Old World Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old World Wisconsin |
|
|---|---|
|
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
|
|
Koepsel House at Old World Wisconsin
|
|
 Old World Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
Old World Wisconsin
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Eagle, Wisconsin, United States |
| Area | 480 acres (190 ha) |
| Established | 1976 |
| Governing body | Wisconsin Historical Society |
Old World Wisconsin is a special open-air museum located near Eagle, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It's like stepping back in time to the 1800s! The museum shows what homes and daily life were like for the first settlers in Wisconsin.
You can explore different areas that represent the traditions of various groups of people who came to live in the state. People dressed in old-fashioned clothes, called costumed interpreters, show you what it was like to do chores and jobs back then.
Contents
About Old World Wisconsin
This museum opened in 1976. The Wisconsin Historical Society owns and runs it. It is the biggest outdoor museum in the United States that focuses on rural life. The museum covers about 480 acres (that's about 2.4 square kilometers) of pretty, rolling hills. It is right next to the Kettle Moraine State Forest South Unit.
Old World Wisconsin has more than 60 historic buildings. These include old farmhouses with furniture and barns, plus a village from the 1880s with shops and other buildings. You can find a gift shop in the Ramsey barn. The Brewhouse shows how people used to make drinks and sometimes offers samples. The Creamery sells lunch, snacks, and frozen custard. There's also a large event space in the Clausing Barn, which has eight sides! Trams can take you between different parts of the museum, like the Scandinavian area and the Crossroads Village.
How Old World Wisconsin Started
Old World Wisconsin exists thanks to two main people: Hans Kuether, who was an immigrant from Germany, and an architect named Richard W. E. Perrin. Perrin really believed in saving old buildings. He even wrote a book in 1960 called Historic Wisconsin Architecture, which listed 76 buildings he thought should be saved.
Perrin first thought of creating an outdoor museum in 1964. He called it a "Pioneer Park." He got the idea after visiting outdoor museums in Europe in 1953, especially Skansen in Sweden. Skansen became his model for the Wisconsin park.
Work to create the museum began in 1966. The University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Historical Society worked together. Students helped create the first plans for the museum. Later, two graduate students made a bigger plan for how to develop the park. This project was named Old World Wisconsin.
It cost a lot of money to buy the land and move the old buildings. In 1971, the state gave about 560 acres of land from the Kettle Moraine State Forest to the Historical Society for the museum. The total cost was estimated to be around $1.5 million at that time.
There was a small problem in 1973 with the nearby town of Eagle. The town was worried about how the museum would affect their area. But the issue was resolved, and work continued.
The park was officially dedicated on June 8, 1974. At that time, eight buildings were finished or being built. In 1975, the estimated costs had grown to $4.5 million. Many people helped raise money for the museum.
The Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, even came to dedicate the Danish exhibit on May 14, 1976! The museum officially opened its doors on June 30, 1976, just in time for the United States Bicentennial celebration.
Tornado Damage
On June 21, 2010, a tornado hit the museum. It knocked down many trees. Because of the big cleanup, a special "Old World 4th of July" event had to be canceled that year.
Explore the Villages
The museum is divided into different areas. Each area shows what life was like for people from different immigrant cultures who settled in Wisconsin.
- African American: You can see the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery Chapel and the United Brethren Church.
- Danish: Visit the Pedersen Farm.
- Finnish: Explore the Rankinen Farm and Ketola Farm.
- German: See the Koepsel Farm, Schottler Farm, and Schulz Farm. The Koepsel House and Christian Turck House are very old and important buildings.
- Norwegian: Discover the Fossebrekke Farm, Kvaale Farm, and Raspberry School.
- Polish: Check out the Kruza House.
- Yankee/1880s Village: This area shows a typical small town. You can find the Harmony Town Hall, Four Mile Inn, Sisel Shoe Shop, Benson House, Grotelueschen Blacksmith Shop, Peterson Wagon Shop, Thomas General Store, Mary Hafford House, and St. Peter's Church. There's even a new exhibit called "Catch Wheel Fever" about bicycles!
- This village also includes buildings from other European settlers, showing how different cultures mixed in Wisconsin. For example, the Sisel shoe shop was Czech, the Grotelueschen Blacksmith Shop was German, and the Peterson Wagon Shop was Scandinavian.
List of Structures
Many of the buildings at Old World Wisconsin were moved from other places across the state. Three of these buildings are so important that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
| Structure name | Village | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle Shop | The Green |  |
| Caldwell Hall Education Center | The Green |  |
| Clausing Barn/Gift Shop | The Green |  |
| Pergola | The Green |  |
| Ramsey Barn | The Green |  |
| Shelter | The Green |  |
| Guest Services/Family History Center | The Green |  |
| United Brethren Church | African-American |  |
| Pleasant Ridge Chapel | African-American |  |
| Pleasant Ridge Cemetery | African-American |  |
| Shepard Family Cemetery | African-American |  |
| Pedersen House | Danish |  |
| Pedersen Barn | Danish |  |
| Ketola Barn | Finnish |  |
| Ketola House | Finnish |  |
| Lantta Hay Barn (Ketola Farm) |
Finnish |  |
| Ronkainen Sauna (Ketola Farm) |
Finnish |  |
| Kortesmaa Granary (Ketola Farm) |
Finnish |  |
| Makela Stable (Ketola Farm) |
Finnish |  |
| Rankinen Outhouse (Ketola Farm) |
Finnish |  |
| Rankinen House | Finnish |  |
| Rankinen Barn | Finnish |  |
| Kortesmaa Outhouse (Rankinen Farm) |
Finnish | |
| Koepsel House | German |  |
| Barn (Koepsel Farm) |
German | |
| Brewing Shed (Koepsel Farm) |
German | |
| Outhouse (Koepsel Farm) |
German |  |
| Stable (Koepsel Farm) |
German | |
| Hog pen (Koepsel Farm) |
German |  |
| Wood Shop (Koepsel Farm) |
German | |
| Schultz House | German |  |
| Schultz Barn | German |  |
| Schultz Stable | German |  |
| Schottler House | German |  |
| Held Barn (Schottler farm) |
German |  |
| Jung Barn (Schottler farm) |
German |  |
| Fassbender Granary (Schottler farm) |
German |  |
| Kessel Bakehouse (Schottler farm) |
German |  |
| Jung Smokehouse (Schottler farm) |
German |  |
| Abandoned House | Norwegian | |
| Abandoned Barn | Norwegian | |
| Kvaale House | Norwegian |  |
| Dahlen Corncrib (Kvaale Farm) |
Norwegian | |
| Sorbergshagen Barn (Kvaale Farm) |
Norwegian |  |
| Lisbakken Granery (Kvaale Farm) |
Norwegian |  |
| Bosboen Barn (Kvaale Farm) |
Norwegian |  |
| Otteson Outhouse (Kvaale Farm) |
Norwegian | |
| Veggli House (Kvaale Farm) |
Norwegian | |
| Fossebrekke House | Norwegian |  |
| Raspberry Schoolhouse | Norwegian |  |
| Ward District Schoolhouse No. 3 | Norwegian |  |
| Kruza House | Polish |  |
| Kaczorowski Outhouse | Polish |  |
| Roadside Cross | Polish | |
| Benson House | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Benson Barn | Yankee/1880s Village | |
| Benson Gezebo | Yankee/1880s Village | |
| Blacksmith Shop | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Hafford House | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Four Mile House | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Harmony Town Hall | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Peterson Wagon Shop | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Sisel Shoe Shop | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Sisel Barn | Yankee/1880s Village | |
| Stage | Yankee/1880s Village | |
| Thomas General Store | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Barn (Thomas Store) |
Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Outhouse (Thomas Store) |
Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Loomer Barn | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Sanford House | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| St. Peter's Church | Yankee/1880s Village |  |
| Administrative offices | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Concession Stand | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Entrance Sign (North 1 of 2) | Service/Admin/Misc |  |
| Entrance Sign (South 2 of 2) | Service/Admin/Misc |  |
| Farmhouse | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Farmhouse barn | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Farmhouse garage | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Farmhouse shed | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Farmhouse wellhouse | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Greenhouse | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Machinery building | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Maintenance building | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Maintenance shed | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Maintenance shed | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Picnic Shelter | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Public Restrooms (German Area) |
Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Public Restrooms (Norwegian Area) |
Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Rustic Restrooms | Service/Admin/Misc |  |
| Storage Barn | Service/Admin/Misc | |
| Tram stop shelter | Service/Admin/Misc |
