Karen Sailer of the Eagle River Historical Society said Kelly was chief engineer of the Chicago Sanitary District when the home was built. He then became mayor when Anton Cermak was murdered in 1933.

“There were also rumors that workers, supplies and equipment from the city of Chicago Sanitation Department traveled to the site during the home’s construction,” Sailer said. According to a story in the Vilas County News, when Kelly showed off the plans for his new home in 1926 it was referred to as “A Show Place of the North.”

The more than 7,000-square-foot home has 2,000 feet of lake frontage, a two-story boathouse, and a long and interesting history. The main house features eight bedrooms and nine baths. It features a great room with a 31 foot vaulted ceiling and two original stone fireplaces.