With the goals of making residents more aware of their city’s rich history and even attracting tourists to town, the grassroots Janesville Matters group has finally brought its long-awaited “history walk” to town.
The history walk’s grand unveiling took place on a picturesque July evening, in front of a robust crowd at Veterans Memorial Park which had come out to enjoy live music and a hamburger bar at the monthly Songs in the Park free summer concert series.
After years of hard work, a total of 34 carefully chosen historical photos have been wrapped around 10 utility boxes across Janesville. Scanning a QR code posted on each utility box opens an online tour guide, with paper brochures also available at City Hall and Janesville businesses.
The history walk’s recommended route covers the 10 utility boxes over 2.4 miles, though alternative paths can easily be taken. With a particular focus on the first half of the 20th century, the photos provide a snapshot of Janesville’s heritage through a wide variety of perspectives.
As the oldest of Waseca County’s surviving communities, Janesville has a particularly rich history. Its origins date back pre-statehood to the mid-1850s, though the town site was moved about a half mile west in 1869 to accommodate the Winona and St Peter Railroad’s route.
Janesville Matters’s Arlene Pooley conceded that the four year project took quite a bit longer than originally anticipated, due both to the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic in general and the tragic, abrupt passing of Janesville Matters Co-President Deanna Summers in 2021.
It was Summers who first brought the idea to Janesville Matters, inspired by a visit to another community with a similar program. In particular, Summers envisioned the walk providing a remarkable local history lesson for Elementary School-aged children.
Summers believed that the idea could work well in Janesville and the committee agreed, but bringing the vision to fruition required a lot of hard work. Researching and selecting a range of historical photos which would look decent when blown up relatively large was not easy.
A staunch supporter of Janesville Matters’s efforts to beautify the city, Consolidated Communications helped to make the history walk possible with funding. The nonprofit also aggressively pursued grants and other fundraising opportunities.
Niemczyk said that even before the history walk formally opened, interest from many citizens was piqued as they spotted photos sprouting up on utility boxes around town, from historical photos of Saint Anne Catholic Church to the original Janesville School.
The quirkiest of the photos highlighted is without question the infamous “doll in a window,” which greeted drivers on Highway 14 for many years. Peering down from an attic window at drivers below, the doll became a tourist destination and the subject of many local legends and tales.
When homeowner Ward Wendt passed away in 2012, the doll finally came down from its perch. For a time, Pooley said it was moved to the Janesville Library, but it spooked out too many of the kids and now resides with friends of the original owner.
As quirky of an idea as it was, Pooley said that Wendt put up the doll to help draw attention to Janesville. Now, the Janesville Matters committee hopes that the History Walk will also draw attention to Janesville, drawing people into a community they love.
“We love our community and we feel that it is a wonderful place to raise your children,” Niemczyk said. “People are just so wonderful here.”
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