Discover the three generations of Dousman women who breathed life into a grand Gilded Age estate. 

On the banks of the upper Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, stands Villa Louis, the majestic Italianate-style mansion and estate built by the prosperous Dousman family in 1871. An Elegant Edifice tells the stories of the women of the Dousman residence. Jane, who outlived her husband by fourteen years, oversaw the estate and maintained the family’s presence in Prairie du Chien. Jane’s daughter-in-law, Nina, managed the property and assumed the role of head of the family following her husband’s death, ensuring stability for her children during times of tragedy. Finally, Nina’s daughters Violet and Virginia helped to restore the family home in the 1930s, secure its future as a historic site, and record the Dousmans’ history for posterity.

An Elegant Edifice illustrates the broad strokes of American expansionism through the backgrounds and activities of these influential women, complete with marriages and separations, births and deaths, business disputes, lawsuits, and reconciliations. With stories of St. Louis and St. Paul society, the stylish shops of New York City, and the prominence of Prairie du Chien in the nineteenth century, this book reveals the leisure activities and extravagant lifestyle afforded to the family by their wealth—Tiffany jewelry and housewares, William Morris wallpaper and fabrics, Jaccard silver, and a fine art collection to rival the public museums of the era.

Thanks to the women’s fortitude and shared conviction in the importance of family, Villa Louis has been preserved and restored to its 1890s splendor and is today considered one of the most authentically restored Italianate villas in the United States. While previous histories have focused on the Dousman patriarchs, public historian Mary Elise Antoine offers a new perspective on the Dousman family history by bringing into focus Jane, Nina, Violet, and Virginia. These women’s lives—historically less well-documented than the lives of their husbands, fathers, and sons—contributed greatly to the preservation of Villa Louis and to our understanding of an important chapter in American history.

Mary Elise Antoine is the former curator of collections and research at the Villa Louis State Historic Site and conducted the research for its most recent restoration. She is a graduate of Marquette University and State University of New York–Oneonta, where she earned her graduate degree in history museum studies. Antoine has over forty years of professional experience working for history museums and in historic preservation. She is past president of the Prairie du Chien Historical Society and continues as a member of the collections committee and editor of the newsletter. She has written numerous articles and books, including The War of 1812 in Wisconsin: The Battle for Prairie du Chien; Frenchtown Chronicles of Prairie du Chien; and Enslaved, Indentured, Free: Five Black Women on the Upper Mississippi, 1800–1850, which received the Book of Merit Award from the Wisconsin Historical Society Board of Curators as well as silver awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Midwest Independent Publishers Association. She lives in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.