National Historic Landmark · house · Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

Michael Brisbois House

Historic house in Wisconsin. Built 1837. Added to the National Register in 1966, and a National Historic Landmark.

Brisbois House, Prairie du Chien ( Crawford County, Wisconsin)BrisboisHouse
Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 2 in the Commons category

What it is

The Brisbois House, also known as the Bernard Brisbois House, is a historic house located on St. Feriole Island in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Built circa 1840, the stone house is one of the oldest in Wisconsin. It was once thought to be built in 1808 by early settler and fur trader Michael Brisbois, but in the early 1920s, historians learned that it was built by his son after his death. The house is a National Historic Landmark and is now owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Register nameBrisbois, Michael, House
Property typeBuilding
AddressWater St., St. Feriole Island, Prairie du Chien, WI
CountyCrawford County
ListedOct 15, 1966
Listed forExploration and settlement, Architecture
Level of significanceNational
Reference number66000801
Built1837 · more from the 1830s
Type of placehouse
StyleFederal architecture
DesignationsNational Historic Landmark, listed in the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places
Contributing resources1 building

The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗

Visiting

AddressWater St., St. Feriole Island, Prairie du Chien, WI
Coordinates43.0543° N, 91.1599° W · Directions ↗
Also in Prairie du Chien18 listed places in Prairie du Chien →
Nearest national park unitEffigy Mounds National Monument · 3 miles · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearbyBlackhawk Park 28 miles · Grant River 36 miles
Listing on the Register does not open the door. Unless a museum or park runs it, treat this as private property and see it from the sidewalk.

Explore

Map

Local history books for Prairie du Chien

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Legendary Locals of Prairie du Chien
    Mary Elise Antoine, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Prairie du Chien
    Mary Elise Antoine, 2011
    Find at Bookshop.org

Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Wisconsin

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was Michael Brisbois House listed on the National Register?

Oct 15, 1966. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.

Source: National Park Service

When was Michael Brisbois House built?

1837, in the Federal architecture style.

Source: Wikidata

Where is Michael Brisbois House?

Water St., St. Feriole Island, Prairie du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin. The nearest national park unit is Effigy Mounds National Monument, 3 miles away.

Source: Effigy Mounds National Monument

Are there historic photographs or drawings of Michael Brisbois House?

Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.

Source: Library of Congress

Where is the nomination form for Michael Brisbois House?

The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.

Source: National Archives

Are there campgrounds near Michael Brisbois House?

Two federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Blackhawk Park, 28 miles away. Grant River is 36 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Is there cell service at Michael Brisbois House?

FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.

Source: FCC Broadband Map

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 66000801. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.