Pabst Mansion and Old World Wisconsin

Historical house museums and open-air museums are an important part of our cultural history and identity because they allow us to have an accurate depiction of the past. According to Murtagh, “A house and its contents, when maintained as a museum, teach how the original occupants lived and exhibit the object of their everyday lives” (Murtagh 63). This is important because without house museums, we would have to solely rely on photographs and interpretation of what important buildings once looked like. When we visited the Pabst mansion, I was able to get a sense of how the family actually lived, which I would not have been able to get simply from photographs. House museums are meant to give history lessons about the people who lived in the house, what those people were like, and how they lived (64). The perfect example of this is when John Eastburg told us about how the Pabst family felt more comfortable living in a middle class environment, yet they were expected to live in an environment that was purely upper class. This information gave me a whole new perspective on the Pabst family. Without having visited the site or seen the differences in décor from the first and second floor, I would have assumed that the Pabst family lived in luxury at all times.

Seeing the different stages of the restoration process within the building also showed how a house museum is significant to our culture. There was such a difference between rooms that have not yet been fully restored, and the green bedroom that had been fully restored. One is rarely able to see rooms as they were a hundred years ago, and it such a unique experience to be able to walk through one. In a way, it is like one is stepping back into a time period, and experiencing the house as it was originally meant to be experienced. This is something that only a house museum can provide because the best way to see how a historical family lived is to actually be in the same place where they lived their lives.

This same general concept can also be said for open-air museums. The National Trust describes an open-air museum as “a restored, re-created or replicate village site in which several or many structures have been restored, rebuilt, or moved and whose purpose is to interpret a historical or cultural setting, period, or activity” (75). An example of this would be Old World Wisconsin, where I used to spend my summers volunteering. This site, and others like it, is meant to educate and instill a sense of patriotism and heritage into those who visit it (81). Old World Wisconsin could be considered a living museum because during the summer months volunteers can be seen in costume farming the lands, and conducting other activities, such as being a blacksmith or general store owner, which are period appropriate. One of the best parts of volunteering there was being able to see how people of the past lived within a secluded environment. The grounds of the site were not being invaded by modern surroundings, and the volunteers simply acted as though they were living in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This was an incredible learning experience because, like the house museum, I felt like I had been transported into a different time, and I was able to see how people a few centuries ago would have lived their everyday lives.

House museums and open-air museums are important because they teach us about a time different than our own. These historical settings are the best way for people to get a sense of how our ancestors lived, and how far we have progressed as a society. Museums such as these give people the chance to experience a different period of time; one that is true to the essence of a particular area or generation. Without them, we would miss out on the opportunity of the ability to interact with the past. This is the best way to interact with a historical house or setting because they can take one so much deeper and teach so much more about a site than photographs or documents can on their own.

Works Cited:

Murtagh, William J. Keeping Time: The History and Theory of Preservation in America. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley, 2006. Print.