Old Spring Tavern

Old Spring Tavern is a historic brick inn in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. The building was constructed in 1854 by Charles Morgan, a Connecticut native, as a stopping place on the Madison–Monroe stagecoach road, which connected Madison with the lead-mining region of southwestern Wisconsin. Its location was selected in part because a substantial spring nearby could provide water for horses and oxen. The spring still feeds the duck pond associated with the property, although the surrounding landscape has changed substantially as Madison expanded around the former rural inn. The two-story building is notable for its locally made reddish brick and restrained Greek Revival detailing. The walls are approximately twenty-two inches thick at the base and become narrower toward the upper levels. Architectural features include cornice returns, plain window sills and lintels, and a formal entrance framed by sidelights and a transom. Two end chimneys originally served Franklin stoves, while a summer kitchen stood on the northeast side of the house. The building’s original relationship to the stage road differs from the modern setting: the road once passed on the opposite side of the house from present-day Nakoma Road. In 1860, Morgan sold the tavern and approximately sixty acres to James W. Gorham for $9,000 in gold. Gorham operated the property for a period before joining the Union Army during the American Civil War. After returning, he resumed management and used the name Gorham’s Hotel until 1895. The hotel then closed, and the building became the Gorham family’s private residence rather than continuing as a public inn. Professor James G. Dickson acquired the house from the Gorham family in 1925. During his ownership, the property was remodeled. A Chippendale-style porch was added to the front, and a stone wall was constructed along Nakoma Road. Mrs. Dickson attributed the wall’s design to Frank Lloyd Wright, but the available reference material does not establish that attribution as confirmed. Inside, Dickson replaced the original Franklin stoves with two fireplaces. The property’s historical setting was gradually transformed as Madison grew around it. In 1972, the city’s Landmarks Commission designated the house a local landmark. The same year, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with significance based on its association with the region’s transportation and settlement history and on its Greek Revival architecture, a relatively uncommon style in Madison. In 1998, the surrounding neighborhood became the Nakoma Historic District, within which Old Spring Tavern is identified as the oldest structure. The available sources establish the site’s historic importance but do not provide reliable current information about ongoing tavern operations, ownership, or commercial activity.

Old Spring Tavern originated in 1854, when Charles Morgan built a two-story inn west of Madison on the stagecoach route toward southwestern Wisconsin’s lead-mining country. The property was positioned near a large spring, an important practical resource for watering travelers’ horses and working animals. At the time, the stage road ran on the side of the building opposite the route of modern Nakoma Road, and the site stood outside the principal urban area. Morgan used clay from a nearby slope to produce reddish bricks for the building. The resulting structure had unusually substantial walls, measuring about twenty-two inches at the base and narrowing above. Its design incorporated restrained Greek Revival elements, including cornice returns, plain window surrounds, and a formal entrance with sidelights and a transom. The original heating system used Franklin stoves, and a separate summer kitchen was located to the northeast. The front porch seen today was added later. In 1860, Morgan sold the tavern and sixty acres to James W. Gorham for $9,000 in gold. Gorham initially operated the inn, but his service in the Union Army interrupted that period. Following the Civil War, he returned and reopened the property as Gorham’s Hotel. The hotel continued under that name until 1895, when Gorham closed the public lodging business and converted the building into a private residence for his family. The house remained with the Gorham family until 1925, when Professor James G. Dickson purchased it. Dickson undertook substantial alterations, including the addition of a Chippendale porch and a stone wall along Nakoma Road. A family account connected the wall with Frank Lloyd Wright, but the supplied reference does not confirm the claim. Dickson also removed the Franklin stoves and installed two fireplaces. Madison’s outward growth eventually surrounded what had once been a country inn. The property received local landmark recognition from Madison’s Landmarks Commission in 1972 and was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places that year. Its importance was described in terms of both its role in the area’s transportation and settlement history and its Greek Revival architecture, a style considered relatively rare in Madison. In 1998, the surrounding area was designated the Nakoma Historic District. Old Spring Tavern is the district’s oldest structure and remains an important surviving reminder of the pre-urban landscape and stagecoach era. The supplied materials do not establish whether the building currently operates as a tavern, museum, private residence, or another type of property.

• 1998

  Inclusion in the Nakoma Historic District

  [1]Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  The surrounding neighborhood was designated the Nakoma Historic District, with Old Spring Tavern identified as its oldest structure.

• 1972

  Local landmark and National Register recognition

  [1]Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Madison’s Landmarks Commission recognized the property, and Old Spring Tavern was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1925

  Dickson ownership and remodeling

  [1]Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Professor James G. Dickson acquired the house and added a front porch, a roadside stone wall, and interior fireplaces.

• 1895

  Closure of Gorham's Hotel

  [1]Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  After operating as Gorham’s Hotel, the property ceased functioning as a hotel and became a private residence.

• 1860

  Sale to James W. Gorham

  [1]Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Morgan sold the tavern and approximately sixty acres to James W. Gorham for $9,000 in gold.

• 1854

  Construction as a stagecoach inn

  [1]Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Morgan built the inn on the Madison–Monroe stagecoach road, near a spring used to water horses and oxen.

A preserved historic stagecoach inn and architectural landmark associated with Madison’s early transportation history and the Nakoma neighborhood.

1. 1Old Spring Tavernen.wikipedia.org