400 E. Capitol / Otto Wills House
Otto Wills retired in 1938, from Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway after
fifty-one years of service. Coming to Hartland around 1914, Wills worked as a station manager at the
Hartland Depot for the last twenty-four years of his career. Mr. Wills, an avid
gardener, plated beds of annual with perennial borders. Other gardens were
filled with petunias, gladiolas and marigold. In the early spring, wild flower
would grace the front lawn. But his principal hobby was growing roses, some
climbing on supports to a height of twelve to fifteen feet or covering arched
trellises along his garden paths.
Built in 1916, the Wills’ house is a one-and-one-half story stucco bungalow. It is dominated by a
wide-eaved, multi-gabled room with simple eave brackets, accented with hipper
dormers. It is representative of the many bungalows in Hartland and retains
excellent architectural integrity.
If you have any historic pictures (preferably pre-WWII) that you would like to
share with the Hartland Historical Society,