Town of West Point Area Historical Society

08/30/2026

The Rustic Road program was started by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation in 1973 to preserve the state's scenic country roads. HGNNews.com October 2011

Local officials formally dedicated the area's newest Rustic Road with the hope it will attract tourists and provide a safe route for bicyclists.

08/30/2026

Grout House on the 110 Rustic Road in Town of Lodi, east of the Rock of Gibraltar .

Chrislaw Road in Lodi, Wisconsin, is part of Rustic Road 110 in Columbia County.Route located in Columbia County, just outside of Lodi, WI. Portions of O'Connor, Van Ness, and Chrislaw roads, running between WIS 60 (Lower Wisconsin River Road) and WIS 113, connecting via County Road J. Maximum speed limit of 45 mph, standard for Wisconsin Rustic Roads. Lightly traveled, scenic country road featuring rolling fields, native vegetation, and glacial topography typical of the Lodi and Gibraltar rock area. From the Wisconsin Dept. Of Transportation.
Rustic Road 110
R110 meanders through prime agricultural land interspersed with ponds and small lakes, marshland and rolling hills covered in trees. Wildlife abounds through the route. Outstanding fall foliage make R110 a very good tour route. From Travel Wisconsin site

08/30/2026

If you have traveled down the rustic road in the Town of West Point on Chrislaw Rd towards the Town of Lodi you have passed this old estate home that sits on knoll overlooking Reynolds Pond (also known as Lake Grace). Patti and Bob Schucknecht are the guardians and care takers of this historic home and shared this winter scene of the home. We asked Patti to give us a little history on the home she so lovingly cares for and this is her writeup.

The house was built from 1848 to 1851 – it took a while to form up and pour the massive grout walls made of grout, which is a forerunner of cement made from sand, gravel, slacked lime and water. Sylvester Reynolds built it when he came here from Columbia County, New York. One of Sylvester’s daughters married into the Chrisler family of West Point and his son married into the Brereton Family of the Dane Roxbury area. The son moved to Chicago where he was a policeman. He was accidentally shot by a fellow officer.

In 1884, Mr. Reynolds sold the farm to Charles W. Chrislaw and his mother, Margarethe (Herr) Kraeusslach/Chrislaw . 5 children were born in the house as well as some of the grandchildren. It is still in the Chrislaw family (me) although no one has lived there since 1977. (The grout home requires maintenance repairs and upkeep) Builders we contacted before that didn’t work out and at this time in our life there is much repairs to tackle what’s needed!

Grandpa Charles coated the grout with a veneer of cement. We have been trying to keep it upright and our hopes are that someone is up to the task of renovating it (new roof & windows, repairing some of the veneer protecting the grout, etc.) but time and weather is taking a toll on the home and we’re losing the battle and may need to raze it before it falls down by itself.

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

Roots run deep in the Town of West Point. The Ryan and Bannan families in the Town of West Point are still neighbors today just like they were in the late 1800's . This is a old post but its a lesson about Good Neighbors showing up.

08/29/2026

Views from Gibraltar Rock State Natural Area , Town of West Point, Columbia County, WI.

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