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Ship Bremen
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Text on reverse reads: "Paul & Matilda Wegner Grotto. Ship Bremen 1930. Located on Highway 71, 1/4 mile west of Hwy. 27, 9 miles north of Sparta, WI. One of the first sculptures made of concrete and broken glass by German Immigrants Paul and Matilda Wegner. Purchased by Kohler Foundation in 1986, restored and donated to Monroe County. Tours or information: Monroe County Local History Room, 200 W, Main St., Sparta, WI 54656. 608 269-8680 • E-mail [email protected]." A concrete ship with a glass mosaic exterior, chain and anchor. It is surrounded by a lawn and trees.Information from the Wisconsin Historical Society Property Record. Site began in 1929 but continued to grow until 1942. There are approximately 35 pieces in the garden, ranging from structures 10 feet in height to decorative objects two feet tall. Though labeled "grotto," the subject matter is non-denominational, not religious for the most part -- including an American flag, a 12-foot ocean liner, and a Peace Monument. There's a concrete and glass version of the Wegner's 50th anniversary wedding cake. The house is gone, but the property was purchased by the Kohler Foundation in 1986, the sculptures restored, then donated to Monroe County in September of 1987.
1987
Outdoor Horizons, Dodgeville, Wisconsin
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W013Y1V
WHi 149191
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Little Glass Church
1987
Text on reverse reads: "Paul & Matilda Wegner Grotto. Little Glass Church ca 1930-1934. Located on Highway 71, 1/4 mile west of Hwy. 27, 9 miles north of Sparta, WI. Church was constructed of concr...
P.L. Wegner Summer Home
1929
Text on front reads: "P.L. Wegner Summer Home. S.T.H. 71. Sparta, Wisc." The Paul & Matilda Wegner Grotto aka The Glass Chapel, a concrete structure with a glass mosaic exterior. It is surrounded b...
Patriotism in Stone, and Grotto, Dickeyville, Wis.
1920
Photographic postcard view of the grounds of the Dickeyville Grotto. The sculpture, which was created by Father Matthias Wernerus in 1929-30, and honors Columbus, Washington and Lincoln. In the cen...
Grotto — Catholic Cemetery
circa 1910-1919
Hand-colored view of the grotto in the Catholic Cemetery. Caption reads: "Grotto — Catholic Cemetery, La Crosse, Wis."
The Grotto
March 8, 1923
Text on front reads: "The Grotto, near Chapel of the Woods, St. Francis, Wis." The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes was built in 1894 by German-born seminarian Paul Dobberstein. There is snow on the g...
