• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Temperance house might get reprieve

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

A condemnation order has been issued for the former Israel Stowell Temperance House, 67 E. Walworth St., Delavan. The deteriorated building is believed to be the oldest in the city and likely the only temperance hotel remaining in the state.

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

A crumbling foundation is just one of the reasons that a condemnation order has been issued for the former Israel Stowell Temperance House, 67 E. Walworth St., Delavan. The deteriorated building is believed to be the oldest in the city and likely the only temperance hotel remaining in the state.

Photo

Photo by Bill Olmsted

A missing piece of siding has exposed the framing of the former Israel StowellTemperance House, 67 E. Walworth St., Delavan. The deteriorated building is believed to be the oldest in the city and likely the only temperance hotel remaining in the state. The building is slated for demolition later this year.

DELAVAN — Temperance didn’t last in the city of Delavan.

But a hotel built in the spirit of the Temperance movement might last to tell the tale.

On Sunday, the Delavan Historical Society agreed to accept the donation of the Israel Stowell Temperance House from building owner Edward Chesko.

The brown clapboard building, located on the north side of Walworth Avenue near downtown Delavan, is slated for demolition July 1.

But if things keep moving at the current pace, demolition won’t be necessary, said historical society President Patti Marsicano.

About 30 Delavan residents met over the weekend to form a historical society subcommittee to raise money to restore the building.

The first step will be removing books Chesko has been storing in the building. A buyer will be looking at the collection—approximately 30,000 books—at the end of the month, Marsicano said.

Marsicano said workers soon will repair and paint the outside of the building and mow the grass.

Samuel and Henry Phoenix in 1840 contracted with Israel Stowell to build the 34-by-27-foot, two-story building, according to Chesko’s research. It served as a hotel and social hub for the Temperance movement upon which Delavan was founded, Marsicano said.

Young Delavan was founded as a Temperance colony, Marsicano said.

The Temperance movement advocated against the sale and consumption of alcohol and led to the prohibition of alcohol sales in America. Temperance advocates also opposed slavery, Marsicano said.

The Temperance movement still is alive today. Claire Josten of East Troy is the president of the Wisconsin Womens Christian Temperance Union. She was one participant in the weekend meeting to talk about the future of the Temperance House.

The modern-day group advocates abstinence from alcohol, tobacco and drugs as a way to protect homes, individuals and society, Josten said. The group also advocates Christian virtues, she said.

Jim Draeger, deputy state historic preservation officer with the Wisconsin Historical Society, has said the building is the only known Temperance house remaining in the state.

Marsicano said the building could be a tool to teach people about Delavan’s history. It is a symbol of Delavan’s foundation, she said.

“It’s the only example you have left other than what’s in writing.”