Brass Ball Corners
In the 1800’s, before assigning names to roads was a common practice, intersections were often given names to identify communities and places of interest.
The trail through Brass Ball Corners started at Lake Michigan and went west through Lake Geneva to Janesville. Farmers and merchants frequented the trail, hauling grain, furs and lead to the Port of Kenosha.
In 1842, farmer Seth Huntoon recognized a growing need for a place where travelers could rest. He built an inn on the northwest corner of a busy junction and then hung a wooden ball gilded in gold at the intersection. Because of its likeness to brass, the intersection came to be known as Brass Ball Corners.
Over time the corners grew, as a school, post office, church, shoemaker, and several homes were built at the corner. The community eventually became the Village of Paddock Lake. Today, a replica brass ball hangs nearby.
Marker is at the intersection of 75th Street (Wisconsin Route 50) and 256th Avenue (Wisconsin Route 83), on the left when traveling west on 75th Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
