Ferdinand Davis built the first store/hotel building in the village in 1853.

The evidence

• “The first house of this nature in the village was built in 1853, by Mr. Ferdinand Davis, who kept it as a store.”

  1879-history-of-rock-county/16-rock-county-ch10-villages.md, PDF p. 671 / book p. 675

  Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources

  

• “The first frame house was built in 1853, by Ferdinand Davis, who used it as a store and residence ; in 1853 two brick stores were erected, and in 1857 H. S. Swift erected the ''Swift Block." In the winter of 1853-54, Nelson Coon erected the first hotel building and conducted it as the Exchange hotel. He sold this in 1854 and built the United States Hotel.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/31-smaller-cities-villages-towns.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 139 / book p. 648

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources · may repeat 1879-history-of-rock-county, so not counted as independent