Everything Janesville is known for
12 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
Pull over here for a minute! Abraham Lincoln himself slept in this house. The Lincoln–Tallman House was built in 1857 by William and Emeline Tallman. Before he was president, Abraham Lincoln visited Janesville and…
Imagine risking everything for a chance at freedom. That's what happened right here at Milton House. Built in 1844 by Joseph Goodrich, this unique hexagonal building wasn't just a home and inn; it was a vital stop on…
Pull over here if you can, because these unassuming buildings tell a powerful story of migration and segregation. They’re called the Fairbanks Flats, and they were built in 1917 to house Black workers from the South.…
Ever wondered where a town's heartbeat used to be? For decades, this 1886 train depot served as the social center of a small Wisconsin community. It was the hub for news, gossip, and seeing who was coming and going.…
Ever seen a barn that looks like it belongs in a fairytale? Get ready for the Risum Round Barn, a truly unique piece of Wisconsin history! This isn't your typical red rectangular barn, folks. It was built between 1890…
Ever wonder how Wisconsin became the Dairy State? This unassuming building holds a big part of the answer! Back in 1875, Benjamin Hoxie started a revolutionary business right here. He wasn't just making cheese; he was…
Imagine a time long before Whitewater was even a town, when the land was shaped not by roads and buildings, but by the hands of people honoring the earth. This is the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve, a place where…
Look closely at that barn, because its heart is actually a giant oak tree! Around 1902, Chris Gempeler bought this land in Rock County. Then, in the summer and fall of 1912, he hired the Hasse brothers from Illinois to…
Stand here long enough, and you can almost hear the bustle of a frontier trading post. Macktown, established in the late 1830s, was one of the first settlements in this part of Illinois, owing its existence to its…
Ever wondered what it was like for early Norwegian immigrants building a new life in Wisconsin? Well, just ahead, you're looking at a piece of that history, a traditional Norwegian log house built around 1844. This is…
Imagine a lost world where the earth itself was sculpted into sacred shapes. This is one of the last remaining examples. Before settlers arrived, Native Americans in Wisconsin created hundreds, perhaps thousands, of…
Imagine the rumble of a steam engine overhead, because this stone arch bridge isn't just a pretty view, it's a survivor from the golden age of railroads. Back in 1882, the Chicago & North Western Railway built this…