Frank Eugene Nichols House

Built in 1888 (Queen Anne style). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

From the record

“The Frank Eugene Nichols House is located in Onalaska, Wisconsin. It was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 1992 and to the National Register of Historic Places the following year.”
Wikipedia article Frank Eugene Nichols House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 60 National Register listings published here for La Crosse County · listed in 1993 · category: Building · built in 1888, Queen Anne style.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 2 buildingss, 1 object as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. Nichols, Frank Eugene, House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 421 N. Second St., Onalaska, 54650
When was it listed? February 1993
Category. building
City. Onalaska city
When was it built? 1888
Architectural style. Queen Anne style
National Register reference number. 93000027 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

29 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 29 fires within 5 miles of Frank Eugene Nichols House between 1992 and 2020, burning about 12 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	10
Debris and open burning	6
Arson/incendiarism	4
Equipment and vehicle use	2
Railroad operations and maintenance	2
Recreation and ceremony	2
Smoking	2
Misuse of fire by a minor	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2003	Misuse of fire by a minor	under an acre	LaCrosse District, Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge	PAMMEL CREEK FIRE
2 September 2019	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources	1900058
14 August 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources	2003958
5 July 2020	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources	2003248
31 July 1992	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
29 July 2018	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources	1807990
4 June 2019	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources	19-0479
29 June 1997	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named

Every fire recorded in La Crosse County

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Frank Eugene Nichols House: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Lacrosse County Highway Dept. Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Bucklin Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Kedhara Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer

Every working recorded in La Crosse County

Storms near this property

51 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Onalaska, the town this property stands in, in 51 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 23 thunderstorm wind, 21 hail, 2 flood, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2011	Flood	Onalaska	$65,000	A house that was built on a sunken lot had a basement wall collapse after four inches of rain fell on the area. In addition to the basement damage, the master bedroom and bathroom, laundry room and living room were ruined.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$45,000	Amateur radio groups reported numerous trees and power lines down in Onalaska.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$45,000	The public reported downed trees and power outages in Onalaska.
August 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$45,000	no account filed
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$35,000	Numerous trees were blown down in Onalaska along Oak Forest Drive with some of these trees landing on houses. The Onalaska fire department responded to 21 calls because of the storm. There were scattered power outages throughout the city that affected around 700 customers.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$25,000	Several trees and power lines were blown down in Onalaska. Some of the trees landed on parked cars and one city street was shut down due to all the damage.
August 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$18,000	no account filed
August 2009	Lightning	Onalaska	$15,000	Lightning found an underground natural gas service line and ignited space between the basement ceiling and first floor. No one was injured.
May 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$10,000	Trees and a power pole were blown down in Onalaska.
July 1999	Hail	Onalaska	$10,000	no account filed
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$6,700	An estimated 70 mph wind gust snapped off and uprooted numerous trees along the shoreline of Lake Onalaska. Numerous other trees were either uprooted or snapped off along Well Street between Oak and 11th Avenues in Onalaska. Also, a 100 year old maple tree went down on top of a house damaging the roof.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$6,000	no account filed
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$5,000	A tree trunk was split by thunderstorm winds with part of the tree falling on a vehicle parked under it.
August 2007	Flash Flood	Onalaska	$5,000	Erosion along a bridge on Highway 53 just north of Onalaska was reported from flash flooding.
July 2020	Hail	Onalaska	$4,000	Quarter sized hail fell near Onalaska.
June 2001	Hail	Onalaska	$2,500	no account filed
July 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$2,000	Power lines were blown down in Onalaska.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$2,000	Numerous tree branches were blown down and moved a distance of at least 100 feet. A electrical transformer was also blown out on the northeast side of Onalaska.
May 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$2,000	A roof was blown off a warehouse. Wind gusts at the La Crosse airport were 54 mph.
July 2020	Hail	Onalaska	$1,200	Quarter sized hail was reported just north of Onalaska.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$1,000	Several large tree branches were blown down in Onalaska.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$1,000	Wind gusts from a thunderstorm knocked down several trees on the north side of Onalaska. Dime sized hail also fell along with 3.5 inches of rain which created some minor street flooding.
August 2009	Lightning	Onalaska	$1,000	Lightning caused a small fire in a deck planter and damaged a microwave oven.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$1,000	Large trees were blown down.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$1,000	no account filed
June 2001	Hail	Onalaska	$500	no account filed
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	$250	Large tree limbs were blown down.
May 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	-	The public reported a tree fell over onto Wells Street.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	-	Trained spotter reported 65 mph gust near Onalaska.
August 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	-	A volunteer observer reported 60 mph wind gusts near Onalaska.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	-	A private weather station measured a 59 mph wind gust in Onalaska.
July 2017	Hail	Onalaska	-	Ping pong sized hail fell in Onalaska.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Onalaska	-	An estimated 60 mph wind gust occurred in Onalaska.
July 2013	Hail	Onalaska	-	Half dollar sized hail fell in Onalaska.
April 2010	Hail	Onalaska	-	A trained spotter estimated one inch size hail in Onalaska.
July 2008	Hail	Onalaska	-	Hail was reported at the Onalaska High School.
June 1995	Tornado (F0)	Onalaska	-	During the early evening, a cold air funnel touched down in a residential area in Onalaska (La Crosse County). The resultant weak tornado then traveled east approximately one-quarter of a mile before lifting into the clouds. An eyewitness reported seeing a swimming pool cover, tar paper, and twigs swirling around at about 200 feet in the air. The tornado was said to have made a high pitch whistling noise and looked like a white pillar reaching about 300 feet into the air. This was the first tornado touchdown in Wisconsin for the 1995 convective season.
May 2011	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
March 2005	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
July 2004	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
July 2004	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
June 2003	Funnel Cloud	Onalaska	-	no account filed
April 2002	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
April 2001	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
April 2001	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
June 2001	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
June 2001	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
May 2000	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed
August 1998	Flood	Onalaska	-	no account filed
May 1995	Hail	Onalaska	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in La Crosse County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
La Crosse County School of Agriculture and Domestic Economy	0.8 miles	1987
Roosevelt School	2.2 miles	2017
Caledonia Street Commercial Historic District	3.2 miles	2022
John L. Callahan House	3.4 miles	1995
Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railway Passenger Depot	3.8 miles	1997
Smith Valley School	4.1 miles	1981

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 93000027 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
La Crosse County	All 60 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.