Human prehistory in Racine began with Paleoindians after the last Ice Age. After the arrival of Europeans, the Historic period saw the
Miami and later the
Potawatomi expand into the area under the pressures of the French fur trade. In November 1674, while traveling from
Green Bay to the territory of the
Illinois Confederation, Father
Jacques Marquette and his assistants, Jacques Largillier, Pierre Porteret, and Nathan Kowitt, camped at the mouth of the Root River. These were the first Europeans known to visit what is now Racine County. Further expeditions were made in the area by
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1679 and by François Jolliet De Montigny and
Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes in 1698. Nearly a century later, in 1791, a trading post would be established along
Lake Michigan near where the
Root River empties into it. Following the
Black Hawk War, the area surrounding Racine, which had previously been off-limits, was settled by
Yankees from upstate
New York and
New England. In 1834 Captain
Gilbert Knapp USRM, who was from
Chatham, Massachusetts, founded the settlement of "Port Gilbert" at the place where the
Root River empties into
Lake Michigan. Knapp had first explored the area of the Root River valley in 1818, and returned with financial backing when the war ended. Within a year of Knapp's settlement hundreds of other settlers from
New England and western
New York had arrived and built log cabins in the area surrounding his own. Some of the settlers were from the town of
Derby, Connecticut, and others came from the
New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The area was previously called "Kipi Kawi" and "Chippecotton" by the indigenous peoples, both names for the Root River. The name "Port Gilbert" was never really accepted, and in 1841, the community was incorporated as the village of Racine, after the
French word for "root". After Wisconsin was admitted to the Union in 1848, the new legislature voted in August to incorporate Racine as a city. In 1852,
Racine College, an
Episcopal college, was founded; it closed in 1933. Its location and many of its buildings are preserved today by the
Community of St. Mary as part of the DeKoven Center. Also in 1852,
Racine High School, the first public high school in Wisconsin, opened. The high school operated until 1926, when it was torn down to make way for the new
Racine County Courthouse, an Art Deco high-rise.
Washington Park High School was built to replace the original high school. Before the
Civil War, Racine was well known for its strong opposition to
slavery, with many slaves escaping to freedom via the
Underground Railroad passing through the city. In 1854,
Joshua Glover, an escaped slave who had made a home in Racine, was arrested by
federal marshals and jailed in
Milwaukee. One hundred men from Racine, and ultimately 5,000 Wisconsinites, rallied and broke into the jail to free him. He was helped to escape to
Canada. Glover's rescue gave rise to many legal complications and a great deal of litigation. This eventually led to the
Wisconsin Supreme Court declaring the
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 unconstitutional, and later, the
Wisconsin State Legislature refusing to recognize the authority of the
U.S. Supreme Court. This saga played a significant role in the
building up of tensions that preceded the Civil War.
Industry Racine was a factory town almost from the beginning. The first industry in Racine County included the manufacture of fanning mills, machines that separate
wheat grain from
chaff. Racine also had its share of captains of industry, including
J. I. Case (heavy equipment),
S. C. Johnson & Son (cleaning and chemical products), and Arthur B. Modine (Heat Exchangers). Racine's harbor was central to Wisconsin's shipping industry in the late 19th century. Racine was also an early center of
car manufacturing. One of the world's first
automobiles was built there in 1871 or 1872 by J. W. Cathcart, as was the
Pennington Victoria
tricycle, the
Mitchell, and the Case. In 1887,
malted milk was invented in Racine by English immigrant
William Horlick, and
Horlicks remains a global brand. The
garbage disposal was invented in 1927 by
architect John Hammes of Racine, who founded the company
InSinkErator, which still produces millions of garbage disposers every year in Racine. Racine is also the home of
S.C. Johnson & Son, whose
headquarters were designed in 1936 by
Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright also designed the
Wingspread Conference Center and several homes and other buildings in Racine. The city is also home to the
Dremel Corporation, Reliance Controls Corporation, and
Twin Disc.
Case New Holland's Racine manufacturing facility, which builds two tractor models (the New Holland T8 and the Case IH Magnum), offers public tours throughout the year.
Historic districts and buildings , looking north Racine includes the
Old Main Street Historic District. Historic buildings in Racine include the
Badger Building,
Racine Elks Club, Lodge No. 252,
St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, St. John's Lutheran Church,
YMCA Building,
Chauncey Hall House,
Eli R. Cooley House,
George Murray House,
Hansen House,
Racine College,
McClurg Building,
First Presbyterian Church,
Memorial Hall,
Racine Depot,
United Laymen Bible Student Tabernacle,
Chauncey Hall Building,
Thomas P. Hardy House, and
Horlick Field. The area is home to several National Register of Historic Places listed structures:
National Register of Historic Places listings in Racine County, Wisconsin. The city is also home to
Regency Mall.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built the
Johnson Wax Headquarters building in Racine. The building was and still is considered a marvel of design innovation, despite its many practical annoyances, such as rainwater leaks. Wright urged then-president Hib Johnson to build the structure outside Racine, a city that Wright, a Wisconsin native, considered "backwater." Johnson refused to have the Johnson Wax Headquarters sited anywhere other than Racine. ==Geography==