OLD SPRING TAVERN

The Spring Tavern is the oldest building in Nakoma and one of the oldest in Madison. It was built by Charles Morgan, a native of Connecticut who came to the western frontier to improve his health. From 1860 to 1895, the Gorham family used the building as an inn, serving travelers journeying between Milwaukee and Platteville on the historic road of which Nakoma Road is now a part. The Tavern sits on a large, steeply sloping lot. Its most visible facade, the one with the two-story veranda added in the 1920s, faces east toward Nakoma Road, but the Council Crest side is the original front of the house.

This fine example of the Greek Revival style is built of brick made from clay dug from the slope behind the house and fired in a kiln that Morgan erected near the Duck Pond just across Nakoma Road. Typical Greek Revival features include returned eaves, multi-light double-hung windows, and a main door enframed with side lights and a transom light above.

The Old Spring Tavern was individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and has been beautifully restored by its current owners.