9. Schlegelmilch House

DOWNTOWN.   Maintained by the Chippewa Valley Museum, this cozy home was built by Herman and Augusta Schlegelmilch in 1871, the year before Eau Claire was incorporated as a city. In those days, most of the buildings in Eau Claire were made of wood, and fires frequently ravaged the young community. One blaze even claimed the Schlegelmilch's hardware store. Thus, when the family decided to build their new home, they used brick in the hopes that it would survive the next fire. Members of the family lived here until the 1970s, and some of the original furniture still decorates the home, offering the public a brief glimpse of what life was like for Eau Claire's 19th-century well-to-do.   (© 10Best)

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