Emancipation Celebration History in Lake Mills

As the nation marks Juneteenth, our local history connects our community to the celebration uniquely through our former residents who pursued a new life after the war.

One hundred and sixty years ago, the last enslaved people in the nation were freed when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, TX, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Three days later, on June 22, 1865, the 29th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was mustered out of service.

The 29th departed from Shreveport, Louisiana, returned to Madison, Wisconsin, and was formally disbanded on July 17, 1865.

Among the troops was Army Surgeon Darwin Julian Dubois Sr., MD, of the Aztalan /Lake Mills area. Accompanying him was Alfred Atkins, a former slave from Kentucky. Alfred found employment on the prominent Faville Family Dairy Farm north of Lake Mills, who were related to Dr. Dubois. Alfred later married Hannah, the daughter of Benjamin Dixon (known as "Uncle Ben" by Lake Mills locals) and Sarah Jane Davis. Both former slaves who escaped Alabama during the Civil War, they traveled north with their three oldest children through Cairo, IL, and Rock Prairie in Rock Co., WI, eventually settling in Lake Mills to grow their family and seek a new life.

Alfred Atkins (1847-1913)

The beloved Uncle Ben, Alfred, and their families were the main organizers of the Lake Mills Emancipation Day celebrations, which began in August 1879. The event featured barbecues, dancing, and speeches by former slaves and ministers. Over the twenty years it was held, the celebration expanded to include parades and a ball, attracting not only residents of Jefferson County but also people from the entire southeastern part of the state. People of all races attended, although most were white due to the generally lower Black population in the North. They gathered to bear witness to this significant moment in our small community and to celebrate their experiences and memories of this crucial event in American history. The August 20, 1879, edition of the "Watertown Republican" newspaper noted that the celebration was a testament to Lake Mills's strong racial integration.

Millie Denning, daughter of Charles Denning with her classmates at the Lake Mills Graded School

The Dixon children, along with other children of former slaves who settled in Lake Mills, attended public schools to learn reading and writing, were baptized, and joined confirmation classes at the Methodist Church. Black community members like Charles Denning, Ben Dixon, Herbert Lawrence (who was rescued from slavery as a young child by two Wisconsin abolitionists and renamed Herbert to prevent capture), and William Alcorn ran for city council positions, worked jobs at the foundry and bank, and some even went on to own and farmland.

Alfred died in 1913 and Hannah in 1912. Sara Jane Davis passed away in 1893, and her husband, Ben Dixion, died in 1901. They are all interred in Rock Lake Cemetery, alongside several other early black settlers. Shortly after the first generation of the black community passed away, their children left the Jefferson Co. area, with many relocating to Madison or Milwaukee.

 As noted by Caitlin Downey in her thesis “The Former Slaves of Lake Mills: A Study of African Americans in Rural Wisconsin” 2018. It is noted that “The racial and social harmony exhibit by the Emancipation Day celebrations in the 1880’s contracts jarringly with what came only a handful of years later. By 1890, Jefferson County’s Black population had dropped from a high of 94 people to 34, while the county's overall population increased 105%.” “Lake Mills, once home to the county’s largest Black population, had no Black residents by 1930 . . and not until the 1950’s would this trend reverse”.

Arthur "Toby" Lawrence circa 1900 with his classmates at the Lake Mills Graded School

Lake Mills was once home to a flourishing Black community, established by individuals in search of a better life, freedom, and opportunity. Together with their white neighbors, they celebrated their emancipation from slavery for many years.

To learn more about the history of Former Slaves in Lake Mills you can watch Caitlin Downey's presentation of her research on the topic Click here