Take a Cruise to the Victorian Summer Retreat of a Chicago Beer Baron
Black Point Estate was built for Chicago Beer Baron, Conrad Seipp, in 1888 as a retreat, and in that spirit the home remains a place to relax, refresh, and explore. Just like the Victorian VIPs who established the estate, you’ll arrive in style and enjoy stunning Geneva Lake views on your cruise to this magnificent summer home, considered one of the finest examples of period architecture and furniture in the Midwest, and one of the oldest homes in Lake Geneva.
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Black Point Estate and Gardens
Step into Gilded Age elegance at the 1888 Summer home of Chicago beer baron, Conrad Seipp. Guests enjoy a narrated boat ride to the property via the Lake Geneva Cruise Line, a guided tour of the mansion, & time to relax and sip Seipp beer on the veranda.
Our next installment of Geneva Lake Storytellers at the Geneva Tap House is tomorrow, February 19th from 6-8PM.
This one is hosted by Rita Mae Moore and will be an evening full of women storytellers.
As always this event is free and open to the public so come out and meet your neighbors one story at a time. ... See MoreSee Less
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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 Garden Club.
By the early part of the 20th century, gardening had become a popular leisure time and Frances Kinsley Hutchinson saw an opportunity to take her passion for gardening to a new level.
Hutchinson and her husband Charles lived at Wychwood on the north shore of Geneva Lake.
In 1915, Frances founded the Lake Geneva Garden Club for the purpose of sharing gardening knowledge and the love of gardening among women who summered on Geneva Lake and their friends in town.
In 1920, the club joined The Garden Club of America, the purpose of which is to “stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening; to share the advantage of association by means of educational meetings, conferences, correspondence and publications; and to restore, improve and protect the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic improvement.”
Throughout the middle of the 20th century, the club maintained its ties with the Lake Geneva Gardeners’ and Foremen’s Association, partnering with that organization until its dissolution in 1976 to host the Annual Exhibit, more commonly known as the Annual Flower Show.
The show continues to be held each year in the community.
Walworth@250 #51 ... See MoreSee Less
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We'd love to see Holiday Home Camp and OWLS, which both have significant historical impact on the lake!
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 Bruce Thompson.
Bruce Thompson was born April 20, 1947 in Elkhorn, Wisconsin and spent many years documenting the Geneva Lake area with his award-winning photography. While attending the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in the '60s a one semester class in photography became a turning point in his life.
Thompson worked three years for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. His mission was to visually recreate the image of Wisconsin.
In 1979, with the addition of a family to support, a career change to commercial photography stabilized his lifestyle as he put down roots operating his own studio.
Bruce’s photographs adorned many magazine covers and his meticulously printed black and white photographs are included in corporate and private art collections throughout the region.
Bruce passed away in 2020 but his images of the Geneva Lake region will live on as par of the historical record.
Walworth@250 #50 ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you for sharing.
Emily Thompson
He was such a great man!
Bruce was a good man...we were neighbors in Fontana way back in the 1980s.
Christina Mckinnell Dos Santos Nice story!
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