Janesville, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Janesville is a city in southern Wisconsin
, United States
. It is the county seat
of Rock County
and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.
Janesville was the site of the first Wisconsin State Fair
in 1851, attended by approximately 10,000 people.
Lavinia Goodell
, Wisconsin's first female lawyer (1874), lived in Janesville.
A tree that once stood in downtown Courthouse Park was the site of a lynch mob that hanged a convicted murderer in 1859. In 1992, television journalist Geraldo Rivera
was arrested for battery after an altercation during his coverage of a Ku Klux Klan
rally in Janesville. The location of a related cross burning in 1992 is now "Peace Park" with a playground and a peace pole
, said to be the world's tallest at 52 feet.
of 2005, there were 60,000 residents, 23,894 occupied housing units, and 15,743 families in the city. The population density
was 2,160.6 people per square mile (834.1/km²). There were 25,083 housing units at an average density of 910.9 per square mile (351.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.27% White, 1.26% Black or African American
, 0.25% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races
, and 1.22% from two or more races. 2.64% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
Of the 23,894 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51.1% were married couples
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, with 9.7% individuals aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,961, and the median income for a family was $55,133. Males had a median income of $40,910 versus $26,423 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,224. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 and over.
can be found in Janesville. The 1857 Lincoln-Tallman House
, which models the Italian Villa-style architecture, is one of 34 sites on the Register. Abraham Lincoln
slept there for two nights. The Columbus Circle neighborhood became Janesville's tenth historic district in 2005. The former Janesville Public Library, a Carnegie library
built in 1902, was designed by J.T.W. Jennings
.
and Woodman's Food Market
.
(JTS), which also connects with neighboring Beloit and Milton. Van Galder Bus Company
(a Coach USA
company), based in Janesville, operates a regional bus service between Madison
and downtown Chicago
, Chicago O'Hare Airport, and Midway Airport.
Interstate 90
/39
passes through Janesville, as do U.S. Hwy 14
and 51
and state Hwy 26 and 11. Just south of Janesville is Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport
.
The closest airports with commercial air service are Dane County Regional Airport
in Madison
and Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Illinois
.
(the Beloit Daily News
being the other), and serves a regional market stretching into Walworth County
. Delavan
-based Community Shoppers, Inc. publishes the bi-weekly Janesville Messenger.
Janesville has two television stations licensed to the city; CW
affiliate WBUW
(Channel 57), which has its offices and transmitter in Madison and serves all of south-central Wisconsin, and W65EE (Channel 65), a low-power translator station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network
. Many radio stations also serve Janesville.
Janesville is known as "Wisconsin's Park Place" or "City of Parks". Its 2015 acres (8.2 km²) park system includes 53 improved parks, as well as boat launches, golf courses, and nature trails. This is one of the highest acreages per capita in Wisconsin.
Janesville has a public, internationally-themed botanical garden, Rotary Gardens
, that was created from an abandoned sand pit.
Traxler Park is home to the Rock Aqua Jays
, a water ski
team which has been U.S. national champion 16 times. The team originated and regularly hosts the National Show Ski championships. Traxler Park is also home to the Fourth of July festivities.
Other major parks include Riverside Park, a recreational park along the Rock River including a golf
course and a segment of the Ice Age Trail
; Rockport Park, largely undeveloped, including the municipal swimming pool and Peace Park; Monterey Park, including the Big Rock, an early natural landmark signalling a good ford
of the Rock River (and the namesake of the county, but not the river), as well as a sports stadium used by the school system; Lustig Park, used for a disc golf
course; and Palmer Park, which includes a 9-hole golf course and Camden Park (an accessible play area). Most of the parks in the city are linked by a paved bike trail, which will eventually connect to Beloit
.
Janesville also features a nearly 500-acre greenbelt system to provide areas for surface water runoff, and to provide habitat for a diversity of plants and animals.
The Janesville School District has twelve elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools and five charter schools. The Janesville Academy for International Studies, a charter high school that focuses on teaching global perspectives, and the Guide Language Center, which offers over 10 foreign languages, are both located downtown. TAGOS Leadership Academy
is a project-based
charter school that is located in Arrow Park. In addition, there are a number of parochial schools throughout the city.
The Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been located in Janesville since 1850. A two-year community college, the University of Wisconsin–Rock County, located on the southwest side of Janesville, is part of the University of Wisconsin System
. A two-year technical college, Blackhawk Technical College
, is located midway between Janesville and Beloit; Blackhawk also offers degree programs through Upper Iowa University
.
and other donors. The city also agreed to appropriate $3,000 for library operations. The library then moved to its first official home across from the Rock County Court House on Main Street. When it outgrew these quarters in the early 1960s, a new library was built in 1968 at 316 S. Main Street.
Just 20 years later, the library began planning for expanded space. With $4.6 million donated by Don and Gerry Hedberg, local philanthropists, as well as city and other donated monies, an expanded and completely renovated library was opened in 1996. Janesville's public library was then renamed Hedberg Public Library
in honor of its largest contributors.
, followed by the Janesville School District. Other major employers include SSI Technologies, Bourns Automotive, and the hazardous materials equipment distributor Lab Safety Supply. A Simmons Bedding Company factory and other manufacturing companies are also major employers. Janesville-based Swing'n'Slide, a maker of wood-and-plastic playground equipment, is a subsidiary of Playcore, Inc. Janesville is also the home of Hufcor (formerly Hough Shade Company), a manufacturer of room dividers
that markets internationally; Gray's Brewing, maker of boutique beers and soft drinks.
Regional employers include Blain's Farm and Fleet
, a three-state retail chain with headquarters and a distribution center in Janesville; and Woodman's Food Market
, a regional supermarket chain, which built its first store in Janesville.
On June 3, 2008, General Motors
announced plans to close the Janesville assembly
plant as part of a significant restructuring effort. Begun in 1919, when GM bought the Janesville Machine Company and merged it with the Samson Tractor Company, the Janesville plant was the oldest General Motors plant in North America. It assembled large trucks and sport utility vehicles, which have declined in popularity as gasoline prices increased. The Janesville GM plant was closed in December 2008. Its last produced vehicle, a Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle, rolled off the assembly line on December 23, 2008.
The Parker Pen Company
was founded in Janesville; at one time its Main Street factory was the largest writing instrument plant in the world. The company later purchased Manpower, Inc., but eventually sold the pen business to Gillette
and no longer operates in Janesville. It is now owned by the British company, Sanford. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
was founded in Janesville in 1857 but moved to Milwaukee two years later.
The Janesville Mall
redeveloped in the late 1990s, and in 1998 Pine Tree Plaza opened. In November 2006, a Super Wal-Mart and a Sam's Club
opened after a period of controversy. The site of the former Janesville Oasis, known for Bessie, a large fiberglass cow at its entrance, began redevelopment in 2007; the anchor tenant is a Super Menards
. Bessie the cow was spared by popular demand.
. The oldest is St. Patrick's Parish, established in a log chapel in 1844 when there were only six Catholic families in Janesville. St. Patrick's present church was built of cream colored brick in 1863 and is located at 315 Cherry Street. Located on a hill near the center of town, the architecturally prominent Nativity of Mary Parish (St. Mary's) was organized in 1876 by German immigrants who wanted a parish of their own. The present red brick structure was completed in 1902. The remaining two Janesville parishes include St. John Vianney Parish located on East Racine Street and St. William Parish on the near west side.
The city is also home to many other Christian churches including Lutheran
, Methodist
, Episcopalian, Baptist
, and others. The Seventh Day Baptist
General Conference has its offices in Janesville; the denomination's nearest church is in Milton
. All Saints Anglican Catholic Church a part of the continuing Anglican movement, is located in a historic church near downtown that was built by German Lutherans in the 1880s.
There are three cemeteries in Janesville: Oak Hill, a Protestant cemetery, Mount Olivet
, a Roman Catholic cemetery, and Milton Lawns, a non-demominational cemetery.
The Gideon Bible organization was founded at the Janesville YMCA
in 1899 by Janesville resident John H. Nicholson and a Beloit
man after they had shared a Boscobel
hotel room.
In 1994, a white buffalo
dubbed Miracle was born at the Heider family farm just outside Janesville. Miracle lived until 2004. She was frequently visited by Native American
ceremonial groups because of sacred symbolism of white buffaloes in many Native American religion
s. Another unrelated white buffalo, named Miracle's Second Chance, was born at the same farm in 2006, but died in a lightning strike later that year.
, an expansion team in the North American Hockey League
, with games played at the Janesville Ice Arena
. The Janesville Cubs
, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs
, was based in Janesville from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1953. They were called the Bears in 1946. Janesville Lacrosse Club
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Rock County
Rock County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....
and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 62,998.
History
Janesville was founded in 1835 on the east bank of the Rock River. Named for an early settler, Henry Janes, early development depended on water power from the river and an early territorial road that included the first bridge across the Rock River.Janesville was the site of the first Wisconsin State Fair
Wisconsin State Fair
The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August and lasts 11 days.-History:...
in 1851, attended by approximately 10,000 people.
Lavinia Goodell
Lavinia Goodell
Rhoda Lavinia Goodell was the first woman licensed to practice law in Wisconsin....
, Wisconsin's first female lawyer (1874), lived in Janesville.
A tree that once stood in downtown Courthouse Park was the site of a lynch mob that hanged a convicted murderer in 1859. In 1992, television journalist Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
was arrested for battery after an altercation during his coverage of a Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
rally in Janesville. The location of a related cross burning in 1992 is now "Peace Park" with a playground and a peace pole
Peace pole
A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth” in the language of the country where it has been placed, and usually 3 to 5 additional translations. The message is referred to as a peace prayer....
, said to be the world's tallest at 52 feet.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2005, there were 60,000 residents, 23,894 occupied housing units, and 15,743 families in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,160.6 people per square mile (834.1/km²). There were 25,083 housing units at an average density of 910.9 per square mile (351.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.27% White, 1.26% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.25% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.22% from two or more races. 2.64% of the population were Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
Of the 23,894 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, with 9.7% individuals aged 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,961, and the median income for a family was $55,133. Males had a median income of $40,910 versus $26,423 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,224. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 and over.
Architecture
Twenty percent of Wisconsin's buildings listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
can be found in Janesville. The 1857 Lincoln-Tallman House
Lincoln-Tallman House
The Lincoln-Tallman House is famous because U.S. President Abraham Lincoln slept there for two days. The Tallman house had five family members and two servants, which were brother and sister...
, which models the Italian Villa-style architecture, is one of 34 sites on the Register. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
slept there for two nights. The Columbus Circle neighborhood became Janesville's tenth historic district in 2005. The former Janesville Public Library, a Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
built in 1902, was designed by J.T.W. Jennings
J.T.W. Jennings
J.T.W. Jennings was the Milwaukee Road's architect from 1885 to 1893, and was part-time supervising architect for the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1899-1906. He contributed to many prominent campus buildings....
.
Economy
Companies based in Janesville include Mercy Health SystemMercy Health System
Mercy Health System is a non-profit health care provider and hospital based in Janesville, Wisconsin, with over 63 facilities in 22 communities.- History :...
and Woodman's Food Market
Woodman's Food Market
Woodman's Food Market is an employee-owned supermarket chain in Wisconsin and northern Illinois, operating thirteen warehouse stores. Supermarket News ranked Woodman's No. 75 in the 2009 list "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on revenue generated in the 2008 fiscal year...
.
Largest Employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercy Health System Mercy Health System Mercy Health System is a non-profit health care provider and hospital based in Janesville, Wisconsin, with over 63 facilities in 22 communities.- History :... |
3,767 |
| 2 | Janesville School District | 1,512 |
| 3 | Rock County Rock County, Wisconsin -Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.... |
1,174 |
| 4 | GHC Specialty Brands (Lab Safety Supply) | 831 |
| 5 | City of Jansville | 514 |
| 6 | Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000... /Sam's Club Sam's Club Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members... |
465 |
| 7 | J.P. Cullen & Sons | 424 |
| 8 | Seneca Foods Seneca Foods Seneca Foods Corporation is a leading low-cost food processor and distributor headquartered in Marion, New York, USA. The company primarily produces canned, frozen, and bottled produce under private label as well as national and regional brands that the company owns or licenses, including Seneca,... |
415 |
| 9 | Lemans | 415 |
| 10 | Dean Health Systems | 411 |
Transportation
Janesville operates a bus system, the Janesville Transit SystemJanesville Transit System
The Janesville Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation in Janesville, Wisconsin. Using twenty vehicles, six regular routes are provided from Monday through Saturday. Late evening service is also available using the Nightline route deviation service...
(JTS), which also connects with neighboring Beloit and Milton. Van Galder Bus Company
Van Galder Bus Company
Van Galder Bus Company, legally Sam Van Galder, Inc. is a subsidiary of Coach USA, headquarterd in Janesville, Wisconsin. It had been a family-owned business for over 50 years, until it was sold in 1999 to the Stagecoach Group, who retained Stephen Van Galder as president, under the Coach USA banner...
(a Coach USA
Coach USA
Coach USA LLC is a holding company for various American transportation service providers providing scheduled intercity bus service, local and commuter bus transit, city sightseeing, tour, yellow school bus, and charter bus service...
company), based in Janesville, operates a regional bus service between Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Chicago O'Hare Airport, and Midway Airport.
Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
/39
Interstate 39
Interstate 39 is a highway in the midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois at Interstate 55 to Highway 29 in Rothschild, Wisconsin, approximately six miles south of Wausau. I-39 was designed to replace US Highway 51, which in the early 1980s was one of the busiest two-lane...
passes through Janesville, as do U.S. Hwy 14
U.S. Route 14
U.S. Route 14 , an east–west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It currently has a length of 1,398 miles , but it had a peak length of 1,429 miles . For much of its length, it runs roughly parallel to Interstate 90.As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is in...
and 51
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,286 miles from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana to within of the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Much of the highway in Illinois and southern Wisconsin runs parallel to or overlaps Interstate 39...
and state Hwy 26 and 11. Just south of Janesville is Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport
Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport
Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport is a public airport located southwest of the central business district of Janesville, and north of Beloit in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. Formerly known as Rock County Airport, it is owned and operated by the Rock County government...
.
The closest airports with commercial air service are Dane County Regional Airport
Dane County Regional Airport
-Statistics:-External links:* Dane County Regional Airport: * Wisconsin Airport Directory: * * - Listen live to Madison's Air Traffic Control...
in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
.
Media
The Janesville Gazette, owned by Bliss Communications, is one of two daily newspapers in Rock County, WisconsinRock County, Wisconsin
-Unincorporated communities:-Further reading:* . Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908.* Brown, William F. , Chicago: Cooper, 1908....
(the Beloit Daily News
Beloit Daily News
The Beloit Daily News is a daily newspaper that has served Beloit, Wisconsin and the stateline area since 1848.-History:The Daily News grew out of a series of weekly and daily newspapers founded in the 1840s and 1850s. The Beloit Journal was first published in June 1848 as a weekly...
being the other), and serves a regional market stretching into Walworth County
Walworth County, Wisconsin
Walworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2010, the population was 102,228. Its county seat is Elkhorn.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Delavan
Delavan, Wisconsin
Delavan is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,463 at the 2010 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Delavan.-Economy:Delavan is home to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf, and Andes Candies.-History:...
-based Community Shoppers, Inc. publishes the bi-weekly Janesville Messenger.
Janesville has two television stations licensed to the city; CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
affiliate WBUW
WBUW
WBUW is a television station affiliated with The CW. Though licensed to Janesville, Wisconsin, the station is branded as Madison's CW, and serves all of Madison, south-central Wisconsin, and portions of Northern Illinois...
(Channel 57), which has its offices and transmitter in Madison and serves all of south-central Wisconsin, and W65EE (Channel 65), a low-power translator station of the Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
. Many radio stations also serve Janesville.
Parks
Janesville has a public, internationally-themed botanical garden, Rotary Gardens
Rotary Gardens
Rotary Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located in Janesville, Wisconsin that is open to the public. It was established by the Janesville Noon Rotary Club on the grounds of a defunct quarry....
, that was created from an abandoned sand pit.
Traxler Park is home to the Rock Aqua Jays
Rock Aqua Jays
The Rock Aqua Jays Water Ski Team of Janesville, Wisconsin is a successful amateur water ski club. The club has around 150 members.The Rock Aqua Jays originated the national tournament of the National Show Ski Association, and have hosted it in Janesville 22 of the 32 times it has been held...
, a water ski
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
team which has been U.S. national champion 16 times. The team originated and regularly hosts the National Show Ski championships. Traxler Park is also home to the Fourth of July festivities.
Other major parks include Riverside Park, a recreational park along the Rock River including a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course and a segment of the Ice Age Trail
Ice Age Trail
The Ice Age Trail is a designated National Scenic Trail in the United States that will run some through the state of Wisconsin once completed. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by numerous private and public agencies including, most notably,...
; Rockport Park, largely undeveloped, including the municipal swimming pool and Peace Park; Monterey Park, including the Big Rock, an early natural landmark signalling a good ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
of the Rock River (and the namesake of the county, but not the river), as well as a sports stadium used by the school system; Lustig Park, used for a disc golf
Disc golf
Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...
course; and Palmer Park, which includes a 9-hole golf course and Camden Park (an accessible play area). Most of the parks in the city are linked by a paved bike trail, which will eventually connect to Beloit
Beloit, Wisconsin
Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, Beloit had a population of 36,966. The greater Beloit area is home to more than 91,000 residents.-Claim to fame:...
.
Janesville also features a nearly 500-acre greenbelt system to provide areas for surface water runoff, and to provide habitat for a diversity of plants and animals.
Education
TAGOS Leadership Academy
TAGOS Leadership Academy is a project-based charter school in the city of Janesville, Wisconsin. The school is housed in the former Parker Pen Company facility, now known as the Arrow Park Complex...
is a project-based
Project-based learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
charter school that is located in Arrow Park. In addition, there are a number of parochial schools throughout the city.
The Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been located in Janesville since 1850. A two-year community college, the University of Wisconsin–Rock County, located on the southwest side of Janesville, is part of the University of Wisconsin System
University of Wisconsin System
The University of Wisconsin System is a university system of public universities in the state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher education systems in the country, enrolling more than 182,000 students each year and employing more than 32,000 faculty and staff statewide...
. A two-year technical college, Blackhawk Technical College
Blackhawk Technical College
Blackhawk Technical College is a technical college in Rock County, Wisconsin and a component of the Wisconsin Technical College System...
, is located midway between Janesville and Beloit; Blackhawk also offers degree programs through Upper Iowa University
Upper Iowa University
Established in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private institution of higher education with its residential campus located in northeast Iowa near the Volga River in the rural community of Fayette, where around 900 students are enrolled....
.
Hedberg Public Library
The library began in 1865 as a privately supported reading room for the Young Men's Library Association. After a referendum passed in 1884, it became a public library that was housed in rented quarters. In 1903, a new building was constructed with $30,000 from Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
and other donors. The city also agreed to appropriate $3,000 for library operations. The library then moved to its first official home across from the Rock County Court House on Main Street. When it outgrew these quarters in the early 1960s, a new library was built in 1968 at 316 S. Main Street.
Just 20 years later, the library began planning for expanded space. With $4.6 million donated by Don and Gerry Hedberg, local philanthropists, as well as city and other donated monies, an expanded and completely renovated library was opened in 1996. Janesville's public library was then renamed Hedberg Public Library
Hedberg Public Library
The Hedberg Public Library is a public library located in Janesville, Wisconsin.-History:The library's origins date back to 1865, when it was a privately supported reading room for The Young Men's Association...
in honor of its largest contributors.
Business and industry
Janesville's largest employer is the Mercy Health SystemMercy Health System
Mercy Health System is a non-profit health care provider and hospital based in Janesville, Wisconsin, with over 63 facilities in 22 communities.- History :...
, followed by the Janesville School District. Other major employers include SSI Technologies, Bourns Automotive, and the hazardous materials equipment distributor Lab Safety Supply. A Simmons Bedding Company factory and other manufacturing companies are also major employers. Janesville-based Swing'n'Slide, a maker of wood-and-plastic playground equipment, is a subsidiary of Playcore, Inc. Janesville is also the home of Hufcor (formerly Hough Shade Company), a manufacturer of room dividers
Room Dividers
Room dividers are used by interior designers and architects as means to divide space into separate distinct areas.There are a number of different types of room dividers such as cubicle partitions, pipe and drape screens, shoji screens, and walls. Plants, shelves or railings might also be used as...
that markets internationally; Gray's Brewing, maker of boutique beers and soft drinks.
Regional employers include Blain's Farm and Fleet
Blain's Farm and Fleet
Blain's Farm & Fleet is a regional chain of 34 retail stores in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. The stores sell agricultural supplies and equipment, hunting and fishing equipment, appliances, houseware, automotive goods, apparel, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, candy,...
, a three-state retail chain with headquarters and a distribution center in Janesville; and Woodman's Food Market
Woodman's Food Market
Woodman's Food Market is an employee-owned supermarket chain in Wisconsin and northern Illinois, operating thirteen warehouse stores. Supermarket News ranked Woodman's No. 75 in the 2009 list "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on revenue generated in the 2008 fiscal year...
, a regional supermarket chain, which built its first store in Janesville.
On June 3, 2008, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
announced plans to close the Janesville assembly
Janesville Assembly
Janesville Assembly Plant is an automobile factory owned by General Motors located in Janesville, Wisconsin. Opened in 1919, it is the oldest-operating GM plant.-History:...
plant as part of a significant restructuring effort. Begun in 1919, when GM bought the Janesville Machine Company and merged it with the Samson Tractor Company, the Janesville plant was the oldest General Motors plant in North America. It assembled large trucks and sport utility vehicles, which have declined in popularity as gasoline prices increased. The Janesville GM plant was closed in December 2008. Its last produced vehicle, a Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle, rolled off the assembly line on December 23, 2008.
The Parker Pen Company
Parker Pen Company
The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of pens, founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. It is currently owned by Newell Rubbermaid, and headquartered in Newhaven, East Sussex, England.-History:...
was founded in Janesville; at one time its Main Street factory was the largest writing instrument plant in the world. The company later purchased Manpower, Inc., but eventually sold the pen business to Gillette
Global Gillette
Gillette is a brand of Procter & Gamble currently used for safety razors, among other personal care products. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was one of several brands originally owned by The Gillette Company, a leading global supplier of products under various brands, which was...
and no longer operates in Janesville. It is now owned by the British company, Sanford. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company
Northwestern Mutual is a mutual company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that offers financial services, including life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, mutual funds, and employee benefit services...
was founded in Janesville in 1857 but moved to Milwaukee two years later.
The Janesville Mall
Janesville Mall
Janesville Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. Opened in 1973, the mall currently features more than 68 tenants, including Boston Store, J. C...
redeveloped in the late 1990s, and in 1998 Pine Tree Plaza opened. In November 2006, a Super Wal-Mart and a Sam's Club
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...
opened after a period of controversy. The site of the former Janesville Oasis, known for Bessie, a large fiberglass cow at its entrance, began redevelopment in 2007; the anchor tenant is a Super Menards
Menards
Menards is a chain of home improvement stores in the Midwestern United States.The privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin has 262 stores in 13 states: Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, and...
. Bessie the cow was spared by popular demand.
Religion
There are four Roman Catholic parishes in Janesville, all part of the Diocese of MadisonRoman Catholic Diocese of Madison
The Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, is the Roman Catholic Diocese for the southwest corner of Wisconsin. It comprises Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, LaFayette, Marquette, Rock and Sauk counties. The area of the diocese is approximately...
. The oldest is St. Patrick's Parish, established in a log chapel in 1844 when there were only six Catholic families in Janesville. St. Patrick's present church was built of cream colored brick in 1863 and is located at 315 Cherry Street. Located on a hill near the center of town, the architecturally prominent Nativity of Mary Parish (St. Mary's) was organized in 1876 by German immigrants who wanted a parish of their own. The present red brick structure was completed in 1902. The remaining two Janesville parishes include St. John Vianney Parish located on East Racine Street and St. William Parish on the near west side.
The city is also home to many other Christian churches including Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
, Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, Episcopalian, Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, and others. The Seventh Day Baptist
Seventh Day Baptist
Seventh Day Baptists are Christian Baptists who observe Sabbath on the seventh-day of the week in accord with their understanding of the Biblical Sabbath for the Judeo-Christian tradition...
General Conference has its offices in Janesville; the denomination's nearest church is in Milton
Milton, Wisconsin
Milton is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,090 at the 2000 census .-History:The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction...
. All Saints Anglican Catholic Church a part of the continuing Anglican movement, is located in a historic church near downtown that was built by German Lutherans in the 1880s.
There are three cemeteries in Janesville: Oak Hill, a Protestant cemetery, Mount Olivet
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Janesville)
Mount Olivet Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery in Janesville, Wisconsin. It is located on the west side of the Rock River at 1827 North Washington Street. The cemetery is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison Cemeteries....
, a Roman Catholic cemetery, and Milton Lawns, a non-demominational cemetery.
The Gideon Bible organization was founded at the Janesville YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
in 1899 by Janesville resident John H. Nicholson and a Beloit
Beloit, Wisconsin
Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, Beloit had a population of 36,966. The greater Beloit area is home to more than 91,000 residents.-Claim to fame:...
man after they had shared a Boscobel
Boscobel, Wisconsin
Boscobel is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,047 at the 2000 census. Approximately 0.6 mi. to the north of the city, across a riparian swamp, is the Wisconsin River. U.S. Route 61 crosses the Wisconsin River at Boscobel. To the south, the city is...
hotel room.
In 1994, a white buffalo
White buffalo
White buffalo are American bison that are considered to be sacred signs in several Native American religions, and thus have great spiritual importance in those cultures and are visited for prayer and other religious ceremonies...
dubbed Miracle was born at the Heider family farm just outside Janesville. Miracle lived until 2004. She was frequently visited by Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
ceremonial groups because of sacred symbolism of white buffaloes in many Native American religion
Native American religion
Traditional Native American religions exhibit a great deal of diversity, largely due to the relative isolation of the different tribes that were spread out across the entire breadth of the North American continent for thousands of years, allowing for the evolution of different beliefs and practices...
s. Another unrelated white buffalo, named Miracle's Second Chance, was born at the same farm in 2006, but died in a lightning strike later that year.
Sports
In fall 2009, Janesville became home to the Janesville JetsJanesville Jets
The Janesville Jets are a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. Based in Janesville, Wisconsin, their home games are played at the Janesville Ice Arena.-History:...
, an expansion team in the North American Hockey League
North American Hockey League
The North American Hockey League is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is enterting its 36th season in 2011-12. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States Hockey League...
, with games played at the Janesville Ice Arena
Janesville Ice Arena
Janesville Ice Arena is an ice arena and skating center in Janesville Wisconsin. It is home to high school and youth hockey programs and now the Janesville Jets NAHL hockey team. The rink is located at 821 Beloit AveJanesville, Wisconsin...
. The Janesville Cubs
Janesville Cubs
The Janesville Cubs were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1941 to 1942 and from 1947 to 1953. They played in the Wisconsin State League and were affiliated with the Chicago Cubs. They were based in Janesville, Wisconsin. They played their home games at the Rock County 4H...
, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, was based in Janesville from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1953. They were called the Bears in 1946. Janesville Lacrosse Club
Notable natives and residents
- David AdamanyDavid AdamanyDavid Adamany was Temple University's eighth president, and the 8th president of Wayne State University. One of Wayne State University's libraries, David Adamany Undergraduate Library, was his creation....
, president of Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
2000-2006 - William A. BarstowWilliam A. BarstowWilliam Augustus Barstow was the third Governor of Wisconsin and a Union Army General during the American Civil War.-Early life:Barstow was born in Plainfield, Connecticut...
, Governor of WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Union ArmyUnion ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
general - Mistie BassMistie BassMistie Bass is an American professional women's basketball player for the Chicago Sky in the WNBA. She is the daughter of Pam Bass, and Ernest Evans, the music legend also known as Chubby Checker. She was born Mistie McCray Bass in Janesville, Wisconsin.-High school:Bass graduated from George S...
(Mistie Willliams), WNBAWomen's National Basketball AssociationThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
player - Leslie Allen BellrichardLeslie Allen BellrichardLeslie Allen Bellrichard was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.-Biography:...
, Medal of Honor recipient, Vietnam - Redwald BleasdaleRedwald BleasdaleRedwald Bleasdale served in the United States Army during World War I. He would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the Second Battle of the Marne.His award citation reads:...
, Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
recipient - Victor BleasdaleVictor BleasdaleVictor Bleasdale was a officer in the United States Marine Corps. He was awarded the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge in World War I, later he would receive a second Navy Cross for his service during the Second Nicaraguan Campaign.His...
, Navy CrossNavy CrossThe Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
and Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United States)The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
recipient - Frank BlissFrank BlissFrank Eugene Bliss was a major league baseball player for two games in 1878 for the Milwaukee Grays.He played one game at catcher, making one error, and one game at third base, with no errors. He was 1 for 8 with one run scored.Bliss played college baseball for the University of Michigan.He is...
, MLB player - James H. BuddJames BuddJames Herbert Budd was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. Involved in federal and state politics, Budd was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd California district from 1883 to 1885, and later elected as the 19th Governor of California from 1895 until...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
governor, 1895–1899 - Stephen BollesStephen BollesStephen Bolles was a newspaper editor, and later a congressman from Wisconsin.Born in Springboro, Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Bolles attended the public schools; was graduated from the State Normal School of Pennsylvania at Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, in 1888 and from the law department of...
, congressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, 1939–1941 - Frank Matteson BostwickFrank Matteson BostwickFrank Matteson Bostwick was a Commodore in the United States Navy.-Biography:Bostwick was born on in Janesville, Wisconsin. He married Elvira Gregg Hartwell on August 14, 1879...
, U.S. Navy Commodore - Bob CarrMilton Robert CarrMilton Robert Carr, commonly known as Bob Carr, is a lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Carr served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 6th and 8th congressional districts for eight terms and one term, respectively. Carr's career in the U.S...
, congressman from MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
1975-1981, 1983–1995 - John B. CassodayJohn B. CassodayJohn B. Cassoday was a Wisconsin politician and jurist.Born in Herkimer County, New York, Cassoday graduated from the Albany Law School and moved to Janesville, Wisconsin where he practiced law. In 1865 and in 1877, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly; he served as speaker in the 1877...
, Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme CourtWisconsin Supreme CourtThe Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in the state of Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.-Location:... - John Henry ComstockJohn Henry ComstockJohn Henry Comstock was an eminent researcher in entomology and arachnology and a leading educator. His work provided the basis for classification of butterflies, moths, and scale insects.-Early life and education:...
, entomologist - Harmon Sweatland Conger, U.S. Representative from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
- James E. CroftJames E. CroftJames E. Croft was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Allatoona....
, Medal of Honor recipient, Civil War - Tommy CroninTommy CroninTommy Cronin was a halfback in the National Football League.-Career:Cronin played with the Green Bay Packers during the 1922 NFL season. He played at collegiate level at Marquette University and Loras College....
, NFL player - Tim CullenTimothy Cullen (Wisconsin politician)Timothy Cullen is a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 15th District since 2011, and previously from 1975 through 1989.-Early life, education and career:...
, majority leader of the Wisconsin Senate from 1981 to 1987 - Moxie DaltonMoxie DaltonMoxie Dalton was a blocking back in the National Football League. He played with the Racine Legion during the 1922 NFL season.-References:...
, NFL player - Tim DavisTim Davis (musician)Tim Davis was a drummer, singer and songwriter, most notable as a co-founder of The Steve Miller Band.- History :...
(1943–1988), drummer, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and co-founder of The Steve Miller Band - Gerald L. EndlGerald L. EndlGerald Leon Endl was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.-Biography:...
, Medal of Honor recipient, World War II - Russ FeingoldRuss FeingoldRussell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
, former DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. SenatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, 1993–2011 - Clayton FisherClayton FisherClayton Fisher was an officer in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the USS Hornet . He would be awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle of Midway.His award citation reads:...
, Navy CrossNavy CrossThe Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
recipient - Jim FitzgeraldJim FitzgeraldJames F. Fitzgerald is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as a former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors, both NBA teams.-Early life:...
, former owner of the Milwaukee BucksMilwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
and the Golden State WarriorsGolden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association... - Gloria FosterGloria FosterGloria Foster was an American actress, most known for her stage performances portraying an array of African-American characters, including her acclaimed roles in plays In White America and Having Our Say, winning three Obie Awards during her career.In films, she was perhaps best known as The...
, actress - Stan FoxStan FoxStan Fox was a United States open wheel race car driver. Fox was one of the last links between the midget car racing world and the Indianapolis 500.-Midget car career:...
, race car driver, eight-time starter at the Indianapolis 500Indianapolis 500The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana... - Tucker FredricksTucker FredricksTucker Fredricks is an American speed skater who competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics.Tucker is a 2002 graduate of Joseph A. Craig High School in Janesville. He began skating in 1994 when a friend of his father's took him skating in lieu of playing hockey...
, 2006, 2010 Olympic speedskater - Theodore W. GoldinTheodore W. GoldinTheodore W. Goldin served in the United States Army during the American Indian Wars. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of the Little Bighorn.-Early and personal life:...
, Medal of Honor recipient, Indian Wars - Lavinia GoodellLavinia GoodellRhoda Lavinia Goodell was the first woman licensed to practice law in Wisconsin....
, first woman licensed to practice law in Wisconsin - William GoodellWilliam GoodellWilliam Goodell was an abolitionist and reformer born in Coventry, New York on October 3, 1792. Goodell spent several years of his early childhood confined to his room due to illness. It was during this confinement that he first discovered an appreciation for religion and writing...
, abolitionist - Gilbert N. HaugenGilbert N. HaugenGilbert Nelson Haugen was a seventeen-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district, then located in northeastern Iowa. For nearly five years, he was the longest-serving member of the House...
, U.S. Representative from IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... - Fred HaynerFred HaynerFred Ames Hayner , was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in one game, on August 19, 1890 with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League. He pitched four innings in relief and allowed nine runs, six of which were earned....
. baseball player - Ken HendricksKen HendricksKenneth A. Hendricks was a businessman who grew a shingle supply company into a $2.6 billion fortune and a spot on the Forbes 400...
, Forbes 400Forbes 400The Forbes 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by Forbes Magazine magazine of the wealthiest 400 Americans, ranked by net worth. The list is published annually in September, and 2010 marks the 29th issue. The 400 was started by Malcom Forbes in 1982 and treats those in the list like...
businessman (roofinWikipedia:WikiProject Cities/Guidelineg supplies) - Larry HoughLarry HoughLawrence "Larry" Alan Hough is an American rower who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics and in the 1972 Summer Olympics.He was born in Janesville, Wisconsin....
, OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
medalist - Lawrence A. Hough, president of Sallie MaeSLM CorporationSLM Corporation is a publicly traded U.S. corporation whose operations are originating, servicing and collecting on student loans.Managing more than $180.4 billion in debt for more than 10 million borrowers, the company primarily provided federally guaranteed student loans originated under the...
1990-1997 - Carrie Jacobs Bond, songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, born in Janesville in 1862 - Paul JanusPaul Janus (American football)Paul Janus Paul Janus Paul Janus (born Paul Scott Janus is a former player in the National Football League. He played with the Carolina Panthers during the 1998 NFL season. The following year he was a member of the Detroit Lions, but did not see any playing time during the regular season.-References:...
, NFL player - John JohnsonJohn Johnson (Union Army)John Johnson served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Fredericksburg.Johnson was born on March 25, 1842 in Norway...
, Medal of Honor recipient, Civil War - Jacob G. Karras, Founder and Owner of Sharks Promotional Products
- Tad KublerTad KublerTad Kubler is an American guitarist, known for his work with Lifter Puller, Song of Zarathustra, and, most-notably, The Hold Steady. He grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.-Education:...
, guitarist for The Hold SteadyThe Hold SteadyThe Hold Steady is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2004. The band consists of Craig Finn , Tad Kubler , Galen Polivka , Bobby Drake , and Steve Selvidge... - Travis KvapilTravis KvapilTravis Kvapil is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
, NASCARNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver - Walter Lees, early aviator
- Don L. LoveDon Lathrop LoveDon Lathrop Love was mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska in two non-consecutive terms, 1909–11 and 1929-31. He was born in Janesville, Wisconsin, on March 7, 1863, and died in Lincoln on September 12, 1940....
, mayor of Lincoln, NebraskaLincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. - Jenkin Lloyd JonesJenkin Lloyd Jones (minister)Jenkin Lloyd Jones was a Unitarian minister in the United States. He founded All Souls Unitarian Church in Chicago, Illinois, as well as its community outreach organization, the Abraham Lincoln Centre. A radical modernist, he joined the "Unity Men" and stressed a creedless "ethical basis" as the...
(1843–1918), Unitarian missionary and minister - David W. MárquezDavid W. MárquezDavid W. Márquez is an American lawyer and politician, and the former attorney general of the state of Alaska....
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
attorney generalAttorney GeneralIn most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person... - Max MaxfieldMax MaxfieldMax Maxfield is the Republican Secretary of State of Wyoming.-Biography:A native of Janesville, Wisconsin, Maxfield graduated from Janesville High School in 1963...
, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
Secretary of State (2007-) - Kerwin MathewsKerwin MathewsKerwin Mathews was an American actor best known for playing the titular heroes in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad , The Three Worlds of Gulliver and Jack the Giant Killer .-Life and career:...
, actor - John E. McCoyJohn E. McCoyJohn E. McCoy is a Brigadier General in the United States National Guard and is Assistant Adjutant General of Wisconsin for the Air.-Biography:...
, U.S. Air National Guard general - John MorrisseyJohn Morrissey (baseball)John J. Morrissey was an American Major League Baseball player from Janesville, Wisconsin, who played third base for the Buffalo Bisons. His Major League career lasted 12 games over the course of 13 days. From May 2 to May 12, he batted 47 times, collected 10 hits for a...
, professional baseball player - Tom MorrisseyTom Morrissey (baseball)Tom J. Morrissey was an American Major League Baseball player from Janesville, Wisconsin, who played third base for the Detroit Wolverines of the National League, and the Milwaukee Brewers of the Union Association. In his 14 game Major League career, he batted 54 times, collected...
, professional baseball player - George S. Parker, founder of the Parker Pen Company
- James PondJames Pond (Medal of Honor)James Burton Pond was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. For his actions during the Battle of Baxter Springs, he received the Medal of Honor...
, Medal of Honor recipient, Civil War - Manilla PowersManilla PowersManilla Hartzle Powers was a star of variety shows, revues, vaudeville, and musical comedies in the 1920s and 1930s.She was from Janesville, Wisconsin. Her family came to Janesville sometime between 1898 and 1900. Her father, Michael J. Powers, was a harness maker and her mother, Josephine, was a...
, singer, Vaudeville performer, musical theater comedian - Steve PrestonSteve PrestonSteven C. Preston served as the 14th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2008 to 2009 and the 22nd Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2006 until his appointment as HUD Secretary...
, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentUnited States Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the President's Cabinet, and thirteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Housing...
(2008–2009) - Joe RiggertJoe RiggertJoseph Aloysius Riggert was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Red Sox, Brooklyn Robins, St. Louis Cardinals, and Boston Braves. Riggert also had a long minor league baseball career and accumulated a total of 2,717 hits in the minors...
, MLB player - Thomas H. RugerThomas H. RugerThomas Howard Ruger was an American soldier and lawyer who served as a Union general in the American Civil War. After the war, he was a superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York....
, Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
general and military governor of Georgia - Paul RyanPaul Ryan (politician)Paul Davis Ryan is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party and has been ranked among the party's most influential voices on economic policy....
, RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
congressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for Wisconsin's 1st congressional districtWisconsin's 1st congressional districtWisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Racine County and most of Walworth County, as well as portions of Rock County, Waukesha County and Milwaukee County. The district's...
, 1999–present - Terry RyanTerry Ryan (baseball)Terry Ryan is the general manager for the Minnesota Twins. Ryan is known for using a low payroll and building up the minor league system to put up contending teams. He resigned as general manager of the Twins on October 1, 2007 but returned to the team as interim GM on November 7, 2011.-Early...
, former Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
general manager, currently interim General Manager - Michael J. Sheridan, former speaker of the Wisconsin State AssemblyWisconsin State AssemblyThe Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....
- Peter ShortsPeter ShortsPeter Shorts is a former defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was a member of the New England Patriots during the 1989 NFL season.-References:...
, NFL player - Ithamar C. Sloan, congressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... - A. Hyatt SmithA. Hyatt SmithAbraham Hyatt Smith was an American Democratic politician and businessman from Wisconsin.Born in New York City, Smith studied law and was admitted to the New York bar in 1835. In 1842, he moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he built a mill and practiced law...
, politician and businessman - E. Ray StevensE. Ray StevensE. Ray Stevens was a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.-Biography:Stevens was born Edmund Ray Stevens on June 20, 1869 in Lake County, Illinois. His family later moved to Janesville, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1895. Stevens was married to Kate Sabin....
, Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court - Bob StrampeBob StrampeRobert Edwin "Bob" Strampe is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1972...
, MLB player - Sarah Turner, journalist
- Tom WellingTom WellingThomas John Patrick "Tom" Welling is an American actor, director, producer, and former model, best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent in the WB/CW series Smallville....
, actor, SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
(lived in Janesville briefly during childhood) - John Meek WhiteheadJohn Meek Whitehead-Biography:Whitehead was born on July 29, 1852 to Jacob and Elizabeth Ann Whitehead near Hillsboro, Illinois. He would marry twice, first on July 12, 1881 to Lavinia Fletcher Barrows, who died in 1888, and second to Julet Claire Thorp on May 15, 1919. He died in Janesville, Wisconsin on August 31,...
, Wisconsin State Senate - Edward V. WhitonEdward V. WhitonEdward Vernon Whiton was an American jurist and politician from Wisconsin.Born in South Lee, Massachusetts, Whiton moved to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he practiced law. In 1838-1842, he served in the Wisconsin Territorial House of Representatives and served as speaker. From 1844-1846, he served...
, Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court - Ella Wheeler WilcoxElla Wheeler WilcoxElla Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. Her best-known work was Poems of Passion. Her most enduring work was " Soiltude", which contains the lines: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone"...
, poet - Frances WillardFrances Willard (suffragist)Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Her influence was instrumental in the passage of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution...
, educator and activist (raised and first taught here) - Charles G. WilliamsCharles G. WilliamsCharles Grandison Williams was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.Born in Royalton, New York, Williams pursued an academic course and studied law in Rochester, New York....
, U.S. Representative - Daniel Hale WilliamsDaniel Hale WilliamsDaniel Hale Williams was an American surgeon. He was the first African-American cardiologist,and performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in the United States. He also founded Provident Hospital, the first non-segregated hospital in the United States.-Career:Williams was among...
, African-American surgeonSurgeonIn medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and heart surgeryPericardiumThe pericardium is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels.-Layers:...
pioneer, raised and first employed here - Claron A. WindusClaron A. WindusClaron A. Windus served in the United States Army during the American Indian Wars. He received the Medal of Honor.-Biography:Windus was born on January 10, 1850, in Janesville, Wisconsin....
, Medal of Honor recipient, Indian Wars
See also
- Joseph A. Craig High SchoolJoseph A. Craig High SchoolJoseph A. Craig High School is a public secondary school located in the city of Janesville, Wisconsin. Constructed in 1954 as Janesville Senior High School, it was renamed Craig High School in 1967 when George S. Parker High School was built on the west side of the city. Craig has a student...
- George S. Parker High SchoolGeorge S. Parker High SchoolGeorge S. Parker High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located on the west side of the city of Janesville, Wisconsin. The school, named for George S. Parker, founder of the Parker Pen Company, was constructed in 1967. The rival east side school is Joseph A. Craig High School. Dr...
- Oakhill Christian SchoolOakhill Christian SchoolOakhill Christian School is a private, non-denominational Christian school located in Janesville, Wisconsin. It serves students from grades Kindergarten through 12. The school was founded in 1972 by Rev. Jim Reber of Janesville Bible Baptist Temple. Jim Eaker is the current principal.-External...
External links
- Janesville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
- City of Janesville
- Janesville's Past: A digital resource of Hedberg Public Library and the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center
- Rotary Gardens
- Rock County Genealogical Society
- Rock County Historical Society
- Forward Janesville
- Hedberg Public Library
- Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra