Here are some ideas to start your next exploration of Middleton’s rich history.

• The historic train depot, 1811 Parmenter Street, is a great place to start your journey through Middleton as it is now the Middleton Visitor Center, open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. The depot was built in 1895 and is actually the third depot for the city (the first two were lost to fires). Pick up free maps, brochures and the free Middleton Visitors Guide here.
• The Rowley House Museum, 7410 Hubbard Avenue, is home to the Middleton Area Historical Society and is a free museum open mid-April to mid-October, Tuesdays from 1-4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. This home was built in 1868 by Middleton Doctor Newman C. Rowley and stayed in the Rowley family for generations before being purchased for the historical society. See the home as it once was, including exhibits of Depression-era glassware, and Native American artifacts. The Rowley House has been on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1999. It’s also just a short walk from the Depot!
• Take a stroll or a drive on Middleton’s Landmark Tour or Middleton’s Historic Walking Tour! Download maps or pick them up at the Visitor Center!
• 1847 at The Stamm House, 6625 Century Avenue. The Stamm House was built in 1847 and has served the Middleton community as a service station on the “Old Sauk Trail,” which ran from Milwaukee to Minneapolis. By 1852 it was converted into a hotel and tavern and named “The Pheasant Branch Hotel.” Guests roomed upstairs and corralled their horses in the back. Today, it is a modern supper club with a beautiful outdoor patio.
• Opera House, 1827 Parmenter Street. Once home to a hotel, saloon and second floor opera house, this building now houses several charming shops.
• Weinberg-Schroeder Building, 1828 Parmenter Street. Now a modern Italian café, Villa Dolce, this building  was built in 1868 as a store and saloon briefly operated by Charles Weinberg.
• BONUS: Learn about the history of MUSTARD at the National Mustard Museum in downtown Middleton. This free museum is quirky and delightful and the gift shop is the perfect place to find a unique souvenir.

For more information about Middleton’s history, click here.

Villa Dolce – Now a modern Italian café, the Weinberg-Schroeder Building, at 1828 Parmenter Street, was built in 1868 as a store and saloon briefly operated by Charles Weinberg.  He was one of several German-born Jewish merchants who did business in early Middleton. The original false front boomtown appearance of the building is documented in an 1872 photograph taken by Andreas Dahl.  Later remodeling for a residential addition produced the current more Queen Anne style appearance.  In 1869, John Green purchased the business.  After retiring from politics around 1879, State Senator Romanzo E. Davis operated a general store at this location until 1887.  In 1888, Salome Schroeder, a Civil War widow, became the Middleton postmaster, and she established her office and a confectionery store in the building.  The post office appointment continued in the Schroeder family for 31 years with Mrs Schroeder’s daughter Emma DuFrenne serving as postmaster until 1919.  In 1924, Burmester & Kruse opened their mercantile business in the building. Thanks to support from Erna Kruse, the Women’s Club started the Middleton public library at this location in 1926.  The building was also the first telephone exchange of the Farmers Union Telephone Company.

• Marilyn’s Salon & Chauette – Now a salon and fashion and home boutique, the historic Opera House, 1827-1833 Parmenter Street, was built in 1903. The original Opera House, built by Fritz Hoffman in 1885, was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1900.  John Albrecht built the structure we see today in 1903 asthe Elks Hotel, which was designed by Madison architects Rawson & Paunack. Despite its formal name, the new building, like its predecessor, was familiarly known as the Opera House because of the large hall and stage on the second floor. Under a succession of owners, the Opera House hosted many community events such as dances, political rallies and high school graduations. The first floor contained bars, a drug store and a soda fountain.  More recent owners have converted the building into apartments and retail space.

• 1847 at the Stamm House – Now a beautifully remodeled gourmet restaurant, the Stamm House, 6625 Century Avenue, was built in 1847 by Milo K. Cody and Horace A. Winston. The building was enlarged with limestone by John A Roloff in 1858.  The Stamm House is the oldest hotel in Dane County.  During its early history, the hotel and tavern served travelers on what was then the main route from Madison to Minneapolis.  Under later owners, it was a post office, dance hall and restaurant.  During the 1920s, the building was dubbed the Stamm House from the German “stammtisch,” or gathering table.  Another local legend contends that the Stamm House was a speakeasy during Prohibition.  In 2013, the Stamm House was extensively remodeled and the original stone exterior restored.

• Recently closed, The Club Tavern, once a bar in Middleton, is located at 1915 Branch Street and was built between 1860 and 1880 as the boarding house and stables for the Stamm House. The Club Tavern, itself, opened its doors in 1921, even remaining open during Prohibition.

• The Regal Find – Now home to a unique gift shop, the Du Frenne Building, 1834 Parmenter Street, was built as a general store. When the Dufrenne family built this brick mercantile store in 1898, the family already had a long history in Middleton business.  Their story began in 1869 at the corner of Hubbard and Parmenter Streets when Frederick F. Dufrenne, Sr., a German-born Civil War veteran, established partnerships first with Samuel Thuringer and subsequently with David Lyle.  Dry goods and hardware were sold on the first floor of the new DuFrenne building while the second floor provided offices for Charles F. Allen, a physician, and Erwin Schuster, a dentist.  The Dufrennes eventually moved to Madison. Under subsequent owners, the building served many commercial purposes.  it was a grocery store, furniture store, hardware store, funeral home, printing shop, bakery and now a gift shop.

• American Hotel, otherwise known as the Free House Pub, at 1904 Parmenter Street, was built in 1867-1870 with a later addition to the rear, the American Hotel was first operated by John Colton, then by Gerhard Aussem, and from about 1884 to 1950, by several generations of the Stricker family.  Over the years, the establishment earned a renowned reputation for its inexpensive chicken dinners. Local tradition also holds that the hotel served alcohol when other establishments were “dry.”  After closing as a hotel, the building became the office of Dr. Marvin F. Stricker.  This brick Gabled-Ell building has been an art gallery and is currently a restaurant.

*All photos are used with the permission of the Middleton Historical Society

The depot is also a historic landmark built in 1895. It served as an active passenger station until 1960 and a freight depot until 1975. The building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, is beautifully refurbished and home to the Middleton Visitor Center and Visit Middleton offices, as well as a small curation of historic depot and train photographs and artifacts, provided by the Middleton Area Historical Society.

Can’t get enough history? Check out the Middleton Historical Museum, just a short walk from the depot. 

The Middleton Visitor Center is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Wednesday and Friday. Closed Thursdays, weekends and city-observed holidays. If in the area on the weekend and in need of Middleton materials, just stop by the National Mustard Museum (four doors down)!

Visit the Rowley House Museum’s website for the most current hours of operation or to book a tour.

2023 Hours: mid-April to mid-October

Tuesday from 1-4 p.m.
Saturdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The history

In 1868, Middleton Doctor Newman C. Rowley built the home for $800 using 30,000 yellow bricks from a Milwaukee brickyard. The house was built in a style common then in rural Wisconsin, a 19th-century form known as a Gabled Ell. Four generations of Rowleys lived in the home before the Middleton Area Historical Society took ownership in 1989.

Visit the Rowley House Museum’s website for the most current hours of operation or to book a tour.  The Rowley House is a Middleton Landmark and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

The collection

Each room of the home houses a different mix of historical treasures. On the main floor, visitors will find one of the Midwest’s largest displays of Depression-era glass. Other items to discover include:

• Native American artifacts
• A vintage kitchen
• Medical equipment from the 1800s
• Turn-of-the century cooking implements and appliances
• Old-fashioned toys and school materials
• Uniforms and other military items from war veterans from the city
• Photographs and manuscripts of early Middleton
• Histories of area churches, schools and businesses
• Farm implements and an antique buggy

Take a tour to learn more about the history of Middleton

Middleton Landmark Tour

See Middleton’s rich history come to life on the Landmarks Tour. Visit 21 stops around the Middleton for a glimpse into the past of the Good Neighbor City. Download Landmarks Tour below or pick up at the visitor center.

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Downtown Stroll & Tell

Explore downtown Middleton’s rich past through the Middleton Area Historical Society’s free guided Historic Downtown Middleton Stroll & Tell. Tours start and end at the Rowley House and are an hour and 45 minutes.

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Historic Walking Tours

The Historic Walking Tour takes you on a stroll through Middleton’s past and right by these locations. See the list and map below, or view, download and print the full map and descriptions by clicking here.

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Learn the history

A historic self-guided walking tour passes through the heart of the downtown shopping district. As you stroll between stores, take in the community’s fascinating past. Find historical sites here.

Find easy parking

You’ll have no problem finding a convenient parking space in downtown Middleton. Street parking is available and parking lots can be found in the heart of downtown on Hubbard Avenue, Terrace Avenue and Elmwood Avenue Learn more.

Catch seasonal events

From Wine Walks to parades and holiday festivities, there’s always something to look forward to in downtown Middleton. See an events calendar here.

Stay satisfied

Middleton’s downtown restaurants have cuisines to satisfy any shopper. Explore your options with this interactive map.

• Before you start your trip into the past, explore this interactive map of historic sites and the printable Visit Middleton Walking Tour Map.
• Take a stroll past the Palmer House, 6707 Century Ave. This private home was built in 1858 and is one of the oldest continuously occupied houses in the Middleton area.
• Enjoy a meal at 1847 at The Stamm House, 6625 Century Ave. This building, which dates to 1847, held Middleton’s first inn.
• Go shopping in the Opera House, 1827 Parmenter St. Once home to a hotel, saloon and second floor opera house, this building now houses several charming stores.
• Get visitor information at the Middleton Visitor Center located in the historic depot. Built in 1895, this historic building serves as a visitor center and home of Visit Middleton’s offices. There is also a curated collection of historic artifacts, provided by the Middleton Area Historical Society – which is housed in the Rowley House Museum.

Here are some historical highlights worth seeking out:

1847 at the Stamm House

This historic 1847 inn houses a recently reinvented restaurant. Some say the building was a stop on the Underground Railroad. That has not been officially documented, but one thing is certain; this beautiful building is worth a visit.

Opera House

This 1855 structure once included a hotel, saloon and second floor opera house, which hosted medicine shows, masquerades, holiday dances, political raffles and graduations. Today it’s home to an assortment of commercial businesses.

the Depot

Built in 1856, this depot was an active passenger station until 1960 and a freight depot until 1975. Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it serves as a visitor welcome center and home of the Middleton Tourism Commission. Stop in, say hello and pick up some information about Middleton.