WAUSAU – May is Preservation Month and it makes sense that the Marathon County Historical Society has several events to help folks get into the past. These include an open house, a walking tour and a book event.
House Full of History will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 14. Visitors will have the opportunity to see parts of collections that are usually stored behind closed doors. See how the collections are preserved and stored and ask staff members questions about what they do. No matter your age (kids are welcome!), learn about the history of Marathon County and the people who called it home.
Also on May 14, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Historical Society and Janke Bookstore welcome author Janet Newman to discuss her new book, “Letters from Clara: One Intrepid Woman’s Travels on the Eve of War, 1936-1939.” Books will be available for purchase and signing.
In 1936, Clara Pagel set off from Wausau on what would be a three-year world tour. Her collection of letters document her many adventures as Pagel witnesses history in the making. Janet Newman shares the story of a remarkable, independent woman as Pagel travels the world and in the process, learns more about herself.
Tales Between Two Depots, from noon to 4 p.m. May 15, is a preservation walking tour from the Grant Street Depot to the Depot on Stewart Avenue. Reenactors at seven tour stops give a glimpse of what life in Wausau was like around the turn of the century. Tickets are available that day at each site for $15 per person. Walk the route in any order or hop on and off the Kolbe & Kolbe Trolley.
For more information, contact Marathon County Historical Society at 715-842-5750.
If you go
House Full of History
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. May 14
410 McIndoe St., Wausau
Book Launch – Letters from Clara with author Janet Newman
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 14
410 McIndoe St., Wausau
Tales Between Two Depots
Noon to 4 p.m. May 15
Downtown Wausau
