Old World Wisconsin
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Old World Wisconsin is the world's largest outdoor museum dedicated towards depicting the life of 19th century rural life. Located just southwest of Eagle, Wisconsin, the museum opened in 1976. It contains 60 original structures built by immigrants from Finland, Germany, Poland, Norway, and Denmark. There is also an African American area and a Yankee area. Two structures on the site are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Koepsell House and the Christian Turck House. The museum staffs employees and volunteers who dress up in the clothing worn and recreate the activities of the people who used to live during that time period. Historic baseball is also played at the museum during the summer.
Images
One of the farms at Old World Wisconsin
The Christian Turck House
The German farms
The blacksmith working at the Koepsell House
Members of the "Eagle Diamonds" team
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Researchers traveled across Wisconsin searching for well-preserved historic structures. Once that process was complete, they carefully dismantled them, numbering each piece. When they arrived at the museum, they were rebuilt. The African American area is a more recent addition to the museum.
Sources
"History of Old World Wisconsin". http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/About/History.aspx. Retrieved 4-7-15.