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Families of Irish descent left their mark in area

A photo gallery of this Mystery Place is HERE

At one time S.B. Chapin owned a farm located on Wisconsin Highway 50 west of Woods School. Sources indicate that Chapin owned six farms in the county, extending west from Lake Geneva from Geneva Lake’s north shore to Lake Como’s south shore. Two farms were west of Woods School. Each farm had its own specialty.

Chapin founded the S. B. Chapin Co. in 1891. In 1941, the New York office merged with Hutton & Co. and the Chicago office with Clement Curtis & Co. In 1908, the Chapin family moved to New York but continued to return to Lake Geneva for the summers. Their home on the lake was Flowerside Farm. Chapin helped found the Lake Geneva Water Safety Patrol.

The 1857 plat book lists T. Barne as owner of part of the property. It appears there were a number of smaller, unnamed plats. T. Hannifan is the listed owner in 1873 and again in 1891. In 1907, the owner was Martin Nohelty.

S.B. Chapin is shown as the owner in 1930. The plat books from 1966 until 1982 show the owners of this property as James Phillip and William Bell. The 2010 plat book lists the owner as Mathew and Margaret Walsh Trust.

The name, Irish Woods, seen on the gate, indicates the original names for this area. Many families of Irish descent lived in homes surrounding this area. Many of them worked in the lakeside mansions.