Homes · History · Community
Look closely and its houses, riverbanks and familiar streets begin telling stories that were nearly forgotten.
Read the storiesPhotograph by Thomas Pullen
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Living in Beloit began with a simple idea: tell the stories hiding in plain sight. Not only the celebrated landmarks, but the houses we pass every day, the people whose names have faded, and the moments that helped shape this city.
“We may remember different eras and have different hopes for Beloit’s future, but our affection for this city brings us together.”Thomas Pullen
Discover Beloit
Remarkable homes, familiar places and people who left their mark. Find a favorite, or discover something you never knew about Beloit.
Beloit mystery · New story
Historic maps, a 1981 survey and a remarkably similar house on White Avenue point toward a missing piece of the 1869 Richard Newcomb House.
Read the complete story 905 Bushnell StreetPhotograph by Thomas PullenMade in Beloit
J. W. Crist’s journey carried him from Beloit to the Klondike Gold Rush and back to the grand farmhouse he built on Afton Road.
Read the complete story 2601 Afton RoadPhotograph by Thomas PullenFirst look · Florence Yates
Behind the headline was a teenager who had lost both parents. Florence Yates’s story lives on beneath the towering columns of her Emerson Street home.
Read the story 1614 Emerson Street · Built in 1927Photograph by Thomas PullenBeloit’s changing skyline
The planned Ho-Chunk hotel could rise above Rockford’s tallest building. What would a new high point mean for a city defined by its landmarks?
Read the complete story Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit · Planned hotelRoadside memories
The Circus Drive-In became a Highway 51 landmark whose enormous sign, carhop lanes and unusual building still stir memories across generations.
Read the complete story Circus Drive-In · Highway 51Women and civic life
Beginning in 1894, Beloit women organized across club lines to champion libraries, education, public health, parks and political equality.
Read the complete story City Federation of Women’s Clubs · 1894–2011Remarkable women
Inside the Paley family’s Queen Anne home, Clara, Henrietta and Annette occupied positions of influence years before the 19th Amendment.
Read the complete story The Paley House · 802 Park AvenueFaith and community
Built in 1930, Good Hope Baptist Church became part of Beloit’s historic Black west-side community and the story of the Great Migration.
Read the complete story 207 Olympian Boulevard · 1930Lost Beloit
In 1908, a farm well outside Beloit produced a sound powerful enough to earn national attention. More than a century later, its strange story still echoes.
Read the complete story Lathers Farm · 1908Crime and consequence
A Beloit bank robbery became a much larger story, connecting local streets to a national manhunt and some of the most notorious names in American law enforcement.
Read the complete story Beloit bank robbery · 1932Industry and ambition
Charles H. Parker’s weekly walk led to a reaper company, a grand Italianate home, public service and the bank at the center of another Beloit story.
Read the complete story Charles H. Parker · 231 Roosevelt AvenueLand and law
A disputed chain of title reached beyond Wisconsin and drew in an Illinois attorney whose name would soon be known across the country.
Read the complete story Robert P. Crane · Matthew Hale Carpenter · Abraham LincolnModern homes
Built from porcelain-enameled steel panels, the Lustron home at 1718 Arlington Avenue belongs to a bold, short-lived experiment in postwar housing.
Read the complete story Lustron · 1718 Arlington Avenue · 1949Preservation
Built in 1913, Oakwood Cemetery’s chapel sheltered grieving families through Wisconsin winters. Now this work of architect Frank Kemp needs a future of its own.
Read the complete story Oakwood Cemetery · 1913There is always another story. Explore the full collection of Beloit homes, history and community stories.
Browse all storiesSave the landmarks
Every demolished building removes something no photograph can fully replace: its scale, its craftsmanship and its place in the street. Telling a building’s story is often the first step toward seeing its value.
The next important Beloit story may be the building you have passed a hundred times.
Preservation story · 1913
It sheltered grieving families and once held those who had to wait for frozen Wisconsin ground to thaw. Now this surviving work of architect Frank Kemp needs its own future.
Read why the chapel mattersThe storyteller and Realtor
Living in Beloit was created by Thomas Pullen, a local Realtor who believes the best way to understand a community is to know its stories.
As a Realtor, I spend a lot of time traveling through Beloit and the communities of Southern Wisconsin. I notice the houses, buildings, neighborhoods and little details that are easy to drive past without a second thought. Living in Beloit grew out of that curiosity and a desire to share the stories I uncover along the way.
Real estate is also my job, and I’m proud of it. If you’re thinking about buying a home, selling one, or simply wondering what your next move might look like, I’d love the opportunity to help.
I work with buyers and sellers throughout Beloit and Southern Wisconsin with ReThink Realty. My approach is simple: no pressure, no hard sell. Just good information, honest guidance and someone in your corner who genuinely cares about the communities he serves.
