Central House Hotel is located in Boscobel, Wisconsin. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1996.

History

The hotel was built by Adam Bobel, a

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n immigrant who had served with the

20th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 20th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 20th Wisconsin was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service August 23, 1862 ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. After a fire in 1881, the building was largely re-built. In 1898, the hotel was overly crowded due to a lumberman's convention. Two salesmen, John H. Nicholson of Janesville, Wisconsin and Samuel E. Hill of Beloit, Wisconsin, were sharing a room since no single rooms were available. During their stay, the men began to talk about their

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

faith. They would discuss the need for an organization that would provide mutual help and recognition for Christian travelers. In 1899, the two men, along with William J. Knights of Janesville, met again and founded Gideons International. Though the first official meeting took place in Janesville, the organization has always identified the Central House Hotel in Boscobel as the place of its founding.

References

{{reflist Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Grant County, Wisconsin Italianate architecture in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Grant County, Wisconsin