WAUSAU – The Marathon County Historical Society will present History Speaks: Who Were the Wausau Group? at 2 p.m. April 23 in person at the Woodson History Center. 

It will feature curator of the Yawkey House Museum, Erick Konop.

Around the turn of the century, a group of prominent businessmen in Marathon County worked together to leave a lasting legacy for the city they called home. You will learn exactly who fits into The Wausau Group and how their efforts developed the wider region.

In addition to the in-person presentation, recorded broadcasts will be available for later viewing. They also will be played on the Wausau Public Access Channel 980.

History Chats: April Fool’s Month

For April, the Marathon County Historical Society’s History Chats programs will explore the myths, misconceptions and mistakes from local history in Marathon County. These foolish stories will include quack doctors, fabricated trolleys, underground tunnels and mythical monsters of the Pinery.

All History Chats programs are at 12:30 every Thursday and streamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. They are also available on those sites as recorded programs if you can’t catch them live. They also will be played on Wausau’s public access channel.

April 7: The Traveling Quack Doctor

In the early 20th century, Marathon County was a frequent stop of a man calling himself Dr. Turbin. This so-called Berlin doctor was in fact a charlatan who claimed to be specialists of all sorts in different parts of the state. Join Ben Clark to learn more about this era of quack medicine in Marathon County and some of the questionable medical practices of the day.

April 14: The Impossible Trolley Postcards of James Colby

The Wausau-based James Colby was among the most prolific producer of postcards. But one curious theme in many of his postcards is the appearance of trolleys in street scenes of towns and villages that never had one. Ben Clark takes us through the story of Colby and how and why he faked so many trolleys (and more) in his postcards.

April 21: The Truth about the Prohibition Tunnels of Wausau

Some people will tell you that the city of Wausau stands on a warren of underground tunnels, dug to hide illicit booze during the days of Prohibition. That’s not exactly true. But this week Gary Gisselman takes us through the reality of Marathon County during the years of Prohibition.

April 28: The Beasts and Monsters of the Pinery

In the pioneering, early days of the lumberjacks, many stories were invented about beasts and monsters that lived in the great Pinery. Although some of these stories have been lost over the years, join us and a guest presenter to learn about some of these mysterious creatures that may still be roaming the woods of central Wisconsin! (But probably aren’t).

MCHS is in the Woodson History Center at 410 McIndoe St., Wausau. Exhibit and office hours are Tuesday – Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free. The research library is open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday – Friday. Tours of the Yawkey House Museum are available Tuesday – Sunday. Call for times and prices.

For more information, call MCHS at 715-842-5750, email [email protected] or visit www.marathoncountyhistory.org.