell in love with Geneva Lake. Crane, a self-made man, and his brother founded the Crane Company, a plumbing fixture business in Chicago. At Lake Geneva, he purchased 23 acres on the north shore and constructed a 22-room mansion which he named Jerseyhurst after his home state.

Four stained glass windows from the estate are displayed aGeneva Lake MuseumMuseum.

Their yacht Passaic is one of the few yachts from this era still in private use on the lake today.
RT Crane was a pioneer in employee relations, offering stock options, annual bonuses, profit sharing and pension plans, an eight-hour work day, and free medical care for families.

He died in 1912 and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. The original house was razed in 1933, but two structures remain as part of the legacy of Richard Teller Crane.

Walworth@250 #98

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2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Over the next 250 days we will be highlighting historic people, places or things from around Walworth County.

Up next is the Lake Geneva Centennial, 1931.

In 1930, a 40-person committee was formed to plan a commemoration of the arrival of the first known European (white) people to Big Foot Lake—as the lake was known to Natives and French fur traders at Fort Dearborn in Chicago.

Local clubs, organizations and schools were invited to participate. It was a two-day celebration at Lake Geneva, Williams Bay and Fontana, June 26-27, 1931.

A Parade in Lake Geneva on Friday afternoon featured a 300-piece massed band, and 200 singers…all from Walworth County. There was a “Marine Parade” and fireworks on Friday night.

The opening events were on Saturday in Williams Bay with speeches, demonstrations and a historical exhibit at the library—insured and guarded around the clock for ten days. At Fontana, a pageant recreated the arrival of the Kinzie party in May of 1831 as they traveled from Chicago to Fort Winnebago (now Portage.) 32 men, women and children from the Forest County Potawatomi re-created Chief Big Foot’s village including wig-wams and a tree burial of one of Big Foot’s sons at the lakefront.

The log coffin was a genuine Potawatomi dug-out canoe which had been recently recovered from Geneva Lake. (The canoe is now in Elkhorn at the Walworth County Historical Society.)

A reenactor portrayed John Brink, the government surveyor who renamed the lake “Geneva” after his hometown in New York. The pageant culminated with the Potawatomi performing ancient tribal rites at the Seven Sacred Springs at Big Foot Country Club.

It was estimated that 12,000 people witnessed the centennial event and 3,000 cars lined the streets of Fontana, a village of 300 at the time.

The paper next week was headlined: “Geneva Lake Centennial Now History; Months of Preparation Crowned by Gratifying Success."

Walworth@250 #97

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2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Over the next 250 days we will be highlighting historic people, places or things from around Walworth County.

Up next is Holiday Home Camp.

Fresh Air Associations were organized in the late 19th century to address poverty and health crises among inner city children.

The idea for a fresh air camp in Lake Geneva was born during the summer of 1887 while Emma Ayer and some of her friends were boating on Geneva Lake. They dreamed of being able to offer underprivileged Chicago children escape from the hot, dirty city to the healthy, rural setting in Wisconsin.

Within a year, the local Association purchased 26 acres on the lakeshore for $4,000 and established Holiday Home Camp.

Supporting Holiday Home became a community effort. Time, talent, and money were donated by summer residents, locals, even children contributed their pennies.

All campers attended free of charge. Some of the campers suffered health problems but fresh air, garden produce, pure water, and medical attention aided their recuperation. To this day community support continues, and the campers’ tuition is waived.

Walworth@250 #96

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