Near Fond du Lac in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Home of Governor James Duane Doty

(1799-1865)

Photographed By William J. Toman, November 8, 2010

1. Home of Governor James Duane Doty Marker

Inscription. The home of James Duane Doty, oldest residence in Fond du Lac County, was built in 1839. Doty served as Federal Judge, Congressman, Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin and Superintendent of Indian Affairs. He was Governor of Utah when he died.

Doty laid out the Military Road between Green Bay and Prairie du Chien in 1835. He then organized the Fond du Lac Land Company and developed this area. He named Taycheedah from an Indian word meaning "our home."

The land was purchased in 1914 by the state and used for the Taycheedah Correctional Institution.

Erected 1976 by The Fond du Lac County Natural Beauty Council by authority of the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 484.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.

Location. 43° 47.899′ N, 88° 23.062′ W. Marker is near Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in Fond du Lac County. Marker can be reached from County Road K, 0.7 miles south of U.S. 151, on the left when traveling south. The marker and the home of Governor Doty are on the grounds of the Taycheedah Correctional

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Institution, a maximum and medium security facility for female offenders, and is not available for public viewing. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 751 County Highway K, Fond du Lac WI 54937, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Toll Gate on the Military Trail (approx. one mile away); Edward S. Bragg (approx. 2.8 miles away); Locomotive No. 2714 (approx. 3.1 miles away); G. A. R. Memorial Drive (approx. 3.1 miles away); Spanish–American War Memorial (approx. 3.2 miles away); Wisconsin Progressive Party (approx. 3.4 miles away); Union Soldiers Monument (approx. 3.6 miles away); a different marker also named Union Soldiers Monument (approx. 3.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fond du Lac.

More about this marker. As usual when I'm planning a trip, I checked the area for markers before I went to my son's volleyball tournament in Green Bay in October. A marker in Fond du Lac, south of Green Bay, caught my attention because the Wisconsin Historical Society's list of its markers said it was at a correctional institution and "not available to public viewing." I accepted the challenge.

I started by e-mailing the public relations officer for the Department of Corrections, which got me nowhere. Then I called the facility directly, and left a message for the fellow to whom I

Photographed By William J. Toman, November 8, 2010

2. Home of Governor James Duane Doty Marker

Governor Doty's home is in the background on the right, with the creamery for the home on the left. The home is now used for longer, weekend visits between inmates and their children.

was referred (I'll call him "Rick" to protect his privacy) and followed up with an e-mail (stating, in part, that I wanted to add the marker to HMdb to make it more widely available to the public). Rick wrote back to say he had gotten approval from the warden for my visit, and to tell me the procedure: Bring a photo ID, go through a metal detector, leave most of my stuff in the car (tongue-in-cheek, Rick mentioned keys, guns, knives, smoking products, etc.").

On the appointed day, my wife and I took the afternoon off work and rode our motorcycles an hour and a half northeast to the Taycheeda Correctional Institution. She waited outside since only I was approved for the visit. At the gatehouse, I left my leather jacket in a locker, went through the metal detector, got my hand stamped with ultraviolet ink, and met Rick. He had a golf cart, which is the best way to get around the 50 acres of the institution.

The grounds of the institution are well-kept, apparently by inmates for the most part (as I saw several mowing the lawn and otherwise landscaping). At least some of the nearly 700 women incarcerated at the facility seemed to be able to walk around freely.

Rick took me to the Doty house, where I got my photos of the marker and the house from various angles. He explained that the marker was not always inside the institution, which made sense -- I couldn't

Home of Governor James Duane Doty image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William J. Toman, November 8, 2010

3. Home of Governor James Duane Doty

This is a view of the west side of the home. A closeup of the sign on the upper left of this side of the home is in the next photo.

figure out why anyone would put a historical marker inside a prison (even if that's the site of the subject of the marker).

Extrapolating from the facts I was able to discover, it appears that when the marker was erected in 1976, it was outside the grounds of the Wisconsin Home for Women, which had just been renamed the Taycheeda Correctional Institution. The marker was probably enclosed within the institution in or about 1995, when the first new housing unit since 1933 was opened, thus doubling the capacity of the institution.

Rick took me back to the gatehouse after I snapped my photos, and I thanked him and asked him to thank the warden for me. The guard checked my ultraviolet stamp, joking that it was easier for men to leave the institution than for women. As a consolation, my wife took the photo of the institution's sign. I uploaded my prize to HMdb as soon as we got home.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. This is a list of markers that mention James Doty.

Additional commentary.
1. Access to Taycheedah marker
You are right, why wouldn't they move the marker to the parking lot for public viewing???
I was let in to see the marker several years ago. I had the same process and took pretty much the same photos.
At the time,

Sign on the Side of the Home of Governor James Duane Doty image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William J. Toman, November 8, 2010

4. Sign on the Side of the Home of Governor James Duane Doty

I was the only other person to be allowed in except maybe a governor for a tour. I'm curious how many other people have been able to photo this marker...
Good job, keep up the good work.

— Submitted August 12, 2017, by Steve Chizzo of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Photographed By William J. Toman, November 8, 2010

5. Home of Governor James Duane Doty

The door to the root cellar for the home is on the right.

Photographed By William J. Toman, November 8, 2010

6. Home of Governor James Duane Doty

A view of the east side of the home.

Taycheeda Correctional Institution image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Dawn V. Toman, November 8, 2010

7. Taycheeda Correctional Institution

The barn and creamery for the Doty home are visible just to the left of the old administration building on the right.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2018. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 2,707 times since then and 56 times this year. Last updated on November 28, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 8, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.