Heidel House
In 1945 Herb & Lucille Heidel put their careers in newspaper and education aside to start a restaurant on Green Lake. They purchased the 12-acre Kelly estate and on New Years Eve 1945 the story of the Heidel began. The original building was built in 1890 by Mr. Savage and it passed through many hands until the Heidel’s bought it. The first years were very hard. Many foods were unavailable as was much of the supplies needed to run a restaurant. Despite the lack of supplies the Heidel House became very popular. In 1958 they built a 10-room lodge unit. In 1966 the Viennese dining room and Rathskeller bar were added. Then in 1977 an additional 50-unit motel was constructed adjacent to the restaurant on the shoreline, and the heated pool, sauna and meetings rooms were constructed. A Fondue Chalet dining room was added in 1972. The Yachts of Fun was also purchased in 1972.
In 1975 the Grey Rock Estate, just to the west, was purchased. The Grey Rock’s Swift family home was to be used to help promote the new Time-Sharing concept that the Heidel family was looking into at that time.
In 1985 the Heidel family sold the Heidel House to the Fiore Companies out of Madison. The Heidel House, under The Fiore Company’s ownership, closed in May 2019, but a Spring 2021 reopening under new ownership and management has re-established the hotel as a pillar of hospitality in the region. The Grey Rock Restaurant was deemed beyond restoration and was demolished. The property was sold and divided into 3 small lots.
The Heidel House and Conference Center reopened in late summer of 2021 as a beautiful destination resort with meeting rooms, facilities for weddings.
Click here to check out the new Heidel House Hotel & Conference Center
Heiple Heritage History p149
GL Memories I p228
Ripon Press 08/11/2020
Grey Rock – A Pleasant Estate
This property was purchased as a government land grant in 1845 by Reverand James Lloyd Breck with the intentions of building an Episcopal Seminary. At that time the road leading east out of Dartford was called Seminary Road, it is now called Illinois Avenue. The property passed through many hands until General Mason Brayman built his home Grey Rock on the property. At one time the Grey Rock had a 40-acrea farm across the road next to the Tuscumbia Golf Course. The property at one time was owned by an heiress to the Swift Packing Company, Helen Morris (Swift) who was married to an English aristocrat, Mr. Francis Neilson. The property was sold to the Heidel Family in 1975 and added to the Heidel House Resort property.
Heiple Heritage History p209
