LIVING HERE
During the summer months, Lake Geneva is an awesome place to go boating, swimming, eating, drinking, and exploring which brings visitors from near and far.
Did you know it’s pretty haunted too?
The Maxwell Mansion is hauntingly beautiful but also has a dark side. Built in 1855, the Maxwell Mansion was the first mansion built in Lake Geneva by Dr. Philip Maxwell, who was well-known for indulging in alcohol and galloping down the middle of the streets and yelling. In the Grant Suite, there have been reports of objects moving and the feeling of being tapped on the shoulder. The theory is that there is the ghost of a little boy upstairs named Danny, who supposedly died of scarlet fever. There are also reports of noises in the attic and footsteps in the hallway when empty.
The Baker House is one of the oldest homes on the lake and the last one of its kind in the city limits of Lake Geneva. The family home was eventually sold to be used as part of a sanatorium complex. The complex consisted of three buildings. One was known at the time as Redwood Cottage and Oakwood. It is now known as the Baker House restaurant. After Oakwood closed during the Depression, it went into disrepair and sat empty for many years. Over those years it suffered two fires, and its worn condition only added to its reputation among local children that the building was haunted.
Today it is said that the Baker House has spirits other than those poured in a glass. These mansions and more have fascinating stories to share, and many of them are spooky. On the American Ghost Walk tour in downtown Lake Geneva, you can learn more about Lake Geneva’s haunted past. Tours are a 90-minute walking tour and run every weekend. Tickets can be purchased at americanghostwalks.com.
Dungeons & Dragons turns 50 years old.
Since it was first created in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons has become an international phenomenon. It was the first role-playing game with major commercial success, but few know it all began right here in Wisconsin. It started with a guy named Gary Gygax and his friend at the time, Dave Arneson. The game combined Gygax’s original game Chainmail, with a campaign setting for the game, created by Arneson. They played their first game in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which later became home to the company that first published Dungeons & Dragons, TSR (Tactical Studies Rules).
In 1977, the game was split into two branches: the relatively rules-light game system of basic Dungeons & Dragons, and the more structured, rules-heavy game system of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as AD&D). The 5th edition of D&D, the most recent, was released during the second half of 2014. In its heyday, the company employed more than 400 people in a town of around 5,000 people. This is a huge part of Lake Geneva’s history. Despite this major footprint and prominent beginnings, the City of Lake Geneva hasn’t publicly recognized this history until recent years. There’s a group called the Gygax Memorial Fund and they’ve slowly been getting recognition in the city after much persistence on their part. They’re building a memorial statue of Gary Gygax in the park near the library and it’s going to feature him sitting at a table with his hand outstretched and it’s what’s called a dice tower.
Players and fans will be able to play D & D with its creator. Lake Geneva has also started a Dragon Days Festival celebrating the spirit of role-playing games and their founding father Gary Gygax.
