Green Bay in Brown County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Little House with a Big History
The Roi-Porlier-Tank Cottage
| | Fox River Trail | |
Photographed by Robert L Weber, June 6, 2011
1. The Little House with a Big Story Marker
The Roi-Porlier-Tank Cottage has an extraordinary rich history in Green Bay, as it was home to a fur trader, schoolmaster, judge and missionary.
In 1803, a French Canadian fur trader by the name of Joseph Roi built the small cottage along the west bank of the Fox River directly across from here. Two years later the cottage was sold to Judge Jacques Porlier. Porlier was the first schoolmaster in the early 1790s and by 1820 had been named chief justice of the Brown County Court.
Nils Otto Tank was a missionary who led a colony of Moravians to Green Bay in 1850 with his wife, Caroline Louisa Albertina van der Meulen, daughter of a wealthy Dutch clergyman. Upon their arrival, they purchased 969 acres of fertile timberland for the Moravian mission on the west bank of the Fox River, including the parcel of land Joseph Roi's cottage was built on.
The Tanks remodeled the interior of the small cottage and added a wing on each end, for church services and a dining room.
Following a disagreement with Tank about land ownership, most of the Moravian colonists eventually relocated to Ephraim in Door County, and Otto Tank
this page online
The cottage, now known as Tank cottage and located at Heritage Hill State Historical Park, is one of the oldest wooden homes in Wisconsin.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1803.
Location. 44° 30.084′ N, 88° 1.226′ W. Marker is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in Brown County. It can be reached from the intersection of Eliza Street and South Madison Street. On the Fox River Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Green Bay WI 54301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture,
Photographed by Robert L Weber, August 7, 2010
2. The Roi-Porlier-Tank Cottage
located within Heritage Hill State Historical Park
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Port of Green Bay's Economic Impact (within shouting distance of this marker); Hazelwood (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Hazelwood (within shouting distance of this marker); First Catholic Church In Green Bay (approx. half a mile away); La Baye Burial Place (approx. half a mile away); Bank Of Wisconsin (approx. half a mile away); Elks Club (approx. 0.6 miles away); Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Green Bay.
More about this marker. On the left is a photo of "Nils Otto Tank" and on the right is a photo of "Tank Cottage"
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Historical markers along the Fox River Trail
Also see . . . Fox River Trail. (Submitted on June 27, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Photographed by Jim Schaettle, August 12, 2026
3. The Little House with a Big History Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2011, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,454 times since then and 109 times this year. Last updated on February 14, 2024, by Greta Schassler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2011, by Bob (peach) Weber of Dewey, Arizona. 3. submitted on August 15, 2026, by Jim Schaettle of Madison, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
