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live. laugh. explore!
Explore Our History |
| Beloit celebrates a rich history. Beloit College made Beloit home before Wisconsin became a state and is situated among Native American effigy mounds that date back to AD 700. Our New England heritage from the mid-1800's is preserved through our historic neighborhoods and living museums. Our City center features beautifully renovated structures which house specialty retail, food and living accommodations. Beloit's pride in our past provides a strong foundation as we create a vibrant future. |
Beloit College Campus700 College Street |
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Established in 1846 (two years before Wisconsin became a State), Beloit College is Wisconsin's oldest college in continuous service. A walking tour of the 40-acre wooded, New England style campus reveals 28 buildings of diverse architectural styles; four are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Serving over 1,100 students from more than 40 countries, this liberal arts school is ranked among the top undergraduate colleges in the U.S.
Effigy Mounds700 College Street |
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Take a self-guided tour of Beloit College to discover the twenty- three conical, linear, and animal shaped effigy mounds found throughout the campus. Built around AD 700 to AD 1200 by Native Americans, the mounds are believed to have helped define territories, build family unity, and used as final resting places for tribal members. Once estimated to number as high as 20,000, the Beloit College Effigy Mounds now represent a few of the less than 3,000 remaining mounds in North America. View many of the excavated tools and broken pottery artifacts in the permanent collection of the Beloit College Logan Museum of Anthropology.
Rasey House517 Prospect Avenue |
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Built in 1850 and occupied by the first president of Beloit College, this cobblestone house is a Wisconsin Landmark and is one of the finest remaining examples of cobblestone architecture of Beloit and the State of Wisconsin. It is owned and maintained by the Beloit Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Tours are available by appointment. They are limited.
Admission: Donation
Groups: By Appointment
Sites Where Abraham Lincoln Spoke and CampedBeloit, WI 53511 |
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Trace Abraham Lincoln's trail to find the three historical markers located in Beloit commemorating his stops in the area. In 1859, he addressed the citizens of Beloit from the third floor of Hanchett Hall in downtown Beloit, 307 State Street. An additional marker can be found in Riverside Park near the Turtle Island footbridge, which commemorates when Lincoln camped in Beloit as a member of the militia unit that pursued fleeing Indians during the 1832 Blackhawk War. A third marker can be found on Hwy 51 between Beloit and Janesville, commemorating Lincoln's journey between the two cities in 1859.
Roy Chapman Andrews SocietyBeloit, WI 53511 |
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Reputedly, Beloit was home to the original Indiana Jones: the world adventurer and explorer Roy Chapman Andrews. Andrews is best remembered for the series of dramatic expeditions he led to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia from 1922 to 1930. Andrews's expeditions to the Gobi remain significant for their finds of the first nests of dinosaur eggs, new species of dinosaurs and fossils of early mammals that co-existed with dinosaurs. Each year the Roy Chapman Andrews Society partners with Beloit College to recognize contemporary explorers with the Roy Chapman Andrews Distinguished Explorer Award. Artifacts from Andrews explorations can be found at the Logan Museum of Anthropology at Beloit College, College & Bushnell Streets.
Stone Water Tower and Water Works Pump House1003 Pleasant Street |
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While visiting Beloit stop at the Water Works Pump House and Water Tower Park. Built in 1885, the pump house was the site of Beloit's first municipal water system. The nearby stone water tower is a visible community landmark and offers a great photo opportunity for camera buffs. The tower serves as the pedestal for a cypress-board water tank of the Beloit Water Works and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Tiffany BridgeEast Smith Road |
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Marvel at the world's only remaining five-arch stone railway bridge. Built using hand labor in 1869, the 388 foot bridge spans Turtle Creek and provides picturesque vistas year round. It is located in the charming community of Shopiere, just minutes from Beloit.
