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"The Don Q Inn Barn stores a wealth of history under its roof, but can't talk about it - too bad for the lessons are many."
These are the words of Charlotte Pengilly, whose family stories were printed in the pages of this newspaper just weeks before a tragic fire destroyed the Pengilly barn - and the setting for a well-known restaurant with a unique place in Dodgeville history.
At about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, a 911 call came into Iowa County Dispatch advising that smoke could be seen pouring out of the iconic Dodgeville building, which has housed the restaurants Don Q Inn, The Log Inn, Sam and Maddie's and most recently Barn 23. The barn converted into a restaurant was located just outside of Dodgeville at 3656 State Road 23.
Within minutes of the call, Dodgeville Fire Chief Brian Whitehouse was on scene, driving quickly from his job at Lands' End to assess the reported fire.
"I started getting closer, saw more smoke and called for more trucks in a hurry," Whitehouse said. "I called for five to six trucks right off the bat, and then more from there."
"It's honestly one of those places you walk into - 100 year old wood. From a fire perspective, you just hope it never happens," Whitehouse added. "It is sad."
Ten fire departments in total responded to the scene Wednesday night, including Dodgeville, Ridgeway, Cobb, Mineral Point, Barneveld, Highland, Spring Green, Belmont, Hollandale and Darlington. EMS agencies from Dodgeville, Mineral Point and Cobb were also on scene to support the fire fighters, as well as the Iowa County Sheriff's Office, Dodgeville Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and Iowa County Emergency Management.... See the rest of this story in the March 2 Dodgeville Chronicle.