Built in 1847 by a local merchant, this house was later owned by Chicago newspaper publisher Charles Wilson. During the Civil War, Wilson was an ambassador to England. In the 1870's he helped obtain the railroad link from Chicago that made Geneva Lake's resort development possible. Distinguished visitors to the house included President Ulysses S. Grant, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Civil War General Phil Sheridan. Constructed in the Greek Revival architectural style, it is an important landmark associated with both the pioneer era of Lake Geneva and with a man who helped make Lake Geneva the important resort community it is today.