In , the territorial legislature established the county seat on the claim of Henry Janes' -- a small tract of land on the east bank of the Rock River that is marked today by the intersection of Main and Milwaukee Streets. Janes applied for a post office on the site, recommending himself as postmaster and "Black Hawk" as the name for the office. The county seat, Janesville was important as a center of government. The City's early prosperity was also based on the development of the Rock River for water power.
In the 's dams, bridges, lumber, grist, and woolen mills were built along the Rock River. The success of agriculture, particularly wheat, and the construction of three railroad lines propelled growth prior to the Civil War.
Janesville was incorporated as a city in In the decades which followed, flour milling, woolen and cotton production, cigar, shoe, and brick manufacturing, stone quarrying, tobacco warehousing, agricultural implement manufacturing and eventually automobile manufacturing underwrote the expansion of the economy and population.
From a settlement of less than persons in , Janesville grew to 3, persons in ; 8, in ; 13, in ; and to 22, in During the 19th century, most of Janesville's population was comprised of natives of New York and New England states. By , Janesville was a small but modern city. The commercial district boasted concrete curbs and gutters, electric lighting, and electric street rail cars. Janesville was very active during the Civil War.
Local farms sold grains to the Union army, and Rock County was one of the counties in Wisconsin with the highest number of men enlisted. With the boom in the farm service sector and establishment of a rail system, Janesville soon began to ship goods to and from prominent eastern cities, including New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. After decades of rigorous grain farming, the soil quality around Janesville began to degrade.
The farmers responded to this issue by planting tobacco which became one of the most profitable and prolific crops grown in Wisconsin during the late 19th century. The movement was founded in the s and was continued after the Civil War.
One of the key focuses of the group during the s was the Temperance movement. The plant was initially established to produce Samson tractors, a company acquired by GM co-founder William C. Durant was encouraged by Joseph Craig, the president of Janesville Machine to build a plant to produce the Samson tractors in Janesville, to which Durant agreed. In the years following World War I the demand for tractors plummeted and the plant shifted its focus to the production of automobiles.
One of the most prominent turn of the century figures in Janesville was George Parker who developed new pen technologies and styles and eventually established the Parker Pen Company. Army for use in World War I. Parker designed and established a headquarters and factory in downtown Janesville.
The Parker Pen Company was one of the top employers in the area for over 70 years. The company was eventually sold off in a leveraged buyout in the s. Another important figure in Janesville's history was John Nolen , who was hired by the city in Nolen was a city planner who saw the Rock River as a focal point for community and park development. Janesville was the site of the first Wisconsin State Fair in , attended by approximately 10, people.
Lavinia Goodell , Wisconsin's first female lawyer , lived in Janesville. A tree that once stood in downtown Courthouse Park was the site of a lynch mob that hanged a convicted murderer in The Columbus Circle neighborhood became Janesville's tenth historic district in The Courthouse Hill Historic District was added in Lovejoy , were added in According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of As of the census [19] of , there were 63, residents, 25, occupied housing units, and 16, families in the city.
The population density was 1, The racial makeup of the city was Of the 25, households, The average household size was 2. In the city, the population was spread out with The median age was Janesville has had a city manager -council form of government since Businesses headquartered in Janesville include Blain's Farm and Fleet , a three-state retail chain; Woodman's Food Market , a regional supermarket chain that built its first store in Janesville; Swing'n'Slide, a maker of wood-and-plastic playground equipment; Hufcor formerly Hough Shade Company , a manufacturer of room dividers that markets internationally; and Gray's Brewing, maker of boutique beers and soft drinks.
It assembled light-duty trucks and sport utility vehicles, [21] which declined in popularity as gasoline prices increased. The Parker Pen Company was founded in Janesville. At one time its factory was the largest writing instrument plant in the world. The company later purchased Manpower, Inc. It is now owned by the Sanford division of Newell Rubbermaid.
The site of the former Janesville Oasis, known for Bessie, a large fiberglass cow at its entrance, began redevelopment in ; the anchor tenant is a Super Menards. Bessie the cow was spared by popular demand. As of , the largest employers in the city were: [28]. Hwy 14 and 51 and state Hwy 26 and Delavan -based Community Shoppers, Inc. Many radio stations also serve Janesville. Janesville features 13 historical districts that make perfect walking tours. These brochures are also available for download at the University of Wisconsin Madison Libraries Digital Collections website.
The twin towers of St. In the first decades of the city's growth, the steep hills on the east side of the Rock River restricted road building and house construction.
Consequently, like Courthouse Hill to the south, this area enjoyed its greatest period of development at the turn of the century as the streets of central Janesville neared completion.
The tall mansard roof of the impressive brick and stone building was a prominent element on the Janesville skyline. It was razed for construction of the current courthouse in Extending along the east bank of the Rock River, the South Main Street Historic District retains much of its mid-to-late-nineteenth-century character. Locally quarried or manufactured building materials are evident in the brick, cast iron, and stone trim of many early storefronts, particularly at the upper stories.
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