Step into the Lives of a
Wisconsin Dynasty
When you walk through the doors of Villa Louis, you step into the life of one of Wisconsin’s most historic families – The Dousmans. Located on the beautiful banks of the mighty Mississippi River, this National Historic Landmark offers a panorama of Wisconsin history, from the advent of the first fur traders, to the War of 1812, through the splendor of the Victorian era.
The National Historic Landmark home of the H. Louis Dousman family.
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Villa Louis’s picturesque settings for an elegant Wisconsin wedding or a unique private event offer plentiful opportunities for a historic event. Make your day historic and create a story that will be remembered for generations.
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Villa Louis Historic Site
Villa Louis is a Wisconsin State Historic Site. We are an immaculately restored Victorian house museum on the banks of the Upper Mississippi River.
Our Partners
Our 10:30am Behind the Scenes Tour has sold out so we have opened up another Behind the Scenes tour at 2:30pm for this Saturday, October 11. Make plans to join us this weekend in beautiful, Prairie du Chien. ... See MoreSee Less
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Are you interested in learning more about the history of Prairie du Chien? While the Prairie du Chien of today is long removed from its 19th century roots, mementos and artifacts lie like clues for budding historians and curious visitors alike—from historic buildings and landmarks to the captivating stories of those who helped shape the city, there’s no shortage of history to uncover and tales to discover. Join us on Friday, September 12th to learn about the ancestral Ho-Chunk Nation land that the city was founded on, see the homes of fur traders Michel Brisbois and Joseph Rolette, visit the site of Wisconsin’s only War of 1812 battlefield to discover the story of conflict between British and American forces that transpired here in 1814, and uncover the history of Fort Crawford, which housed enslaved men and women who were brought to the encampment by 1800s military officers.
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Preservation in Progress: The exterior project mobilized on August 4th!
Big changes are happening on the outside of Villa Louis. As of this month, the long-anticipated exterior preservation project has officially mobilized, marking the start of a major effort to restore and protect the historic mansion. This state-funded capital project will address structural and aesthetic improvements to the roof, chimneys, windows, decorative woodwork and veranda. The work ensures the long-term preservation of Villa Louis while enhancing the experience for future generations of visitors.
The restoration won’t just be visible—it will become part of the story. Visitors may see craftspeople in action and are encouraged to ask questions. Next spring, we plan to offer a Behind-the-Scenes Restoration Tour for an even closer look at the work being done to preserve this treasured site.
Thank you to the team at KONTEXT architects LLC, especially to Kelly and Eva for the design work and for all of the time they will spend with us onsite over the next year. Thank you for the assistance from Wayne at Ramaker - Architecture + Engineering who has gotten to know our site so well on multiple projects. Thank you to our friend Tim at Vierbicher who is monitoring the work around the newly restored walkway. (Vierbicher was the lead on both phases of the walkway project.) History is repeating itself as we partner with Phill, Missy, Paige & Gavin of Rock Church Construction INC and Giese Roofing Company. Rock Church is the lead on this project just as they were in 2000, the last time we had any exterior work done on the Mansion with Giese as their roofing sub-contractor. ... See MoreSee Less
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Oh my goodness thank you. She was getting pretty rough and in need of this. Yaaay!!!!!
This is amazing! 🎉
please leave the ghosts alone!!!!
We have enjoyed working with all of the wonderful team at the Villa, and are excited to be a part of an amazing team of professionals on such beautiful and historic home ❤️
Lauren Young
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