Genesee Depot is a small unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Waukesha County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2008, the population was 380,629. Its county seat is Waukesha.-History:The part of Wisconsin that Waukesha County now occupies was a part of Michigan when Milwaukee County was organized in September 1834. On July 4, 1836, the...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is located in the Town

Political subdivisions of Wisconsin

The definitions of the political subdivisions of the U.S. state of Wisconsin differ from those in some other countries or even other U.S. states, leading to misunderstandings regarding the governmental nature of an area....

 of Genesee

Genesee, Wisconsin

Genesee is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,284 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Genesee Depot and Saylesville are located in Genesee.-Landmarks:...

, in southeastern Wisconsin between Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

 and Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

, and named for the train station, or depot, of the Wisconsin and Calumet Railroad (now the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in the southern portion of Wisconsin and the northeast corner of Illinois. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St...

) that formerly served the town. Wisconsin State Highways 59 and 83

Highway 83 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 83 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in southeast Wisconsin from Hartford to the Illinois border near Salem....

 intersect in Genesee Depot.

The latitude of Genesee Depot is 42.966N and the longitude is -88.371, at an elevation of 909 feet. It is in the central standard time zone.

History

Genesee Depot was founded by people of many different heritages, but mainly by German, Welsh, Irish, and English immigrants in the late 19th century. Stillman Smith was the first to settle in the area in the summer of 1837. In 1838 Benjamin A. Jenkins built a log cabin inn at what is now the intersection of Hwys. 59 and 83. It served mainly travelers going to and from Milwaukee. Genesee Depot was given its boundaries on March 21, 1843. Jenkins later built a three-story mill and wagon factory. This was just the beginning of what was to be a bustling little town. “By the 1890’s there was a grain elevator, slaughter house, two stores, blacksmith shop, shoe shop, woolen factory, post office, lumber yard, and train depot with ticket, baggage, and waiting rooms, [and] storage buildings.”

Genesee Depot garnered attention as a result of the Milwaukee and Mississippi railroads running through the community. Another aspect of the town's boom was the Johnston Quarry. Developed in 1842 on what is now Hwy. 59, the quarry provided jobs and led to the development of business in the area. The quarry provided the stone for many Wisconsin buildings, including the state capitol in Madison, the Milwaukee Sentinel building, and Carroll University’s earlier buildings.

Historical sites

Many buildings in Genesee Depot are the originals from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including “the original section of St. Paul’s Catholic Church (Hwy 83 & D), built in the early 1870’s; the James Proctor House (Hwy 83 by bridge spanning Genesee Creek) also dating back to the 1860’s, behind which stood the Genesee Woolen Mill; and the new railroad depot built in 1897 after the first one burned down. This station building was relocated slightly south of where it originally stood on Hwy 83 and serves diners today as the Genesee Depot Café.” The original town hall, now the Wales-Genesee Lions and Lioness Club, was built in 1912 and is on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Another historic site in Genesee Depot is Ten Chimneys

Ten Chimneys

Ten Chimneys is the well-preserved summer home of actors Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. Ten Chimneys is located in Genesee Depot, Town of Genesee, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States.Ten Chimneys was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003....

, the home of Alfred Lunt

Alfred Lunt

Alfred Lunt was an American stage director and actor, often identified for a long-time professional partnership with his wife, actress Lynn Fontanne...

 and Lynn Fontanne

Lynn Fontanne

Lynn Fontanne was a British actress and major stage star in the United States for over 40 years. She teamed with her husband Alfred Lunt.She lived in the United States for more than 60 years but never relinquished her British citizenship. Lunt and Fontanne shared a special Tony Award in 1970...

, so known because among the three buildings on the site, there are ten chimneys. Lunt and Fontanne's residence in Genesee Depot was their summer home and a popular gathering place for theater people. It is decorated with original pieces and collections of the Lunts from the early 20th century. Each room was carefully decorated with the passion that Alfred and Lynn shared for theater and art. It is now open as a house museum.

Education

Magee Elementary, in the Kettle Moraine School District, serves students in grades K through 5th. Named after John Magee, who helped bring the railroad through Genesee Depot, the school was completed and opened in 1922. It was remodeled in 1989 to accommodate a larger enrollment, which stands at about 320 students.

The mission of Magee Elementary is to inspire students to think, reflect, achieve, create and be kind.

Saint Paul Parish

Saint Paul Parish was founded in 1863. In 1961 a new church was built just down the road from the original site, to accommodate the growing congregation. A K-8 school was also built, and remodeled in 1997 (Directory, 3). In 2006 the second church was torn down and a new one completed in the fall of 2007. The parish consists of just under 4,000 parish members, with about 150 students enrolled in the school.
Saint Paul Parish operates a number of volunteer and outreach programs, including “St. Ben's Meal Program, Loaves and Fishes, Kettle Moraine Food Pantry, Health and Healing Ministry, Linden Grove Nursing Home, Cooperating Churches of Waukesha County, Christmas Giving Tree, Bereavement Committee, St Paul Parish Breakfast Ministry, Heavenly Babies Layette Project, Communion to the Home Bound, Food Baskets, Clothing Exchange, and Interfaith Caregiving Network”. The parish is also a sister parish to Christ Our Peace Parish (Parroquia Cristo Nuestra Paz) in Guatemala.