The Wisconsin Historical Society preserves and presents Wisconsin history in many ways. Perhaps the best known are its highly popular state historic sites, giving visitors a chance to see and participate in the past.
Here’s a sampling.
Pendarvis, Mineral Point
Set in a neighborhood called Shake Rag Under the Hill, this charming Cornish miner’s colony consists of six historic stone, and stone-and-log cottages built in this lead mining boomtown by immigrant Cornish miners in the 1830s and ’40s.
Special autumn events include Kiddleywink Pub Night (7-10 p.m. Sept. 24). This fundraiser for the Pendarvis Memorial Endowment Trust features live (and lively!) music, a cash bar and various pub games in Pendarvis’ picturesque rowhouse pub. Tickets cost $10.
Crowdy Crawn (10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 25) is a Cornish expression meaning roughly “a mixture of fun” and includes storytelling, mythical creatures from Cornish lore and legend, and other family fun as part of Pendarvis’ regular tours that day.
Pendarvis is open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 31 (last tour begins at 4 p.m.) Admission: adults $8; ages 5-12 $4; age 65 and over, $7.20; family (two adults and two or more dependent children 5-17) $22.
Additional information: Pendarvis, 114 Shake Rag St., Mineral Point, 48 miles west of Madison; 608-987-2122; www.wisconsinhistory.org/pendarvis.
Villa Louis, Prairie du Chien
Set on a St. Feriole Island mound overlooking the Mississippi River, this elegant Victorian country estate was built in 1870 by the son of pioneer fur trader Hercules Dousman.
Magnificently furnished in British Arts-and-Crafts decor, the estate was operated for a time as a stock farm, then slid into gradual decline when the Dousman family left in 1913. The mansion has just undergone a complete restoration that returned it to its former elegance.
On Oct. 9, Villa Louis hosts Spirits of St. Feriole Island (6-9:30 p.m.; last tour departs at 8 p.m.), introducing the spirits of several former island residents, including the Dousman family, friends and servants in a series of dramatic vignettes.
Villa Louis is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Oct. 31 (last tour begins at 4 p.m.). Admission: adults $8.50; ages 5-12 $4.50; age 65 and over $7.50; family (two adults and two or more dependent children 5-17) $23.
Additional information: Villa Louis, St Feriole Island, 521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien; 103 miles west of Madison; 608-326-2721; www.wisconsinhistory.org/villalouis.
Wade House, Greenbush
An 1860s stagecoach inn built to serve weary travelers along the plank road between Sheboygan and Fond du Lac, Wade House tells the story of Yankee entrepreneur Sylvanus Wade and his family during the Civil War years. Along with the 27-room restored inn, the historic site includes the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum, which houses the state’s largest collection of antique carriages and working wagons (more than 100) and the Herrling Sawmill, a working reproduction of a mill that stood on this exact spot from 1854 to 1910.
Wade House is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 17 (last tour begins at 4 p.m.).
Admission: Adults $10; ages 5-12 $5; ages 65 and over $9; family (two adults and two or more dependent children 5-17) $27. Horse-drawn transportation on the site included in ticket cost.
Additional information: Wade House, W7824 Center Road, 7 miles west of Plymouth; 20 miles west of Sheboygan; 920-526-3271; www.wisconsinhistory.org/wadehouse.
Old World Wisconsin, Eagle
Documenting the settlement of 19th and early 20th Century Wisconsin, Old World Wisconsin is the Midwest’s largest outdoor museum of living history. Set on 576 acres of wooded hills in the scenic Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, the museum features more than 60 original historic structures, grouped into 10 ethnic farmsteads that include furnished houses and rural outbuildings, along with an 1870s crossroads village.
During Autumn on the Farms, Oct. 16 and 17 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) you can take part in the historic rituals of autumn and see real-life characters preparing for winter just as our rural ancestors did.
Old World Wisconsin is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 10-5 weekends through Oct. 31.
Admission: Adults $14; ages 5-12 $8.50; ages 65 and over $12.80; family (two adults and two or more dependent children 5-17) $39. Fees include an all-day tram transportation pass and digital audiophone (electronic tour guide). Food service is available at the historic Clausing Barn Restaurant.
Additional information: Old World Wisconsin, S103 W37890 Highway 67, Eagle; 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee; 262-594-6300; www.wisconsinhistory.org/oww.
