WAUSAU — Cabin fever? Wishing for spring? You can visit the Marathon County Historical Society’s Houses in Bloom March 12 to 17 to view floral displays arranged by local designers.
Many of the rooms in both the Woodson History Center and the Yawkey House Museum will be enhanced by fresh floral arrangements. Local designers visit the Historical Society in advance and create floral displays appropriate for the chosen rooms.
The fully restored Yawkey House Museum offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of Cyrus and Alice Yawkey, and their daughter, Leigh. During the early 1900s, all three were prominent in business, civic, and social concerns. Guided tours of their home are offered daily except Mondays and holidays, and will be available throughout Houses in Bloom.
Tour tickets cost $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $5 for youths, and are free for members and children younger than 6, the usual cost for Yawkey House tours year-round. Weekday tours leave on the hour beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, with the last tour at 3 p.m. On the weekend of Houses in Bloom, the Historical Society will be open extended hours, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 16 and 17. Weekend tours will run on the half-hour, beginning at 11 a.m. with the last tour at 3:30 p.m., and will focus more on the floral displays rather than the Yawkey House history.
Purchase tour tickets across McIndoe Street at the Woodson History Center, the home where Leigh Yawkey Woodson and her husband, A.P. Woodson, lived and raised their family. This building later was owned by Immanuel Baptist Church before the Historical Society acquired it.
The Woodson History Center now houses two exhibits: “Milking Time: Evolution of the Dairy Industry in Marathon County” and “Rural Electrification: Outlet for Change.” Blooms will not be added to exhibits, but can be enjoyed in some other historic rooms of the Woodson History Center.
For more information, call the Marathon County Historical Society at 715-842-5750.
Photo courtesy Marathon County Historical Society.
