Address: 29 W Spring St
Community: Chippewa Falls
Category: Historic Sites / Play + Shop
This building is the oldest commercial building in Chippewa Falls. It was built (Circa 1859) by Peter Morie (Morey) and was used originally as a Saloon and Boarding House for loggers and others. In 1861 at the start of the Civil War, the young men who enlisted for service in the war did so in the basement of this building.
It had an open stairway to the basement, where the covered front porch is now located. Local historian, Thomas McBean, reported that “Old Abe,” the famous Civil War Bald Eagle, was home on veterans leave in the summer of 1864. During his stay, “Old Abe” made his home in the hayloft of a barn in the rear of this building.