Solomon Juneau (1793-1856) was a fur trader, office holder, and businessman, who was closely identified with every step in the development of pioneer Milwaukee. During the period 1818 through 1835, the only trade of Milwaukee was that carried on was by Juneau with the native tribes. In the mid-1830s he claimed, purchased and platted the East Side of the future city with partner Martin L. Morgan. Juneau subsequently had a thriving business selling both goods and lots and served as a government servant in various offices, including as the first Mayor of Milwaukee after the city was incorporated in 1846.

Juneau also served as the founder of the town of Theresa, in Dodge County, Wisconsin, where he opened a satellite trading post in the early 1830s. He purchased large acreage in the area in the 1840s, and built a dam to operate his saw and grist mill, which spurred settlement. Juneau built this house in 1847 and platted the Village of Theresa the following year. He also operated a store in the town after relocating his family there from Milwaukee in 1852. The house in Theresa is the only one of Juneau’s four houses in Wisconsin that remains.

The Juneau House is among the best preserved examples of a modest Greek Revival style wood frame house dating from the 1840s in Dodge County and exhibits many hallmarks of this style. These include rectilinear massing with side gable roof and cornice returns on the gable walls; regular fenestration with six-over-six wood-sash windows; a wide, two-part frieze band and an unadorned projecting wood cornice that wrap around the house; and original frieze band windows.

The Juneau House was moved about 200 feet westward to its present location in 1932 in order to save it from demolition and a small one-story south wing was razed prior to that date. However, the house has very good overall integrity, retaining its original massing, roofline, porch, one wall of original wood clapboard sheathing, and many of its original windows. The interior largely retains its original plan and features original wood floor planking, plaster walls and ceilings, a cast iron stove used by the Juneau family, and hand-carved wood spindles around the attic stair opening.

The Solomon Juneau House is currently the home of the Theresa Historical Society.