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.
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 Dr, Phillip Maxwell.
Dr. Philip Maxwell was a renowned surgeon and real estate magnate from Chicago who built a home in Lake Geneva long before it was popular to do so. He started as a commissioned Army surgeon, serving at Fort Dearborn in Illinois.
His relationship with Lake Geneva began in 1833 when he was a witness to the signing of the Chicago Treaty with the Native Americans in the area. After the treaty was signed, Maxwell claimed 1600 acres of land in the Lake Geneva area.
In 1842, Maxwell retired from the army and set up his own medical practice in Chicago, and by 1845, he had become the Chicago City Physician and a member of the Chicago Board of Health.
Shortly after, Maxwell Street in Chicago was named in his honor. He served as the State Treasurer of Illinois in 1853, but by 1855 he had decided to build a home and life in Lake Geneva, even renouncing his Illinois citizenship. His home, known as The Oaks, was finished in 1856, and he lived there with his wife, Jerusha, until his death in 1859.
Walworth@250 #20 ... See MoreSee Less
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Is his house then, Maxwell House in LG?
His looks are foreboding. He would be a scary MD
Do we know when he was born and how old he was when he passed? Interesting bio, thank you!
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 Majestic Hills: Winter and Summer Fun.
What do you do if you own an unused chicken farm? If you’re Bill Grunow, you plow up the land, form a ski hill, add A-frames to the chicken coop to create a chalet, and open Majestic Hills Ski Hill, popular every winter from1957 – 1988.
In summer, the ski hill served as driving range and a nine-hole golf course, which followed the tracks of the ski hill and featured lights for nighttime play. And then there was the Bandstand. From 1960 – 1970, the old metal boat storage building rocked to the sounds of local, and regional bands such as the Buckinghams and REO Speedwagon. Saturday nights were reserved for headliners and national acts such as Stevie Wonder, The Who, Chicago, The Monkees and the Beach Boys.
Majestic Hills was the place to go – summer or winter!
Walworth@250 #19
Neal Aspinalle talented Neal Aspinall! ... See MoreSee Less
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I remember Valowill (?sp) chicken farm--but when it became a ski hill I, a ski instructor in Colorado, called it Majestic Mogul. 🙂
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 Mary Leiter.
Did you know that the inspiration for the character Cora in the television series Downton Abbey came from a real person who lived in Lake Geneva?
Mary Leiter was the daughter of Chicago real estate magnate and co-founder of Marshall-Fields, Levi Leiter. Mary grew up at the Leiter’s Lake Geneva home, Snug Harbor. When she was old enough, Mary’s mother took her to England where she impressed English society by dancing with the Prince of Wales.
She was soon engaged to Lord George Curzon, an English aristocrat and diplomat who was appointed as the viceroy to India. After her marriage, Lady Mary Victoria Curzon accompanied her diplomat husband to India, where they had three children. The family returned to England in 1906, but Mary unfortunately fell ill and died at the age of 36. She is buried at her husband’s ancestral estate, Kedleston.
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Was it the Leiter family who had the granddaughter that built Buckingham fountain in Chicago?
What a lovely portrait! And such a TINY waist! Thank you for sharing this bit of history!
So fascinating, albeit a bit sad at the end.
I find LG's history so interesting!
I did not know that! Thank you.
Snug Harbor is now Lake Geneva library and park.
atthelakemagazine.com/a-lake-geneva-princess/
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