Blackhawk Avenue Historic District Listed in the State Register of Historic Places

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. - The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Blackhawk Avenue Historic District in the city of Prairie du Chien (Crawford County) on the State Register of Historic Places. The Blackhawk Avenue district stretches three-and-a-half blocks east from Main Street. Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Amy Wyatt presented a certificate to Traci Schnell.

The district reflects the history of downtown commercial development in Prairie du Chien between circa 1847 and 1970, when the district was fully developed. Although Prairie du Chien historically included three distinct commercial areas, the Blackhawk Avenue Historic District is the city’s only remaining historic-era, commercial/retail area.

The historic district features largely uninterrupted blocks of mid-to-late-19th to mid-20th century masonry-constructed commercial and governmental buildings. Blackhawk Avenue has vernacular commercial structures as well as several higher style examples that were popular during more than a century of development. Architectural styles represented include Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Twentieth Century Commercial, and Modern examples.

Learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. The Wisconsin Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, receives grants and private contributions benefitting the Wisconsin Historical Society and administers the membership program. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.