travel back in time at
old world
W isconsin Take your family on an unforgettable journey this summer. Step back in time and travel to 19th century rural Wisconsin. Imagine the way of life for many European immigrant farmers through a hands-on, interactive museum experience. by Mary Murphy
Take your family on an unforgettable journey this summer. Step back
“In the last couple of years, we have made a conscious effort to make
in time and travel to 19 century rural Wisconsin. Imagine the way of life
this experience more accessible to people of all ages,” said Dan Freas,
for many European immigrant farmers through a hands-on, interactive
director, Old World Wisconsin. “It’s not just for history buffs.”
th
museum experience.
For Freas and many others who are committed to preserving the state’s
Opened in 1976—the bicentennial year—the mission of Old World
rural, agrarian history, Old World Wisconsin is a destination that is fun for
Wisconsin was to commemorate the early immigrant experience in the
everyone and one that is family friendly. “It’s a place where children will be
state by preserving the buildings, artifacts and customs of those groups.
entertained,” he added.
Located in the Village of Eagle, in southwestern Waukesha County, Old
When the museum first opened, visitors were exposed to a more
World Wisconsin is encompassed by 600 rolling, wooded acres. And it is
passive experience with staff or volunteers dressed in period costumes and
among the 12 museums and historic sites administered by the Wisconsin
reenacting scenarios typical of the farming life of that era.
Historical Society www.wisconsinhistory.org. The museum includes teams of oxen and horses working in the fields, the farm folk preparing hearty meals over wood-burning stoves, and heirloom plants in well-tended gardens. The Crossroads Village includes a shoe maker, blacksmith, 1860s and 1880s gardens, and a general store. Nearly four decades since Old World Wisconsin opened, more than 60
“Today, we are designing new ways of engaging people as they explore the past,” said Freas. “We hope to provide an escape from technology and the pace of our day-to-day lives.” Through the Life on the Farm program, which began two years ago, visitors can take on the identity of someone who worked on a 1880s Wisconsin farm. Each participant receives a card that includes three
historic structures include ethnic farmsteads with furnished houses and
very simple chores they must perform, such as collecting eggs from a
rural outbuildings and traditional small-town institutions are found in the
chicken coop.
Village. The efforts of countless historians have preserved an amazing slice of true Americana. June 2014
“To see the look on a child’s face, or an adult’s face, when they collect the eggs—those are really special moments. At Old World Wisconsin, we’re 9