Queer Places:
George Washington University, 701 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20052, United States
Chalet of the Golden Fleece, 618 2nd St, New Glarus, WI 53574, United States
Swiss United Church of Christ Cemetery, 18 5th Ave, New Glarus, WI 53574, United States

Edwin P. Barlow (March 13, 1885 – September 22, 1957) was an American theatrical producer, World War I veteran, cultural promoter, and lifelong bachelor best known for commissioning the Chalet of the Golden Fleece in New Glarus, Wisconsin. Born in Milwaukee to Warren Hiram Barlow and Magdalena "Lena" Streiff, Barlow experienced early personal loss when his parents passed away during his youth, after which he was raised by relatives, including an uncle and aunt in Monticello, Wisconsin. He attended the Monroe Business Institute and George Washington University before eventually moving to New York, where he balanced work in banking at the Long Island Savings Bank with active involvement in the theater as a director and producer.

During the First World War, Barlow enlisted in the Wisconsin National Guard and served overseas for two years as a Private First Class with the 127th Field Hospital, 107th Sanitary Train, seeing duty in France and Germany. Following the war, he returned briefly to New York and the theatrical world before relocating to Lausanne, Switzerland, where he lived for nearly a decade prior to World War II. During his life, Barlow cultivated a cosmopolitan lifestyle defined by extensive global travel, completing sixty-three Atlantic ocean liner crossings, two world tours, and rubbing shoulders with international figures—including attending the wedding of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in Monaco due to European connections. In 1924, he entered into a unique legal arrangement when he was adopted by a wealthy distant relative, Clara Bosworth Mather, after which he occasionally used the name Edwin Barlow Mather.

As war loomed in Europe, Barlow returned to Wisconsin and settled in New Glarus, the ancestral homeland of his mother. In 1937, he constructed the Chalet of the Golden Fleece, an authentic Bernese Oberland-style chalet designed to house his vast collection of European art, Swiss woodcarvings, antiques, and global artifacts. Beyond his architectural contributions, Barlow served as a major catalyst for Swiss-American cultural preservation. He conceived and founded New Glarus's annual Wilhelm Tell outdoor pageant in 1938, directing and producing its performances for nearly twenty years. In January 1954, he donated the chalet and his priceless collections to the village to serve as a public museum, creating a lasting memorial that reflected his deep dedication to heritage and community mentorship.

Barlow's life aligns with patterns typical of many unmarried men of his era who navigated homosocial or non-traditional social spheres. Archival records and local lore surrounding Barlow frequently highlight his status as a lifelong bachelor who lived independently or with family members, while local oral history and community anecdotes have noted his penchant for cross-dressing at private gatherings. Furthermore, his social circles included prominent literary and artistic figures of similar non-traditional domestic arrangements, such as the world-famous travel writer Herbert Kubly, with whom Barlow shared adjoining apartments in Ascona, Switzerland, in his later years. Barlow passed away on September 22, 1957, in Ripon, Wisconsin, while preparing for another voyage to Europe, and is interred at the Swiss United Church of Christ Cemetery in New Glarus.

References:


We’ve Been Here All Along: Wisconsin’s Early Gay History Hardcover – Illustrated, May 7, 2019
by R. Richard Wagner

Other references:

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