According to a press release from the Wisconsin Historical Society, two additions will be made to Wisconsin’s official list of State Historical Markers this month, part of a 3-year initiative that aims to elevate underrepresented histories throughout the state.
The Wisconsin Historical Society was awarded a $75,190 grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation in 2021 with funding to support the creation and installation of new markers as well as the replacement of markers containing inaccurate or outdated language. Focused on Native American and Black history, respectively, the two markers will be located in Wisconsin State Fair Park in Milwaukee County and Lake Ivanhoe in Walworth County.
The Lake Ivanhoe marker focuses on a place considered to be Wisconsin’s first Black-owned resort community, located six miles east of Lake Geneva in Walworth County. Three Black community leaders from Chicago; Jeremiah Brumfeld, Frank Anglin, and Bradford Watson, founded it as a resort destination and safe haven for middle-class African Americans in 1926. The resort was an immediate success, and Black families enjoyed the lake and the outdoors in safety. The Lake Ivanhoe Property Owners Association was instrumental in bringing the story of Lake Ivanhoe forward and played a leading role in the historic marker initiative.
The Lake Ivanhoe marker will be dedicated on Saturday, October 15 in a ceremony hosted by the Lake Ivanhoe Property Owners Association.
For more information about the Wisconsin Historical Markers Program, visit https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS48.
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