The Rock County Sugar Company was constructed in 1904 and was very popular among local communities.It focused on producing sugar from beets. Farmers and migrant workers happily took the opportunities of steady work offered through this company during the agricultural off seasons that many experienced. Its is reported that, at the height of business, Rock County Sugar Company employed 500 hundred local employees. In 1939 the company succumbed to the sugar cane industry and the factory was divided up into warehouses in 1943.

Arrow Park was the production facility for the Parker Pen Company opening in 1954.

Janesville is well known as the "City of Parks". The first park formed in this area was Riverside Park in 1922, which is located along the Rock River. This park continues to develop and become one of the most popular family sites in the area. In the 1920s and 1930s, baseball diamonds, walking trails, golf courses, a children`s wading pool were installed. More recently the city opened up its first splash pad in the park in 2015.

Oak Hill Cemetery is located at 1725 North Washington St. The grounds cover 90 acres and have about 13 miles of paved roadway. There are at least 19,000 interments inside the cemetery!

General Motors opened its Janesville assembly plant in 1919. The incredibly large steel structure is approximately 4.8 million square feet in area!

Former Woolen Mills, which utilized the power of the Rock River to prepare fabrics and textiles for sale.

Palmer Park is the second largest park in the Janesville area. In 1929, at the height of park creation, sixty nine acres were donated to the city by the Palmer family. The Palmer family was made up of very notable figures who settled in Janesville in 1856. Various members worked as doctors and lawyers. More notably, William F. Palmer was a partner in establishing the Parker Pen Company in 1892.

The Cargill United Methodist Church has been around since 1904, but as been at this location only since 1957. It was named after the Cargill family in 1905 due to a monetary gift given by Mr. William W. Cargill to the Church in the memory of his parents.

Completed in 1857, William Tallman’s mansion was truly innovative for its time. It is a stunning example of Italianate-style architecture, with amenities like running water and gasolier lamps built into its four floors. Yet its structure is only part of what makes this historic home so intriguing. When Abraham Lincoln stayed at the Tallman House in 1859, it wove Rock County into the history of one of America’s greatest presidents.

The Janesville area was in a prime location for developing railways during the nineteenth century. Competition occurred between several companies before two branches absorbed the others: the Milwaukee Road and Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company.

Many of Janesville`s early farmers were planting tobacco in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Warehouses like these were frequently built but very few still exist today, owing to the fact that most burned down. This structure was first owned by Myron Green and operated as storage for tobacco until the 1950s. In 2015 it was converted into an office space.

Like many of the railway companies, the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad underwent quite a few name changes as it expanded across the Midwest. Commonly referred to as the Milwaukee Road, it began in 1847 and it reached its full length (and final name change) in 1860 when the tracks reached the Mississippi River.

The Columbus Circle Historic District is located right off of E. Milwaukee Street. The residential area is arranged in an oval and it (along with Hawthorne Circle) is one of two circular designs inserted into the city plan of Janesville.

The Hanson Furniture Company began producing products in 1855. Magnus Hanson, a Norwegian immigrant, settled in Janesville and helped contribute to the growing population`s furniture needs in the 1850s and 1860s. This company continued to be family run and operated at this location until around the 1920s. The building is now empty and slated for demolition.

Built in 1930 by Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Hengels, The Janesville Armory is an Eclectic Revival Style Building with Spanish undertones.

Once the headquarters for the Tallman Perfume Company, a manufacturer of fine perfumes, colognes, medicines, tonics, and other world-renowned toiletries.

The Janesville Cotton Mill is a three story brick mill constructed in September of 1874 and finished in February of 1875. It was built along the Rock River to harness the power of water to turn the machines used to process cotton.

The entertainment available for community members evolved frequently in Janesville during the 20th century. As the popularity of live theater performances faded away and was replaced by movie theaters, Janesville saw many theaters come and go over a short period of time. This is often attributed to the fact that many believed theater owners were trying to find a committed audience. The Jeffris Theater is the only building that remained of this era until it was demolished in 2015.

The Women`s Club Association began as coming together of different women`s groups in order to establish a common meeting place for all to use and represent themselves in 1927. Some organizations included the Janesville Federation of Women, Women`s History Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Together they are believed to have raised a sum of $40,000 in order to erect the structure.

James Harris was a notable figure in the history of Janesville`s developing city. In 1859 he founded a company that produced farming equipment and employed over 125 people from the area in 1869. Harris would later join forces with Allen P. Lovejoy and form the Janesville Machine Company. It was in 1882 that James Harris left the Machine Company to form a barb wire manufacturing company that would later turn into a hardware appliance store in 1938 named Harris Ace Hardware.

These three blocks, all similar in Italianate style and most likely built by the same builder, housed many different business. 121-123 were primarily clothing stores. Additionally, Colvin's Baking Company, a restaurant, the Stearns and Baker's Philadelphia Drug Store, and the Badger Drug Company were all located here at various times. The prominent arched parapets are the blocks most distinctive features. The development of these buildings all occurred at the same time and was a sign of prosperity coming to Janesville.

St. John`s German Lutheran Church was formed in 1890 with fourteen original members. This congregation has rebuilt its` structure twice since 1890, once in 1913 and then again in 1965. These alterations were made in order to meet the demands of its growing members.

The murals in downtown Janesville are part of the “Heart of the City Outdoor Art Campaign” which started in 2009. There are three murals in the original campaign that represent a decade each in the founding of Janesville. One additional mural was added to represent women during these years. Each mural resembles what made the community grow economically. The murals are 22 feet by 29 feet and are printed on UV-coated vinyl and wrapped around aluminum frames.

Located in the Conrad Cottages Historic District, this is one of the few examples that still exist today, which shows the side effects of the Janesville community`s rapid growth in population and business in the nineteenth century.

This Queen Anne house, built in 1901, also shares Classical and Georgian Revival touches. George S. Palmer was an investor in the Parker Pen Company, which was founded by George S. Parker in 1889.

This Craftsman house was built in 1909 and was owned by Olaf Olson, a jeweler. Craftsman houses are known for their brackets, trusses, and exposed rafters.

Constructed in 1851 by Peter Myer, the Pork Packing Company building is the oldest commercial building in Janesville. It was in use by Peter Myer`s Company and a W.E Goodman steam fitting shop until sometime in the 1880s.

John P. Cullen`s contracting business established in 1892 was important for the local Janesville and Wisconsin state-line area. J. P. Cullen & Son would later become a family business in 1919. The business became well known during World War II, as they constructed military buildings throughout Wisconsin. The company still exists as a family owned business today.

This 1860s era factory building takes up a whole city block and was once known for producing fine horse carriages.

The Peters Block originated as a hotel. The first two stories were constructed in 1849 and the three additional stories were added in 1855. The present facade dates to 1913 and is completed in the Arts and Crafts style.

These two homes across the street from one another are examples of Georgian Revival Style Homes, built in 1916 and 1915 respectively. The Louis Levy House (620) has a Mediterranean feel and the Fred Capelle House (621) has a Federal feel.

Built by local resident Peter Myers in 1870, the Myers Theater was a key location for entertainment in Janesville. It was first constructed as an Opera House for performing troupes and local organizations to reside and entertain in.

The murals in downtown Janesville are part of the “Heart of the City Outdoor Art Campaign” which started in 2009. There are three murals in the original campaign that represent a decade each in the founding of Janesville. One additional mural was added to represent women during these years. Each mural resembles what made the community grow economically. The murals are 22 feet by 29 feet and are printed on UV-coated vinyl and wrapped around aluminum frames.

This home was owned by Levi B. Carle, who arrived in Rock County in 1852. He was very well known in the community as he worked in growing and developing the tobacco industry in Janesville. Later he would take on the role of President of First National Bank and then President of the Janesville Machine Company. His son would then inherit both the house and the tobacco business.

The murals in downtown Janesville are part of the “Heart of the City Outdoor Art Campaign” which started in 2009. There are three murals in the original campaign that represent a decade each in the founding of Janesville. One additional mural was added to represent women during these years. Each mural resembles what made the community grow economically. The murals are 22 feet by 29 feet and are printed on UV-coated vinyl and wrapped around aluminum frames.

Prior to the opening of Oak Hill Cemetery in 1851, this was the site of the cemetery for early settlers. The graves and bodies were moved to the new cemetery, and in 1859 an Italianate style high school, known as Jefferson School, was built. The building was demolished in 1947 and converted to a park.

This Andrew Carnegie funded library is built in a neo-classical style, reminiscent of many courthouses, museums, and government buildings around the turn of the century.

George Shurtleff was one of the few individuals to take advantage of Janesville`s dairy industry in the nineteenth century. In 1878, he established the Shurtleff Ice Cream Company on South Main St. and became one of the most successful candy and ice cream sellers in Southern Wisconsin.

This park was one of the very first and at the time rare commitments to open spaces in Janesville. Created around the 1830s, before the Nolen plan was implemented, the Lower Courthouse Park was taken up by the Rock County Courthouse and decreased over time from the original acres attributed to it, as space was needed for more city development in the 19th century. Between the 1830s and 1920s, only seventeen acres would be added to the park development in Janesville.

This Greek Revival Style residence once belonged to George Barnes, who is best-known as the contractor for the Tallman House located on Jackson Street. This house, built in 1853, is notable for it's original Doric columnns which carry the small entrance portico; this is one of only two Doric porticoes to survive in Rock County.

This house was built in 1900 and owned by Archie Reid, a Scottish well-to-do merchant, and importer of horses. The rock faced corner turret of the house is it's most prominent feature.

The original courthouse was built in 1842 and burned down in 1859. A second one was built in it's place in 1871.The second courthouse was demolished in 1957 after the construction of the current building.

This is one of Janesville's more elegant examples of the Italianate style, built in 1864. Thomas Lappin, the owner, was Janesville's first merchant.

The Lovejoy Residence is a charming two and a half-story brick house. The first two stories of the building are composed of the crème style brick and the rest is built with multi-textured wood and shingles. This house features two porches: a wrap around porch on the first level and another porch on the second level.