Back 4 of 4 Next

MADISON SETTLERS' STORIES

Enlarge Map showing the development of the Madison isthmus in 1855.

Map of the City of Madison, 1855

Madison, Wisconsin. The Hough family home was located two blocks west of Capitol Square.
WHI 23644

Alice Hough

Alice Hough was born in Pennsylvania in 1834 and came with her family to Wisconsin in the spring of 1853. Her father, a civil engineer and land surveyor, capitalized on the opportunities provided by the developing city. In 1860 Alice lived with her mother, siblings, and nieces and worked as a teacher. She spent most of her life in the family home on Henry Street at West Washington Avenue and died of pneumonia in 1899.

Enlarge
Silk Dress, ca. 1855
Alice Hough probably did not wear this plaid silk dress while teaching school; it was likely one of her "Sunday best" possessions.
Wisconsin Historical Museum object #1946.920

Enlarge
Silk Wrapper, ca. 1855

Alice Hough wore this wrapper, a housecoat, around her Henry Street home.
Wisconsin Historical Museum object #1946.921