The Hanchett-Bartlett Homestead
The Hanchett-Bartlett Homestead, an 1857 Victorian farmstead, is located at 2149 St. Lawrence Ave. in Beloit. The historic site features the home of James Hanchett, a pioneer contractor and builder of dams, who came to Beloit in 1840. He built dams in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, including the first dam across the Rock River at Beloit in 1844.
In 1857 he erected a home of locally quarried limestone for his wife and ten children. The house, a transitional Greek revival-Italianate style, today is restored in its period colors and contains furnishings of 1850-1885. The original stone barn and smokehouse, a restored rural schoolhouse and a picnic area are also located on the grounds.
The Herrick Bartlett family acquired the property in 1901. Of their nine children three daughters, Mary, Edith and Etta, became doctors. In 1962 the Bartlett sisters deeded their home to the Beloit Historical Society, and in 1977 the Hanchett-Bartlett Homestead was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
