Take a Virtual Tour of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin!
As a "Wisconsin Main
Street" community, Sheboygan Falls is dedicated to the preservation of its historic
structures. To date, over 40 buildings have been rehabilitated and restored to their
original late 1800s architectural beauty, winning Sheboygan Falls "The Great American
Main Street Award" in 1995. This award is given to only 5 communities annually
on a nationwide basis in recognition of their revitalization efforts.
See historic Sheboygan Falls for yourself with the click of your mouse button. Simply
select an element of interest and view historic, exterior, and/or interior pictures of the
site.
ENJOY TOURING!
Sheboygan Falls
Historic Downtown District
In 1835, upon finding the falls of the Sheboygan River and their fine water
power, Massachusetts pioneer and entrepreneur Silas Stedman decided to purchase the
surrounding land for village and industrial development. The following year, Stedman
platted the Town of Rochester and built the first sawmill at the falls. By 1849,
the industrial center grew to three sawmills, a tanning mill manufactory, two flour mills
and an iron foundry. In 1850, Wisconsin legislators renamed the Town of Rochester to
Sheboygan Falls and the village continued to develop throughout the 19th and early 20th
centuries. The Downtown Sheboygan Falls Historic District encapsulates this history.
This compact and picturesque district contains many industrial and commercial
building examples in a variety of architectural styles dating from the 1840s through the
early 20th century. This district was listed in the National Register of Historic
Places in 1984.

Cole Historic
District
The Cole Historic District is one of the few remaining historic districts in
the state of Wisconsin to display the early development of a Wisconsin community from the
1830s and 1840s. The district's two residences, mill house and hotel, built between
1837 and 1848 in Greek Revival style, were owned by pioneer settler and entrepreneur
Charles D. Cole. After the construction of the Sheboygan River bridge in 1839, this
area declined and Sheboygan Falls developed on the west side of the river.

Visitors since July 31, 2000