An 1849 cobblestone inn in East Troy, once the finest hotel in southeastern Wisconsin, whose vanished founders are said to linger; the National Register building was demolished in 2022.
2088 Church Street, East Troy, WI 53120
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
The historic three-story cobblestone building was demolished in May 2022. Only the site at the corner of Church and Main remains; there is nothing to tour.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved village sidewalks
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1849 · Largest known cobblestone building in Wisconsin · Greek Revival cobblestone architecture · National Register of Historic Places (1978) · Wisconsin State Register (1989) · Demolished May 2022
Samuel R. Bradley, a young mason who with his wife had run a hotel in Milwaukee, moved to East Troy and set out to build an inn of his own on the well-traveled trail between Milwaukee and Janesville. Working as his own architect, carpenter, and mason, Bradley gathered cobblestones from glacial drift along the shores of nearby Booth and Beulah lakes and laid up a three-and-a-half-story structure measuring roughly 40 by 60 feet, with a ballroom and a spring dance floor on the upper level. He completed it in 1849 and named it the Buena Vista House after a recent United States victory in the Mexican War. It was considered the finest inn in southeastern Wisconsin.
The building is the largest known cobblestone building in Wisconsin and, like most cobblestone buildings, is a vernacular interpretation of the Greek Revival style, with a broad cornice, granite and limestone quoins, and flat-arched limestone lintels. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and added to the Wisconsin State Register in 1989. It is documented by the East Troy Area Historical Society, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and SAH Archipedia, which also catalog it under the name Cobblestone Waystation.
The inn is tied to a genuine local mystery. After the business succeeded and the Bradleys paid off their mortgage, they left, giving the impression that they were going to England to visit relatives. They never returned, and were never heard from again. The East Troy Area Historical Society records the disappearance as an unsolved mystery and notes several theories, from selling the property quietly before leaving to dying abroad or starting over under an assumed name. The building sat vacant before passing through later owners; it operated for many years and in recent decades was used as a bar and restaurant known locally as the Cobblestone.
A persistent rumor holds that Abraham Lincoln once stayed at the inn, but the East Troy Area Historical Society has stated it has not been able to confirm any Lincoln visit, and the claim should be treated as unverified local legend rather than fact.
Despite a year-plus campaign by the East Troy Area Historical Society and others to save it, the cost of repair and maintenance proved too great, and the historic cobblestone building was demolished in May 2022.
Sources
The Cobblestone's ghost story is rooted in its real and unsolved history: the disappearance of founders Samuel R. Bradley and his wife, who left after paying off their mortgage and were never heard from again. According to both regional ghost-tourism sources and local news coverage, the inn's later bar and restaurant were said to be haunted by the missing couple, with people reporting footsteps and voices, shadows moving through rooms, and objects that shifted on their own.
According to the Southern Lakes Newspapers regional outlet (MyWalworthCounty.com, October 2016), the Cobblestone Inn was a featured stop on the East Troy Area Historical Society's 'Spirits of East Troy Ghost Walk,' a biennial community event that has drawn hundreds of participants. The Historical Society — which records the founders' mysterious disappearance in its own archival materials — incorporated the inn's ghost lore into the walk as one of the village's most enduring mysteries.
With the building's May 2022 demolition, the site is no longer associated with active reports, and the lore now survives chiefly in local memory and compilation listings.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Visit the former site of the Cobblestone Inn at the corner of Church and Main in East Troy. The 1849 National Register cobblestone building was demolished in May 2022 after a multi-year effort to save it. Pair the stop with the East Troy Area Historical Society to learn about the building's history and the unsolved disappearance of its founders.
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