A Celebration of Rural Life  -  Stonefield Village - September 16, 2006

In last month’s issue, CarnsAmok took us to Stonefield Village and shared some history and photos from a visit to Nelson Dewey home.  This month’s issue showcases two other areas of Stonefield:  the turn-of-the-century village exhibit named “The Farmer’s Town” and the Wisconsin Agricultural Museum that is receiving national recognition. 

This column is timely because on September 16 Stonefield will host a special day called A Celebration of Rural Life.  There will be costumed interpreters, craft demonstrations, children’s games and activities for the whole family.  Come and experience life in another era as Stonefield’s working farm will transport visitors back to the early 1900s.

Farmer’s Town is a reconstructed village including 30 buildings and period room exhibits.  My favorites were the millinery shop and the General Store. 

The State Agricultural Museum houses displays of antique farm equipment and photos of farm life in the 1900s.   One item on display, a McCormick Auto-Mower, is especially noteworthy.  It was originally displayed at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900 and is the oldest existing tractor in North America.

The Ageless Iron Almanac, a journal dedicated to antique farm machinery collecting, calls Stonefield’s museum “a rare collection indeed.”  Their website is:

www.agelessiron.com/almanac.   Here’s a quote from Ageless Iron:

            “McCormick’s Auto-Mower is just one of many rare gems kept on display at the State Agricultural Museum site near Cassville, Wisconsin.  The museum, little-known outside Wisconsin, is also home to the first tractor equipped with pneumatic tires as well as the oldest McCormick reaper in existence.  The museum is chock-full of other rare pieces of agricultural machinery and is surrounded by the Stonefield Museum, which features a recreated 1900s farming village complete with a working farm.  In the village, visitors can explore a confectionery, saloon, livery stable, newspaper office, and other shops and social institutions common to rural farming villages of the day.”

Stonefield, a National Register property, is located just outside Cassville on County Hwy VV.  It was once part of the mid-1800s agricultural estate of Wisconsin's first Governor, Nelson Dewey.

The Stonefield website is: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/stonefield/

For more information, call 608-725-5210 or e-mail stonefield@whs.wisc.edu.

Don’t forget to tell them you heard about Stonefield from CarnsAmok at www.tristatewoman.com!  I hope you enjoy this month’s photos.

CarnsAmok gives us a peek at another time in Wisconsin history with more photos from Stonefield Village and the Wisconsin Agricultural Museum.