A wall with framed prints: a large map center, two smaller frames on the sides, all hung above a wooden ledge.

History of the Original Dawn Manor

Before it became the themed Wisconsin Dells Restaurant, Dawn Manor was a 19th century estate in the lost village of Newport. Dawn Manor’s rich history includes ties to Abraham Lincoln, Agnes Moorehead, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

  • 1855
    Abraham Vanderpoel, a friend of Abraham Lincoln and a signer of the Wisconsin Constitution, purchases land in the former city of Newport, Wisconsin, just a few miles from Mirror Lake and has Dawn Manor built with Potsdam sandstone.
  • 1860
    The dam to create Mirror Lake is built.
  • 1861
    Abraham Vanderpoel responds to a call for troops from his friend, President Abraham Lincoln, at the start of the Civil War.
  • 1865
    Captain Vanderpoel sells Dawn Manor to Enoch and Rhoda Chaffee.
  • 1887
    Annie and Samuel Humes Kerfoot, Sr. purchase Dawn Manor from James W. Chaffee, son of Enoch Chaffee.
  • 1888
    The property is first referred to as Dawn by Annie Kerfoot and the local press after a property she owns in Chicago.
  • 1891
    The Kerfoots add a trout pond to the property.
  • 1908
    Annie Warfield Lawrence Kerfoot dies in Chicago at age 78. Helen Hammond and Hedley B. Ware are married. Helen gives birth to their son, Harry “Kirby” Hammond Ware.
  • 1911
    The Kerfoot’s children form the Wisconsin Dells Holding Company.
  • 1912
    Helen Ware Hammond and George Raab are married in Laporte County, Indiana.
  • 1914
    Harley Bement of Kilbourn and Dr. W. H. Wilson of Sparta purchase Dawn Manor.
  • 1922
    Bement opens the Dells Bathing Beach, a baseball diamond, and a cottage rental on the Dawn Manor property.
  • 1923
    A fire nearly destroys Dawn Manor, burning down a barn and 85 tons of hay. Bement dies at age 56 in a hunting accident.
  • 1924
    Belle Bement Edmonds and Eliza Bement inherit Dawn Manor. Helen and George Raab are divorced.
  • 1926
    Local press reports a new development headed up by W. J. Newman of Chicago will occur along the river, eventually spreading to Mirror Lake, and Dawn Manor will become a country club. Eliza Bement purchases Dawn Manor from Belle Bement Edmonds.
  • 1927
    W. J. Newman purchases Dawn Manor from Eliza Bement.
  • 1929
    Helen Raab begins to acquire land in the Lower Dells area.
  • 1936
    Lake Delton Holding Company purchases Dawn Manor from W.J. and Margaret Newman.
  • 1946
    Helen Raab begins to purchase portions of Dawn Manor from the Lake Delton Holding Company.
  • 1953
    Helen Raab completes the acquisition of Dawn Manor from the Lake Delton Holding Company.
  • 1955
    Dawn Manor celebrates its 100th anniversary.
  • 1970
    Helen Raab dies in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, at age 81.
  • 1974
    Dawn Manor is transferred to Kirby and Adelaide Raab.
  • 2012
    George F. Raab holds a long-awaited estate sale at Dawn Manor.
  • 2018
    Uphoff Ventures purchases Dawn Manor.
  • 2022
    Dawn Manor is deconstructed and placed in storage for preservation.
  • 2024
    Dawn Manor is reconstructed at a site on Mirror Lake with preserved original 1855 Potsdam sandstone.
  • 2025
    Dawn Manor reopens as a restaurant, bar, and speakeasy experience.