Stay in the 19th century mansion of a Wells Fargo heir at this Lake Mills bed and breakfast

The Fargo family of upstate New York was an industrious bunch. William George Fargo is best known for co-founding Wells Fargo and American Express. 

But the family also left their stamp in Lake Mills in the town library, a bank, a dairy equipment manufacturing plant and three mansions that line Mulberry Street and were built by wealthy Fargos in the late 1800s. 

Visitors can experience what life was like in one of those stately homes in the late 19th century with a stay in the Fargo Mansion Inn at 406 Mulberry St.

Tom Boycks and Barry Luce bought the mansion in 1985, when it was slated for demolition. The partners raised two (now-grown) children in the home and have been running it as a bed and breakfast since they restored the dwelling. 

“People thought we were crazy,” said Boycks, a native of Oshkosh. “In fact, we thought we were crazy to take it on because it was condemned, boarded up and hadn’t been lived in for five years. Oh, yeah, the roof leaked too, and there was extensive water damage inside because the water was left on after the house was closed up and the pipes broke.”

After two years of work that included hauling truckloads of junk from previous tenants to the dump, they opened their inn.

The 7,500-square-foot Queen Anne-style home was built in 1881 for $6,500 and purchased by E.J. Fargo two years later. In 1886, he built a third floor — with a ballroom, billiard room and maids’ quarters — as well as porches, railings and other additions. It was one of the grandest homes in Lake Mills at the time and for decades to come. 

Boycks said E.J. Fargo was a second-generation descendant of the the Fargo banking family from Hudson, New York. He and several brothers settled in Lake Mills in 1881 after an uncle died and left no heirs to his farms.  The modest brick home of their uncle, Lorenzo Dow Fargo, is across the street from the inn.

The nephews bought their uncle's land, and he donated some of the proceeds to create the L.D. Fargo Public Library in Lake Mills, which was built in the Neogothic Revival style. 

“Their uncle had also started the Creamery Packaging Co., which at first made milking pales, shovels, picks and other farm equipment,” Boycks said, adding that he also made machinery and freezers for ice cream and invented a central vacuum cleaning system that's still used by some people today.

The factory, which became APV Crepaco and once employed more than 650 people, closed in 2008.

The mansion stayed in the Fargo family for another 46 years after E.J. died in 1921. His third wife lived until she was 67 and died in a nursing home that is kitty corner from the Fargo mansion. For many years, the large home was divided up into apartments.

Then in 1985 Boycks and Luce bought the boarded-up mansion.

“Back then, few people around here had heard of B&Bs and the state was just figuring out how to regulate them,” recalled Boycks, who, along with his partner Luce, is a founding member of the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association. Boycks, a former merchandise manager for Marshall Fields, runs the inn, while Luce, who is originally from Pittsburgh, is a real estate broker.

Guests can stay in one of four bedrooms on the second floor, while the partners use the fifth one for their own. In order to run a B&B, Boycks noted, the proprietors must also live in the home. 

The mansion has some photos of the Fargos, while the parlors, dining room and bedrooms have period antiques, most of which are in the Eastlake style. The guest rooms have private baths and hand-laid Italian marble on the floors. In a nod to modern times, the rooms also have flat-screen televisions and Wi-Fi. 

Boycks said his favorite room is the Elijah Harvey, which is named after the builder of the Victorian mansion and has an English writing desk. 

The room is painted in light brown tones and flows from the colors used in a wall-mounted case that contains a wooden putter, driver, golf ball and tee that date to the late 1800s. It was owned by a friend of Boycks’ who had received it from his grandfather.  

The largest room in the home was once used by the original owner.  It has a private porch and what was once a ladies’ dressing room that has been converted into a bathroom. It is named for E.J. Fargo and is popular with honeymooners, Boycks said. 

Breakfasts at the mansion often include the B&B’s popular baked caramel pecan French toast, as well as apple crepes, a ham and vegetable casserole, muffins and assorted breads, plus coffee or tea, fresh juice, fresh fruit and yogurt parfait.

“Our philosophy is pretty much to tell our guests about the home, answer any questions about things to see and do and then leave them alone,” Boycks said. “We’re not their mothers. Around 30% of our clients are repeat, so they must like the way things are run.”

More information: The Fargo Mansion Inn, 406 Mulberry St., Lake Mills, is about 50 miles west of Milwaukee. 

Rates range from $109 to $185 per night. For reservations, see fargomansion.com or call (920) 648-3654.