click zoom to display a high-res image
Property Location
Property Features
Of the many garrisons the army built in the Old Northwest after the War of 1812, Fort Crawford ranked among the most strategic, for it guarded the western end of the Fox-Wisconsin river passage, the vital link between the Upper Mississippi and the Great Lakes. Originally the fort occupied a flood-prone site, so it was replaced in 1829-1835. A hospital, built around 1835, stood just outside the walls of the new stockade. The complex was mothballed in 1856, reoccupied during the Civil War, then permanently abandoned in 1865.
By the early twentieth century, when the Daughters of the American Revolution bought the site, only the hospital’s foundation and north wall remained. The Works Progress Administration collaborated with the DAR in 1934 to reconstruct the hospital. One of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Depression-era employment programs, the WPA hired workers for various construction tasks including the rehabilitation and reconstruction of historic buildings. Unfortunately, many of the buildings the agency supposedly preserved resembled the originals more in spirit than in fact. The Second Fort Crawford Military Hospital looks only faintly like its predecessor, and the long side of its L shape runs parallel to the river, rather than perpendicular as the original’s did.
Nonetheless, the reconstruction conveys the hospital’s general appearance, one common for frontier army forts. A low-pitched hipped roof shelters the native stone walls, and a colonnaded porch runs underneath the wide-overhanging eaves, fronting the long side of the L. Simple architraves frame the doors and six-over-six windows. Today, the State Medical Society uses the building for a medical history museum.
DR. WILLIAM BEAUMONT BEGAN HIS RESEARCH INTO THE HUMAN DIGESTIVE TRACT HERE, IN THE OLD HOSPITAL. HIS WORK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1833. HE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED W/THE NEW BUILDING. NHL.
Built by the WPA on the site of the original hospital using the foundation and the north wall of the original c1835 building.
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.
Questions?
Wondering about if your property is eligible or notice some information on this property needs to be updated, reach out today!
Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
2640 S WEBSTER AVE (HERITAGE HILL STATE PARK)
1781
Located in Allouez, Brown County
Fort Crawford Historic Marker
Fort Crawford Museum, 717 S. Beaumont Rd., Prairie du Chien
Observations at Fort Crawford hospital by Dr. Beaumont led medical science in providing greater relief to mankind
Feb 22, 1935
Prairie du Chien Courier
Rice Street and South Beaumont Rd.
66000121
Located in Prairie du Chien, Crawford County
