Discover the Captivating History of Port Washington

1. Pebble House/Visitor Center
The Pebble House highlights a remarkable building tradition introduced to Wisconsin by craftsmen from upstate New York in the mid-1800s. Using rubble walls as a base, they carefully covered them with smooth, egg-sized pebbles gathered along the shores of Lake Michigan. The stones were arranged in an intentional pattern: two rows of dark basalt, followed by a row of pink-gray granite, and finished with a row of buff, pink, and white flint and quartzite. The result is a playful, multicolored exterior that contrasts beautifully with the formal Greek Revival design. Originally known as the Dodge House, this structure has an eventful past—first built on Wisconsin Street, it has been moved twice before finding its current role as the Visitor Center.

2. Judge Eghart House
The Judge Eghart House, a stunning example of Victorian architecture, offers a window into late 19th-century life. Built in 1872 for Byron and Clara Teed, the home was purchased just nine years later by Judge Leopold Eghart, a prominent figure in Port Washington's history. He and his wife, Anna, raised six children in the house, filling it with decades of family history. Today, visitors can explore the meticulously preserved rooms, which are full of period furnishings and artifacts, providing an authentic look at domestic life from a bygone era.

3. Historic Downtown Franklin Street
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Port Washington’s downtown features many historic buildings, many of which pre-date the Civil War. In fact, Port Washington has more pre-Civil War buildings than any other city in Wisconsin. Watch for the numbered copper insets in the sidewalk on Franklin Street to denote a historical building.

4. Ozaukee County Courthouse
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the courthouse gained notoriety during the Civil War when it became the site of the 1862 Port Washington Draft Riot. By the 1890s, the courthouse had deteriorated, sparking both the need for a new building and a heated battle over whether the county seat should remain in Port Washington or move to Cedarburg. After months of debate, Port Washington prevailed, and a new courthouse was built on the original site in 1900. A time capsule is hidden inside the cornerstone.

5. Old Firehouse
Built in 1928, this Mediterranean Revival–style Fire Engine House replaced the city’s earlier wooden station. Designed by Milwaukee architect John Topzant, it features brick walls, a red tile roof, and a distinctive hose-drying tower styled like a campanile. The building served Port Washington’s fire department until 1975, later becoming a senior center. Today, it stands as one of the city’s rare pre–World War II municipal buildings and a striking example of Mediterranean Revival architecture.

1. Historic Downtown Franklin Street
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Port Washington’s downtown features many historic buildings, many of which pre-date the Civil War. In fact, Port Washington has more pre-Civil War buildings than any other city in Wisconsin. Watch for the numbered copper insets in the sidewalk on Franklin Street to denote a historical building.

2. Smith Brothers Fish Net House
Built between 1922 and 1938, the Smith Brothers Fish Net House served as a vital hub for their commercial fishing enterprise, used for both storing nets and as a workshop. This building is now the sole survivor of Port Washington's commercial fishing history, standing as the last intact historic structure from the once-thriving Smith Brothers' operations. Its two adjacent buildings have long since been torn down.

3. Pebble House/Visitor Center
The Pebble House highlights a remarkable building tradition introduced to Wisconsin by craftsmen from upstate New York in the mid-1800s. Using rubble walls as a base, they carefully covered them with smooth, egg-sized pebbles gathered along the shores of Lake Michigan. The stones were arranged in an intentional pattern: two rows of dark basalt, followed by a row of pink-gray granite, and finished with a row of buff, pink, and white flint and quartzite. The result is a playful, multicolored exterior that contrasts beautifully with the formal Greek Revival design. Originally known as the Dodge House, this structure has an eventful past—first built on Wisconsin Street, it has been moved twice before finding its current role as the Visitor Center.

1. 1860 Light Station
The earliest building in Port Washington associated with the Federal Government is the Port Washington Light Station, a fine brick Greek Revival style building built in 1860 on the site of an earlier, privately owned light house, and located on the top of the north bluff where it looks out over Lake Michigan. A pierhead lighthouse was added to the harbor in 1889, and in 1903, the 1860 Lighthouse was discontinued.

2. Lighthouse
When the Port Washington Light Station was decommissioned in 1903, the pierhead light became the main navigational aid for the harbor. This new beacon had a rough start; in 1907, a schooner collided with it, damaging the gallery railing. During the Great Depression, Port Washington found a lifeline in 1931 when the federal government launched a large-scale harbor improvement plan. This massive undertaking involved building a new north breakwater, extending the shoreline, removing the old pier, and significantly deepening the harbor's channels and basins to accommodate larger ships. This project provided a vital source of work and income, offering a sense of hope to many families in the community.

1. Shipwrecks
The Port Washington Historical Society Resource Center's new exhibit "Port Washington's Shipwreck Coast" in partnership with NOAA/Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary features artifacts, stories, hands-on interactives, and videos from shipwrecks that were lost and then found by shipwreck explorers and marine archaeologists.

Immerse yourself in self-guided audio tour along the Lake Michigan lakefront as you stroll through parks, along the Harbor Walk, and past the downtown Marina. Port Washington has a storied shipwreck history and is now the southern gateway to the Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Access the audio tour from your phone for $8.99.

2. Shipwreck Map
Map of Wisconsin’s mid–Lake Michigan shoreline, outlining the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary's 962-square-mile area that protects 36 known shipwreck sites.

1. Smith Brothers
Built between 1922 and 1938, this Smith Brothers Fish Net House served as a vital hub for their commercial fishing enterprise, used for both storing nets and as a workshop. This building is now the sole survivor of Port Washington's commercial fishing history, standing as the last intact historic structure from the once-thriving Smith Brothers' operations. Its two adjacent buildings have long since been torn down.

1. Wisconsin Chair Company
The Wisconsin Chair Company, founded in 1889, was a cornerstone of Port Washington's economy. It became the area's largest employer and provided continuous work, even through the Great Depression. After surviving a major fire and the financial crisis of 1893, the company thrived for decades, playing a key role in the city's population growth. However, sales declined and it closed in 1959, with its large plant later being demolished.

2. Wisconsin Chair Company catalog
1892 Wisconsin Chair Company catalog

3. Paramount Records Creation
As the phonograph gained popularity, the Wisconsin Chair Company began manufacturing cabinets to house record players. To boost sales, the company realized it also needed records to accompany its machines. This led to their creation of Paramount Records in 1917 to supply music alongside the company’s phonograph cabinets. While its earliest releases featured light popular tunes, gospel, and jazz, Paramount soon became renowned for recording Blues and pioneering African American artists throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The label gave national exposure to Black musicians, carrying the sound of the Mississippi Delta to audiences across the country. In 1929, Paramount opened a recording studio in Grafton. But the economic strain of the Great Depression sharply reduced Americans’ disposable income, crippling record and phonograph sales and devastating the recording industry. By 1935, Paramount closed its Grafton studio. Despite its unlikely start within a chair company, Paramount Records is remembered as one of the most influential labels in American music history.