Highlights Archives
Historic Sites Focus on Fall
The unmistakable signs of autumn fill the air, and at Wisconsin's historic sites that means the focus turns to fall events that recall what the season meant to 19th-century farmers, homemakers, townspeople, merchants and everyday citizens. Old World Wisconsin takes a look at 19th-century rituals of love and courtship during its evening Autumn Lamplight Tours on October 6-7. The outdoor museum also continues its busy schedule of historic trades and crafts workshops well into November.
Villa Louis takes a very different look at autumn on October 14 when it recalls the Spirits of St. Feriole Island — a special evening event named for the island on which the storied Victorian mansion stands. The event offers visitors a rare glimpse of the mansion's elegantly restored rooms bathed in the warm glow of lamplight. In this setting, a series of dramatic vignettes reveals the personal stories of island denizens as told through the eyes of a fur trader, a soldier, a steamboat captain and members of the Dousman family who lived in the mansion.
The same weekend, October 14-15, Old World Wisconsin celebrates the end of another growing season with its annual re-creation of Autumn on the Farms, featuring demonstrations of steam-powered sawmilling and draft horse harvesting demonstrations. In the historic site's 1870s crossroads village, authentically attired guides at Caldwell Farmers' Club Hall will offer samples of old-fashioned dairy recipes and present demonstrations of butter churning and cow milking by hand.
Later in October, Old World Wisconsin gets into a spooky mood with special evening presentations of Bram Stoker's Dracula on October 20, 21 and 22. Then, in an event geared to younger children, the outdoor museum celebrates Halloween with trick-or-treating, storytelling and a costume contest during All Hallow's Eve on October 28.
Halloween fun continues at Wade House when the historic 1860s stagecoach inn presents its Autumn Celebration & Spirit Walk on October 28-29. For a complete look at autumn events at Wisconsin's historic sites, visit our events calendar.
:: Posted October 2, 2006
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