When you walk through the doors of Villa Louis, you step into the life of one of Wisconsin’s most historic families – The Dousmans. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, this National Historic Landmark offers a panorama of Wisconsin history, beginning with the arrival of early fur traders through the heyday of the Victorian era. Experienced interpreters lead tours of the grand mansion, one of the most authentically furnished Victorian houses in America.

Villa Louis is a 25 acre site with three major historic components. The largest concentration of historic structures is the Villa Louis mansion complex. Consisting of five buildings constructed on an elevated mound, this is what remains of the Dousman family’s sprawling 19th century estate. Along the waterfront south of the mansion complex are three historic structures built between 1837 and 1850. The families who lived and worked in these buildings were active in the Upper Mississippi-Great Lakes Fur Trade in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The archaeological remains of Fort Crawford are visible north of the mansion complex along with a replica log blockhouse reconstructed by WPA workers in the 1930s. Built on the very site of the only War of 1812 battle to take place in what today is Wisconsin, Fort Crawford was one of a series of U.S. military installations constructed to cement America’s tenuous hold on its Northwest frontier.