Wilson Place Below the Mansion | A Working History Tour
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Step beyond the grand rooms of the Wilson Place Museum and discover the stories of the people who built, supplied, and shaped Menomonie.
Join us for Below the Mansion: A Working History Tour, a new guided experience that explores three unique exhibits located beneath the historic mansion.
Begin in a recreated 19th-century General Store, where you'll discover the goods, products, and everyday necessities that filled the shelves of small-town America. Learn how families shopped before supermarkets, online ordering, and big-box stores transformed daily life.
Next, explore a fascinating Wood Shop featuring a large collection of antique woodworking tools from the 1800s. Discover how craftsmen shaped lumber into furniture, homes, and businesses using skill, patience, and hand-powered tools.
The tour concludes with exhibits showcasing hands-on industrial and technical education, including foundry molds, blacksmith projects, and examples of student craftsmanship connected to the institution that became the University of Wisconsin–Stout.
Visitors will also learn about Menomonie's historic brick industry, which included five local brickyards that supplied building materials throughout the region during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
More than a tour of artifacts, Below the Mansion explores the merchants, craftsmen, workers, students, and entrepreneurs whose skills and labor helped transform Menomonie from a lumber town into a center of industry, education, and innovation.
This intimate experience is limited to just eight guests per tour and is personally led by Tim Dotseth, owner of the Wilson Place Museum. Along the way, Tim shares stories about the collection, the history behind the exhibits, and the people whose work helped shape Menomonie.
Whether you love local history, antique tools, craftsmanship, or the stories of everyday people, this unique behind-the-scenes tour offers a rare opportunity to explore a part of the museum that most visitors never see.
Shop. Build. Learn. Discover the work, skills, and industries that built Menomonie.
Advance registration is required. Tours are limited to eight guests and are expected to fill quickly.
Join us for Below the Mansion: A Working History Tour, a new guided experience that explores three unique exhibits located beneath the historic mansion.
Begin in a recreated 19th-century General Store, where you'll discover the goods, products, and everyday necessities that filled the shelves of small-town America. Learn how families shopped before supermarkets, online ordering, and big-box stores transformed daily life.
Next, explore a fascinating Wood Shop featuring a large collection of antique woodworking tools from the 1800s. Discover how craftsmen shaped lumber into furniture, homes, and businesses using skill, patience, and hand-powered tools.
The tour concludes with exhibits showcasing hands-on industrial and technical education, including foundry molds, blacksmith projects, and examples of student craftsmanship connected to the institution that became the University of Wisconsin–Stout.
Visitors will also learn about Menomonie's historic brick industry, which included five local brickyards that supplied building materials throughout the region during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
More than a tour of artifacts, Below the Mansion explores the merchants, craftsmen, workers, students, and entrepreneurs whose skills and labor helped transform Menomonie from a lumber town into a center of industry, education, and innovation.
This intimate experience is limited to just eight guests per tour and is personally led by Tim Dotseth, owner of the Wilson Place Museum. Along the way, Tim shares stories about the collection, the history behind the exhibits, and the people whose work helped shape Menomonie.
Whether you love local history, antique tools, craftsmanship, or the stories of everyday people, this unique behind-the-scenes tour offers a rare opportunity to explore a part of the museum that most visitors never see.
Shop. Build. Learn. Discover the work, skills, and industries that built Menomonie.
Advance registration is required. Tours are limited to eight guests and are expected to fill quickly.
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Where is it happening?
101 Wilson Ct, Menomonie, WI, United States, Wisconsin 54751
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherWilson Place Mansion
