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Property Location
Property Features
This two-story vernacular building was built c.1870. It is clad in painted brick and rests on a fieldstone foundation. The
hip roof is covered in asphalt shingles and features brick corbels beneath a brick cornice. A modern shed roof portico
shelters the main entrance centered on the front (north) facade. Paired windows that flank the entrance door have been
enclosed and replaced with modern fixed windows with casements. A second-story entrance door on the front facade has
been enclosed with brick; only the segmented arch brick header and stone sill remain in place. Windows on the first-story
side (east) elevation have been downsized and replaced with one-over-one, double-hung sash, but still feature the
segmented brick arch brick headers. Windows on the remainder of the building are a combination of the original six-oversix,
double-hung and two-over-six, double-hung sash with segmented arch headers and stone sills.
The building, originally known as the Adams House, functioned as a hotel and tavern with living quarters on the first floor
and a dance hall on the second floor. The building currently operates as Tall Tale Saloon on the first floor. The first
floor interior has been significantly altered by the addition of a drop ceiling and linoleum flooring, and the removal of
original woodwork. Access to the dance hall was not permitted at the time of survey and is currently used as storage.
The Adams House was not the first tavern constructed in Campbellsport,
the earliest of which was built in 1856. Many businesses were established in Campbellsport in the 1870s in response to
the construction of the railroad, and the community had several hotels and saloons by 1880. Research did not indicate
that Adams House played a significant role in the commercial development of Campbellsport. The property is not eligible
under Criterion A: History. The lower story continues to function as a bar, but has been heavily altered and does not
convey its historic use as a nineteenth-century tavern. The property is an example of a vernacular form with little
architectural detail. Although the upper story retains a decorative cornice and arched windows, the lower story has been
altered with downsized window and door openings, a replacement portico, and the addition of large picture windows on
the front facade.
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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