Mequon-Thiensville Today - Article from Friends of Jonathan Clark House
Submitted to Jesse Thyes - October 30, 2015
If you have ever driven north on Cedarburg Road past Bonniwell Road you may have said to yourself, “Look at that beautiful old house. I wonder what’s inside.” The beautiful old house was built by Jonathan Clark in 1848, the year of Wisconsin’s statehood and is a Mequon-Thiensville treasure. In addition to driving by and enjoying the beauty of the house, members of the community now have a timely opportunity to invest in this historic treasure.
The Friends of Jonathan Clark House non-profit organization of volunteers was formed to collect, preserve and share the history of the Jonathan Clark House and the early settlers of Mequon and Thiensville. The Friends’ vision is the creation of a community historic house museum where you can learn about our early settlers and step back in time to 1848.
Bringing History to Life at the Jonathan Clark House
Why would you want to join your fellow community and business members in supporting the Jonathan Clark
House capital campaign? The answer is historic preservation and education.
Very few historically significant mid-19th century properties in Mequon and Thiensville are available for preservation and for use by the public. The Clark property poses a unique opportunity to preserve an available structure, but it also poses a challenge of raising funds to support its purchase and preservation.
An Interactive History Laboratory
History is a subject that gives children a chance to slow down and to study the past as it relates to the present as well as to the future. Yes, the study of history can be laboratory-based and therefore, interactive.
The life of Clark and his contemporaries is used as a teaching tool to study the life of the early Wisconsin settlers.
Study questions include, “Where did they come from?”, “Why did they come to Wisconsin?” and, “What was their life like in the mid-19th century?”
An important museum volunteer group is the education team of retired teachers who have been designing tour and programming concepts for youth using the “Thinking Like a Historian” curriculum developed by the Wisconsin
Historical Society and used by the Mequon Thiensville School District. Team projects include the development of tour and activity curriculum that will be compatible with the school district as well as 4H and scout troop curriculum. The team is currently planning a Mequon Thiensville Recreation Department summer course for elementary school children to be held at the Recreation Center and the museum.
Fascinating History Tours and Exhibits
In addition to the Mequon Thiensville School District, the Friends are collaborating with business, community and historical groups through programming, tours, exhibits and visioning conversations. The next exhibit will be at the
Mequon Nature Preserve’s Winter Frolic on February 6.
What’s in that house? You and your group could see for yourself and take a museum tour. Contact Museum
Director Nina Look (262-618-2051) to arrange for an individual or group tour and be prepared to step back in time to 1848. And, make a financial pledge to “Bring History to Life” at the Jonathan Clark House Museum.
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This could be used as a “side bar”
Elizabeth Hickman, great great granddaughter of Jonathan and Mary Clark has expressed the significance of the museum in the following quote:
“Lessons learned from the past and our ancestors are invaluable, and this sturdy dwelling stands to provoke research on many levels. It will surely stimulate the imaginations of future generations.”
Photographs – in order if my preference
Bringing History to Life group photo in front of the house
Scouts with Margaret
Two boys pretending to be Jonathan and Mary’s son Henry
Front of house with wreath
Photo of the east side of the house
Inquiries can be directed to:
Dr. Nina Look, Director
Jonathan Clark House Museum
P. O. Box 634
Mequon, WI 53092 jchmuseum@gmail.com jonathanclarkhouse.org
Museum 262.618.2051
Home – 262-242-4017