Hazel Green is a rural community of 1200 persons located in southwest Wisconsin. It is known as the 'Point of Beginning' because one mile south of town at the Illinois border is the place where the land survey of Wisconsin begins. A century and a half ago the village was a bustling town of miners. Many of their homes and buildings remain the central part of Hazel Green. Of particular note are the Wisconsin House, built in 1846 and the Empire House, 1845. The Opera House on Main Street is of later vintage, It is remarkable as a still standing, frame theater but is singular as Wisconsin's puppet theater, now home of the Fever River Marionette Company Theater. Performances are given for holidays and community events. The village also has a place in the literary history of America. It was the final home of James Gates Percival, a poet laureate of Wisconsin and one of America's earliest poets. Famous in his day, time has not been kind to his memory, although his poems are still included in anthologies. He was also a geologist, Wisconsin's second, and as a scientist he has his other claim to fame as an editor for Noah Webster's dictionary. He is buried in the village cemetery where his grave is marked by a stone erected by Yale alumni in his honor. Hazel Green was also the boyhood home of T. Harry Williams, a Pulitzer Prize winning historian who taught at UW Madison. His 'Lincoln and His Generals' is read today with as much interest as it was 50 years ago. That is all history. Today on a drive down the highway through Hazel Green you will see a quiet, agricultural town. The Southwestern Schools (Go, Wildcats!) are the communities pride, as well as it's largest employer. It's a great place to raise a family, and if you don't mind a little commute to Platteville, Dubuque or Galena you can even make a living here.