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Walloon Roadside Chapels - Brussels, Wisconsin
Story published in May 2017 | Interview conducted in August 2016
Roadside chapels are a unique landmark in the Namur Historical District in Wisconsin: you will not find those anywhere else in the United States! The first Belgian settlers were devout Catholic. They built tiny chapels on their homestead properties. It is a tradition that comes from Wallonia. As a matter of fact, my hometown has several of those. While the tradition is falling into decay in Belgium, roadside chapels still play an important part in local communities in Wisconsin. New structures are still being built nowadays. In this third installment on our documentary series, I follow Barb Chisholm, Historian at the Belgian Heritage Center, to find out more about the religious origins of the Belgian settlements! This is an exclusive short story for the reader of SignMyCar!
Barb Chisholm signs my car on August 24th, 2016. She is the historian at the Belgian Heritage Center. She is 6th generation American and she cares deeply about preserving and promoting her Belgian Heritage.
Belgian settlers built roadside chapels to honor a Saint or Virgin Mary. Church was - and still is - a pillar of their culture. Many roadside chapels were built to thank God for helping overcome challenging life events or to remember a loved one. Many of those chapels are open to the public. Here are some of the pictures of the most beautiful chapels I have seen!
This chapel is built behind the Belgian Heritage Center. It was built in 1872.
Many chapels have a guest book. These are the visitors for Spring 16.
While roadside chapels are a Walloon tradition, the structure of the building are typical to Wisconsin. They look like small garden sheds. The tinier chapels only have room for one or two people.
The cross on the top of the chapel is the only indication that the building is religious. Most of the Chapel have a French name.
Roadside chapel in Misere, Wiscosnin.
Roadside chapel in Misere, Wiscosnin.
Nowadays, there are about 12 chapels that are still being lovely maintained by the decedents of the original settlers.
The inside of the chapels have relics and often pictures of the families that built them.
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If you want a lot more information on these chapels, the local magazine Door Country Pulse has written a stunning article about them!
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