OAHT 1511: Mon Bijou
Built in 1879 as a private summer residence for the two Schuttler brothers, The Inn at Pine Terrace was modeled on the design of a French nobleman's castle near Vienna. The original owners, wagon builders from Chicago, named their estate "Mon Bijou" (My Jewel). In 1988, the three story mansion was restored to its original Cream-City brick exterior. The interior was also carefully renovated, with special attention paid to the hand-carved woodwork, gracious furnishings and exquisite wall coverings.
Mon Bijou remained in the Schuttler family for over forty years and hosted such notables as Mark Twain, several American Presidents, and many of the country's beer brewing elite, including the Miller, Anheuser, Busch, and Pabst families, as well as railroad and industrial barons.
In the 1920s, the Inn was sold and became the Pine Terrace Resort, acting as the center piece for a popular lake front resort. At that time, the Inn owned 220 acres of land, stretching down to Fowler Lake.
As the years drew on, the resort faded from popularity and changed hands again. Neglected, the Inn fell into a poor state of repair.
In 1988, the Classic Inns of Wisconsin bought the Inn and lovingly restored it to its present state. Since 2000, the Inn at Pine Terrace has been run as a Bed and Breakfast, allowing both the local and distant traveler a chance to enjoy a night's rest in a true piece of 19th century history.
The Inn at Pine Terrace is one of the last and largest of the Victorian mansions still standing in Oconomowoc today and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When visiting the cache, please be respectful to the guests at the Inn and also the residents that now live around the area.
Permission was granted to hide this cache by: Property Owner John Gresley