Oddsconsin...where we explore peculiar and sometimes mysterious features of Wisconsin’s human landscape.
Travelers along County Highway BB in Waupaca County will have noticed the imposing two-story historic brick building at the intersection of BB and Bear Lake Rd. What was this? A school? A hospital? There’s not much evidence, just the year “1895” chiseled into the stone of the Italianate-style central tower. There's a large historic plaque to the east...but it's completely blank.
This...
Oddsconsin...where we explore peculiar and sometimes mysterious features of Wisconsin’s human landscape.
Dane County Asylum and Home Cemetery is one of the state’s most unforgettable cemeteries. It lies sandwiched between two strip malls in Verona, just west of Madison, and contains the graves of former residents of the Dane County Poor Home and Asylum for the Chronic Insane.
The Poor Home was located south of East Verona Ave and west of Old County Road PB, near the Verona Park and Ride. A...
Oddsconsin...where we explore peculiar and sometimes mysterious features of Wisconsin’s human landscape.
The First World War left many veterans suffering from severe psychological disorders, including shell-shock, also known at the time as neurasthenia, but now usually called PTSD. When the war ended in 1918, Wisconsin began to look for ways to treat these veterans. This led to the establishment of Memorial Hospital at Farwell’s Point, in Madison, on the grounds of the State Hospital for the...
As the State Cartographer of Wisconsin, Veregin blogs about the cartography and geography of the state. Find blog posts here!
Some recent blogs of general interest are listed below.
Renaming Denali and the Gulf of Mexico
"A (very) brief interpretation of President Trump’s recent Executive Order."
The Strange Case of the Galena and Fever Rivers
"One river. Two different names."
How Long is the Coastline of Wisconsin?
"The answer is surprisingly elusive."