1908-Present
Judson Tower
Green Lake, Wisconsin WI
The Green Lake Conference Center website offers this overview of Judson Tower and its surroundings.
Judson Tower is the center piece of Green Lake Conference Center, a year-round Christian conference center set on the deepest lake in Wisconsin with a rich and interesting history dating back to the early 1800s. The first people to walk these grounds were Winnebago Indians and in the early 1800s as many as 500 Indians camped around Green Lake. Believing the Water Spirit lived in Green Lake, every Winnebago had to come here once in their lifetime to worship.
Victor Lawson, a “printer’s devil” in Chicago, was the successful publisher of the Chicago Daily News. He met his eccentric wife Jessie in the church choir and after their wedding, they honeymooned in Green Lake. In 1888 the Lawsons purchased 10 acres on the waterfront and began adding farm to farm until the estate included more than 1,100 acres.
As the primary developer, Jessie spent several million dollars building a spacious home, 12 miles of paved roads, two sets of farm buildings, a boat house, two greenhouses, a powerhouse, seven water towers, a small golf course, and homes for her workers. The Guernsey barn (1916) with its two silos is the largest barn in Wisconsin. She maintained horses, pigs, sheep, and herds of both Guernsey and Jersey cattle. The large water tower was constructed in 1908 to irrigate the Lawson farms and has dominated the landscape for over 120 years. Water from the tower irrigated fields and roads with horse-drawn sprinklers. Its 75,000-gallon tank was filled from a 400 foot well near the present boat house.American Baptists purchased the property in 1944 and named the tower in honor of pioneer Baptist missionaries Ann and Adoniram Judson. Its observation platform is 140 feet above the lake. Kansas Baptist Youth organized a drive to place the lighted cross on top of the tower today. Judson Tower continues today as a beacon to Green Lake guests and local residents around the lake. Carillons play every hour.[1]
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[1] https://glcc.org/history.html