Glanworth Gardens – Historical Beauty Restored and Revisited

 by Pamela S. Meyers

Wadsworth Hall in 1906 when it was built.

I was raised in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a small town in southeastern Wisconsin that sits next to beautiful spring-fed Geneva Lake. Back in October of 1871, the Great Chicago Fire displaced a lot of people—rich and poor alike. Many of the rich moved their families to the virgin shores of Geneva Lake and built large mansions for their families to live in while the city was being rebuilt. It didn’t take long for other wealthy bankers and industrialists to hear about the pristine lake and its shoreline that could be had for a “song.” 

Today, many of those 19th Century homes have either burned down or been torn down to be replaced by something more modern. Those that remain and are restored to their original design offer a peek into the lifestyles of the rich and famous of another era. 

Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post here about Wadsworth Hall (now named Glanworth Gardens), a beautiful mansion that closely resembles Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Recently, the home's most recent owner, Richard Driehaus, founder, and chairman of Driehaus Capital Management, passed away, and I thought this beautiful estate deserved to be revisited 

  Glanworth Gardens Today

Resource: At The Lake Magazine

 At The Lake Magazine's editor, Anne Morrisey, penned a feature article on Glanworth Gardens in its May 2018, issue and much of what I share here has been gleaned from her detailed report. 

The estate was commissioned and built in 1906, by Norman Wait Harris, founder of what is now known as BMO Harris Bank. Thirteen years later, after the passing of both Mr. and Mrs. Harris, their daughter, Pearl, sold the property to Walden W. Shaw, co-founder of Chicago’s Yellow Cab Company. 

View of Glanworth from a boat

(Note the people walking the lakeshore path, which

is open access to the public all around the lake.)

Photo by Pamela Meyers

Shaw changed the name of the estate to The Stenning after his grandfather’s
home in Great Britain. He eventually relocated to California and his daughter, Bessie, and her husband, Daniel Peterkin, Jr. an executive at Morton Salt, moved into the estate. After Bessie passed away, Daniel remarried and eventually willed the estate to his second wife, Dorothy. By then, costs to keep up the large home were overwhelming and not always attended to as they should be. The exterior of the home has remained the same all these years, but the interior suffered from the effects of wear and tear. 

Looking at the side portico with the lake in the background

Source: At The Lake Magazine

When Dorothy died in 1997, the property was put on the market and Mr. Driehaus, appreciating the mansion's “good bones,” purchased it. Acquiring the home satisfied his desire for a summer home for his family. He spent two years bringing the interior back to its former glory, often flying up to Lake Geneva from Chicago on a helicopter to inspect the ongoing work and make decisions. 

Interior Photos

Resource At The Lake Magazine

After the work was complete, he hosted a New Year’s Eve party to celebrate-- the first of many parties he would have there. In recent years, on his July 27th birthday, he would host a large themed party, complete with a celebrity performer. The evening always included a firework display that the public could also enjoy, from boats, piers, and land. 

Entrance to the Estate from Snake Road

Photo Resource: LizzyFay.com

Driehaus passed away on March 9, 2021, and on July 24, 2021, his family held a party in his memory that included the firework display he so enjoyed. Many boats gathered in the waters around the estate, while others watched from piers and the shoreline. It’s unknown if the firework display will continue in the coming years, but whether it does or not, Mr. Driehaus has left his mark, not only by restoring his beautiful home but also by his many philanthropic donations to the city, including a fountain that now sits in front of the Riviera boat landing and ballroom. 

Resources: 

At the Lake Magazine; July 2018, Morrisey and reprinted in the Summer 2021   edition. 

Newport of the West, 1976, Wadsworth Hall, p. 54-56, Ann Wolfmeyer & Mary   Burns Gage

Entrance to Estate Photo: How to Plan a Perfect Lake Geneva Getaway,   www.lizzyfay.com

Pamela S. Meyers lives in northern Illinois with her two rescue cats, but her heart will always remain in her hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where she can often be found nosing around for new story ideas. She writes historical romances set right there and you can read about them at www.pamelasmeyers.com.

A True Pioneer Couple - John H. and Juliette Kinzie

 By Pamela S. Meyers

Last month I wrote about Chief Big Foot, the Potawatomie Indian chief who lived on the shores of

John H. Kinzie

Geneva Lake in Wisconsin before being removed to a reservation in the west. At the time, I promised I would write about John H. and Juliette Kinzie who were the first white people to see Geneva Lake for the first time. 

Juliette Kinzie

When I began researching the couple, I learned that Juliette was an amazing woman for her time and that she deserves a post all on her own, which I will do in a couple of months. For now, I’ll focus only on the couple's first sighting of Geneva Lake in 1831, and their meeting Chief Big Foot and his tribe. 

 Juliette’s husband John was serving as an Indian Subagent at Fort Winnebago near what is now Portage, Wisconsin and the couple and their family were living there. They’d traveled south for a visit to Chicago (which was not yet the large city it later became) and were returning to Fort Winnebago, heading northwest across what would likely now be McHenry
County in Illinois.

Juliette’s memoir, Wau-Bun, which describes her many travels in the New Frontier, includes a detailed description of this journey. When they stopped for the first night next to the Fox River, they experienced a horrific accident that caused the horses pulling their wagon to spook. Her detailed and colorful description of this accident is well-worth getting a copy of the public domain of this book which can be downloaded at no cost. (Details can be found in the Resources below). 

With repairs made, they next traveled only a short distance to what is now Crystal Lake, IL, and overnighted next to that lake. From there they moved north, and her notes describe her appreciation of the scenery and being far from any city. I love how she praises the Author of the Universe and “His majesty and goodness,” then quotes Habakkuk 2:20, “Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” 

 By their fourth day of travel, they had reached what is now Southeastern Wisconsin and she writes, “Soon after mid-day, we descended a long sloping knoll and by a sudden turn came full in view of the beautiful sheet of water.” That water is now known as Geneva Lake. They came down an incline and came upon the Potomotomie Indian encampment near what is now Fontana, Wisconsin. They met Chief Big Foot and the families that lived there. The meeting was friendly and there was no apparent animosity as the tribe was very welcoming to the gathering that included the Kinzie's and several others.

Postcard image of the area the Kinzie's visited 
and an idea of what they saw, minus the boat and docks.

  

Of course, there were no paved roads back then and to be able to continue on, they had to get their entourage up a steep hill. It was decided the only way was to push the wagon up the hill, and the Indians and male visitors worked together to accomplish this. I love the fact that Juliette mounted a horse and while clinging to his mane, amid shouts of encouragement from the onlookers, made it to the top. Young Indian men carried the party’s luggage up the incline on their shoulders. I love how everyone worked together to make it all happen with no apparent friction. 

Public Domain Edition of
Wau-Bun

 When I make the hour’s drive up to the lake, I often look out on the water and imagine what it must have looked like back in those days. No white piers jutting out along the shoreline, no motorboats or excursion boats slicing through the water, no spectacular estates on the shore, or summer camps. It’s beautiful now, even with all of that, but how much more beautiful it must have been back then.

Do you like to read memoirs written by historical figures? If you do, please share in the comments, the title of one you particularly enjoyed. 

Resources:

Shawneeawkee, Friendly Fontana; Arthur B. Jensens, 1969, independently published.

Wau-Bun The Early Day in the Northwest; Juliette Augusta Magill Kinzie; Public Domain Edition.

   This edition can be downloaded to Kindle by going to Amazon.com and searching for the book.)

Pamela Meyers lives in northeast Illinois with her two rescue cats and can often be found just over the state line in and around her hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, nosing around for new story ideas.

Pam's Newport of the West four-book series can be found at Amazon and at various locations in the Lake Geneva area. The fourth book in the series Rose Harbor, releases in May. 

The Riviera - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin's Historical Lakeshore Gem

The Riviera from the Street

This week I was honored to give a presentation at the Geneva Lake Museum on the history of the Riviera, a community building  that sits at the lakefront  in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Lake Geneva is my hometown and the setting for three of my published historical novels with more on the way. I had done extensive research on the "Riv," as locals call it, before writing my novel Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva.

To draw tourists to town to enjoy the beautiful lake and town and boost the small town's economy, the city fathers of Lake Geneva decided in January 1932, to sell bonds to finance a new recreation center and ballroom. By March of that year, the first pilings went into the lake bottom to support the new building which does not sit on land but is built out over the water. With lightning speed, the building's Italianate designed exterior was completed by September 1, 1932, and an informal preview of the second-floor ballroom was held. More than 1000 people from all walks of life attended the event, all eager to see what the building looked like inside and to enjoy dancing to the music of Ralph Williams' orchestra. 

The Riviera from the East.

Although the ballroom was not yet fully complete, it was called by a Lake Geneva News Tribune reporter, "Wisconsin’s most beautiful ballroom." And it seemed most people agreed with him.  

Over the years, the Riviera Ballroom hosted many famous entertainers and big bands, including Louie Armstrong who returned on ten consecutive summers during the 1950s. Every weekend, lines of ladies in formals and men in suits and ties formed outside the ballroom entrance. The building wasn’t air-conditioned, but with the windows open and a breeze off the lake, they survived. In addition to the summer entertainment, the local high school used the ballroom for their junior prom for many years. I remember as a child sitting on the grass outside the Riviera and watching the young couples wearing their formals and tuxes arrive for the prom. 

During the 1960s rock and roll greats replaced the big bands and jazz singers at the venue, including Stevie Wonder in 1969. But they began to fade in their allure and the ballroom was then reconfigured into a nightclub called The Top Deck. I personally never saw it during that phase as I was living out of state. But I've been told it was a radical change.  Pop music stars like Chubby Checker, Herman’s Hermits, and the Ides of March (to name a few) played there. 

By 1980, what had once been dubbed the most beautiful ballroom in Wisconsin was showing its age, and the city took over the lease and restored the space back to its original appearance. It’s since been run by the city and has hosted many weddings/wedding receptions and other events, including high school proms. In 1986, it gained Landmark Status and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The author presenting about the Rivera's history
at the Geneva Lake Museum. (Photo courtesy of the Geneva Lake Museum)

When I began researching for my novel, Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva, I used articles from microfilm of the local newspaper at the time the Riviera was constructed. As I read, I became caught up in the excitement of the townspeople over what was taking place at the lakefront. It represented hope during a time when a lot of people were out of work. They knew if they built it, people from Chicago (a two-hour train ride away) would come and enjoy the beautiful lake and beach during the day and dance their feet off at night in the ballroom. Of course, all the while, spending money at restaurants and hotels and keeping the merchants and innkeepers happy. Additionally, the tradesmen who worked on the building while it was under construction saw welcome paychecks that had not been plentiful during that time. It was a new era for the town of Lake Geneva, which is still a popular getaway. I often meet people from far-flung places who tell me they have been to my hometown and what a beautiful place it is.

Have you been to Lake Geneva? Please share if you have. If not, what is a favorite getaway place you enjoy? 

Leave a comment as I will be drawing a name to win a copy of Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva, the 1933 novel I wrote that features the Riviera in the story.

Resources: 

Pictures of Riviera: Old postcards, public domain and owned by the author.

Lake Geneva News Tribune, 1932 and 1933 editions

At the Lake Magazine, June 2019; Once a Storied Ballroom …; 

Anne Morrissy.

Pamela has written most of her life, beginning with her first diary at age eight. Her novels include Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Second Chance Love. Safe Refuge and Shelter Bay, Books 1 & 2 in her Newport of the West series, are set in her hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She lives in northeastern Illinois with her two rescue cats.

Wisconsin Winter Pastimes of the Past and Present

Having grown up in Wisconsin, next to Geneva Lake, I learned quickly that the way to get through a long cold winter is to embrace the season by enjoying the out of doors. As a child, I loved being out in the snow, sledding and making snowmen. At the age of eight, I learned to ice skate and that was where you would find me when I wasn’t in school. In high school, a new ski hill opened on the south shore of the lake and I was there. I never became an expert, but I held my own.

There were also other winter pastimes that adults enjoyed like ice fishing and iceboating. My dad was never interested in fishing, despite that both his dad and his father-in-law were avid fishermen. And he couldn’t afford an ice boat so that wasn’t part of his winter activities either. But, it didn’t mean he couldn’t watch.

stock photo

Going back before the automobile came along, winter around southern Wisconsin mean switching from carriages and wagons for transportation to sleighs. In a diary kept by a resident of Lake Geneva in the 1870s, she mentions taking a sleigh across the frozen lake to hire a man to chop firewood. Winters were definitely colder and longer than they are today. Usually, a sleigh ride conjures up romantic sentiments. Easy to say when we have our heated cars to use most of the time.

Horse Racing on the frozen Geneva
Lake - Year Unknown

Another winter pastime that apparently died out before I was alive was horse racing on the frozen lake. It was mentioned recently on a Facebook page that focuses on the history of Williams Bay, a small village on Geneva Lake. It was stated that the horses wore special shoes (spiked I presume) and harness raced along a designated track on the frozen lake. Now, that would have been fun to watch.

Ice Boating on Geneva Lake back in the early
 20th Century.

Ice boating (ice yachting it’s sometimes called) involves something that resembles a sailboat but that’s where the similarities end. Buffeted by a good wind, an iceboat can hit very high speeds. Races are often held on Geneva Lake and other lakes around Wisconsin. Iceboating has been around for centuries, beginning in Europe when they were used to transport goods to places where railroads could not go. It became a sport in the U.S. in 1790 when Oliver Booth invented a boxy style of ice boat in New York state. By 1869, one of the largest ice boats was built to use to race a train locomotive that ran along the frozen Hudson River's shoreline. At that time the steering was done at the rear where a rudder is placed in a sailboat. A change to steering at the front occurred in the 1930s after a Williams Bay, WI man, Walter Beauvois, invented it. As noted above, Williams Bay is a small village on Geneva Lake. It’s no wonder that ice boating is such an important winter activity on the lake.

I remember when I was a child one of my dad’s friends who owned an iceboat offered to take me for a ride. My dad agreed although I think my mom was a nervous wreck. To this day I still remember that ride.

My Dad's Friend's Iceboat
Circa 1950s or 60s

Never had I gone so fast, skimming across the ice. He didn’t do any fancy tricks but that didn’t matter to me. I’m including a picture of the iceboat the man owned here because that could very well be the one I rode in. In the picture, he is causing the boat to “hike” which is what happens when you cause the boat to lift up and ride on only one side blade.

Ice fishing has been around any fishing lake that is frozen over for centuries. Every winter as soon as Geneva Bay froze over a small cluster of shanties began to appear and they would stay there until spring. The owners would drill a hole in the ice and they could sit in the shanty and be protected from the elements and fish to their heart’s

Example of Ice Fishing Shanty Town
(stock photo/Pixabay)

content. A running joke around town was that in winter the town of Lake Geneva had a “fourth ward.” Nowadays you still see some shanties out there, but many fishermen have gone to using a pop-up style of covering which they carry out each day and set up. Somehow, it’s just not the same.

Current Ice Boats on Geneva Lake
Courtesy of Neal Aspinall/Lake Geneva WI

Do you live, or have you lived, in a cold weather climate during winter? What are the winter activities where you are?

Resource: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow: A Pictorial History of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Curtis Media, Inc. 1994 (photos not referenced above)

Pamela has written most of her life, beginning with her first diary at age eight. Her novels include Thyme For Love, Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Second Chance Love. Future novels include Shelter Bay, Book 2 in her Newport of the West series set in her hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Whatever is True, a contemporary romance. She lives in northeastern Illinois with her two rescue cats.

Steamboats of Geneva Lake -- Not Just for Pleasure

I'm currently in the midst of book deadlines and preparing for a slide presentation at the library in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, my hometown and the setting for several of my books. This month I'm reposting a post I wrote back in May 2015, about the steamboats the plied the waters of Geneva Lake back in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. I speak of these yachts in my presentation and I think it's worth repeating the post here.

#

With it’s proximity to Chicago, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin has always been a magnet to Chicagoans as a close-in getaway. As far back as the 1860s, wealthy Chicago businessmen were traveling north over the state line to spring-fed Geneva Lake where they could hunt and fish and get away from the stress of business for a few days. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire caused many of these men to purchase virgin forestland along the lakeshore and build magnificent homes for their families. The families used these homes while the city of Chicago was being rebuilt, and when they were finally able to return to the city, they kept the homes as their summer “cottages." The families lived at the lake throughout the hot summer, and the dads commuted by train from downtown Chicago to the lake for the weekend. 

A depiction of people coming from the train depot in Williams Bay (off-screen to the left) and walking to their boats

Back then, very few roads to the lakeshore estates were built, and having a boat to access the property was a necessity. During the week, the boats were used to take family and servants into town for supplies and other errands. Then on Friday afternoons, the yachts would travel to Williams Bay, a small village near the west end of the lake, where the train depot was conveniently located across the road from the lake, to meet the men.  

As time moved into the mid 20^th Century, some of these yachts were acquired by a local boat company and repurposed with gas engines as excursion boats to serve the many tourists with tours of the lakeshore to see the beautiful homes they otherwise would never see. 

This double-decker vessel, The Harvard, is one of a few steamers that were specially built as excursion boats. It was built in 1899, and plied the waters until 1931, when old age dictated it needed to come out of service. 

The original Walworth doing service as the mail boat.

The boat on the right once served a large mansion on the lake and later became the Walworth, better known as the "mail boat." Since the early 1900s, every summer a boat delivers the mail to lakeshore residents. This began when there were no roads, but the tradition continues today. Nowadays, a vessel called the Walworth II serves as the mail boat. Young men and women called mail jumpers leap from the slow-moving boat to each dock on the route, stuff mail in a mailbox affixed to a pier post, then leap back on the boat before it moves away from the dock. As a child growing up in Lake Geneva, it was exciting to take this boat trip, and many years later, I still find it so.

Photo by Pamela S. Meyers

To this day, several yachts from the late 19^th century are still available for chartered events on the lake. This is the Polaris, that was once owned by Otto Young who built the large estate known now as Stone Manor. This vessel is lovingly cared for and preserved. It received a "makeover" in 2014 and is still in service today. Sometimes I like to look at it and imagine the days of old when ladies in their bustled dresses and men in coat and tie used it to travel to and from the train or maybe just to take a pleasure ride. Oh, the stories this boat could tell. (the paddle wheel vessel behind the Polaris is the Lady of the Lake, inspired by another paddle wheel by the same name that used to sail Geneva Lake.)

If you are in the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin area, check out the excursion boat rides that are in operation from April to the end of October (and sometimes even later if weather permits) at Lake Geneva Cruise Line.

Credits:

Postcards from Author’s Collection

Photo of Smyth home: Lake Geneva, Newport of the West, Volume 1, Ann Wolfmeyer and Mary Burns Gage, 1976, Lake Geneva Historical Society

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago with her two rescue cats. Her novels include Surprised by Love in Lake Geneva and Safe Refuge, both historicals set in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. When she isn’t at her laptop writing her latest novel, she can often be found nosing around Wisconsin and other midwestern spots for new story ideas.