The tragic death of 19-year-old Mabel Tainter in 1886 led to the construction of this unique and historic Victorian-era theater in the northern woods of Wisconsin. Lumber baron Captain Andrew Tainter, who clear-cut most of northern Wisconsin, and his wife Bertha lost their daughter Mabel when she was just 19 after she suffered a short illness in 1886. As a memorial for his daughter, who loved the arts, the Tainters built a public theater and library out of locally-quarried Dunnville sandstone. At the time of its dedication, the Tainters said, “In…
