Adult/Group Museums Visit Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums St. Agnes Convent & School Site

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1 Adult/Group Museums Visit Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums The History Center Washington County 320 S 5 th Ave, West Bend, WI (262) Contact: Jessica Sawinski Couch, Curator of Education, education@historyisfun.com About Our Museums At our museums you will see exhibits chronicling the history of Washington County from the glaciers to the present day. Within our flagship museum, the Old Courthouse Museum, nine exhibit rooms are devoted to people and ideas, such as Menominee and Potawatomi, Immigrants, Technology, and World War II. On the second floor are the restored Circuit Courtroom, Judge s Chamber, and Attorneys Room. Don t miss the 27-room Zinn Dollhouse, one of our largest artifacts, and the 100,000 year-old Trenton Meteorite, our oldest artifact. Next to the Old Courthouse Museum is the Old Jailhouse Museum where you will walk through the County Sheriff s mid-20 th Century home with eight jail cells in the back. All exhibits contain original artifacts, photographs, and documents from Washington County s past. Located one and a half miles north of the Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums is St. Agnes Convent & School Site, consisting of the motherhouse, rectory, and barn. Here, you will see excellent representations of fieldstone construction and mid-19 th Century pioneer living. Inside the fieldstone rectory, the exhibit From Mound Builders to Church Builders highlights the challenges and hardships experienced by early Wisconsin settlers. NOTE: The motherhouse is currently the caretaker s residence and may not be open to visitors. All exhibits contain reproduced photographs and documents from the site s history. 4/19/2016 1

2 Fees Fees are due in full no later than 2 weeks before your visit. Pay by check, cash, or credit card over the phone (262) Make checks payable to Washington County Historical Society, Inc. Due to discount admissions we are unable to offer complimentary admission for the host/hostess and driver. Group Rate for 10 or more Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums $5.00 per person $3.00 per person free for children 5 & under and WCHS free for children 5 & under and WCHS members. members. Group Rate Deal: Visit all 3 in the same day for $7.00 per person. Adults (17-61) $5.00 Children (6-16) & Seniors (62+) $4.00 Children (5&under) & WCHS Members Free Regular Rate Adults (17-61) $7.00 Children (6-16) & Seniors (62+) $6.00 Children (5&under) & WCHS Members Free Scheduling To schedule a visit, contact Jessica Sawinski Couch (262) or education@historyisfun.com. Schedule at least 4 weeks in advance. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule your visit. Paid visits will be refunded 50% if you contact us at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled time. Museum Rules 1. No running is allowed anywhere on the site or in any buildings. 2. Please don t bring large purses or backpacks, food, candy, gum, drinks, or weapons that are concealed or otherwise. 3. Groups must remain together while in the museums. 4. Please use indoor voices and respect the other visitors at the museum. 5. Please do not touch objects in the museums unless otherwise instructed. 4/19/2016 2

3 Helpful Information Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums Visit Length Plan 2 hours Plan 45 minutes Group Size Up to 60 people at once Up to 35 people at once Chaperones Adults are responsible for the supervision and discipline of children while at the museums. Accessibility Only the Old Courthouse Museum has an elevator which is accessible from the parking lot; the Old Jailhouse Museum does not. Please advise staff before your visit if anyone in your group has special needs so we can accommodate all. There is one gravel driveway leading up a slight hill to between the Rectory and Barn, and grassy, slightly uneven ground between the buildings. There are no paved walkways. Please advise staff before your visit if anyone in your group has special needs so we can Restrooms Lunch Multiple stall restrooms are located in the Old Courthouse Museum Basement (LL). The handicap accessible restroom is located on the 3 rd floor. The Old Jailhouse Museum does not have public restroom. Bagged lunches are welcome on the grounds, weather permitting. Please arrange with the Curator of Education to eat lunch at the Museum. If you require set-up including tables, chairs, and/or catered meal, you must arrange with the Event Planner. Additional costs may apply. Shop for unique gifts and souvenirs in the Treasurer s Vault Gift Shop. accommodate all. There are no public restrooms at the site. Bagged lunches are welcome on the grounds, weather permitting. Please arrange with the Curator of Education to eat lunch at the Site. No tables/chairs are available. Gift Shop Related items are available in the Treasurer s Vault Gift Shop at the Old Courthouse Museum. Photography Flash photography is not permitted. For commercial photography, including Dress for the Weather Severe Weather weddings, please contact the History Center. Weather conditions are monitored via the National Weather Services weather radio. If severe weather does occur during your visit, shelter will be taken in the Museums basements. The site is an open air museum. Advise visitors to dress appropriately in layers. Weather conditions are monitored via the National Weather Services weather radio. If severe weather does occur during your visit, shelter will be taken in the barn basement. 4/19/2016 3

4 When You Arrive Old Courthouse & Old Jailhouse Museums Address 320 S 5 th Ave, West Bend, WI Fond du Lac Street, West Bend, WI Directions From Washington Street/Highway 33, turn south onto 7 th Avenue. Turn left onto Chestnut Street. Turn left onto 5 th Avenue. The Museums are on the left. From Washington Street/Highway 33, turn north onto Main Street. Turn left at the stoplight which is Barton Avenue. Turn sharp right onto Fond du Lac Street. The Site is on the left. Bus Unloading & Parking Car Parking Where To Go Site Maps Pull into the parking lot behind the Museums to unload. The parking lot entrance is on Chestnut Street. Large passenger buses: unload on S 6 th Avenue behind the Museums; visitors take the walkway to the parking lot. Park buses on 5 th Avenue until pick-up time. Park either on the street or in the lot behind the Museums. The parking lot entrance is on Chestnut Street. Proceed to the front door of the Old Courthouse Museum. The Curator of Education or volunteer will meet and direct the group. From Highway 45, exit at CTY D/ Lighthouse Lane. Head east on CTY D which becomes N Main Street in West Bend. Turn light right onto Fond du Lac Street. The Site is on the right. Park and unload buses on Fond du Lac Street in front of the Site. Park and unload cars on Fond du Lac Street in front of the Site. Proceed to the end of the driveway. The Curator of Education or volunteer will meet and direct the group. 4/19/2016 4

5 Brief History of the Old Courthouse Museum Washington County was laid out by the Territorial Legislature in 1836 and was named after President George Washington. The county was organized for government in 1840 and a court system was established in Because of a long and bitter argument over the location of the county seat, the State Legislature divided the original county into two, Washington and Ozaukee, in Ozaukee County chose Port Washington as its county seat and Washington County selected West Bend. That same year, a parcel of land was donated to the county as the site for new county buildings. Originally platted as The Park, the site is now known as the Old Courthouse Square. Because the site rises above the surrounding area, it seemed the perfect location for important buildings. A frame courthouse and jailhouse were built on the square in 1854, and a stone and brick County Records Building was added in By 1889 a new courthouse was needed. The wooden structure was auctioned off and the new courthouse was built of brick. The new courthouse held its first trial in A third courthouse was built on Washington Street in The old courthouse then housed the Department of Social Services from 1962 until In 1992, the History Center of Washington County and Washington County partnered to raise funds for the restoration of the old courthouse for the purpose of creating a museum and research center dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Washington County. The History Center moved its operations and collections from the old jailhouse to the old courthouse beginning in Brief History of the Old Jailhouse Museum The original wooden jailhouse that sat on the Old Courthouse Square was replaced with the existing brick building in The jailhouse was used as a jail until 1962 when the new courthouse and jail were built on Washington Street. That year, the History Center moved displays and artifacts from the local high school to the old jailhouse. Over the next 30 years, the History Center installed exhibits on all three floors and used the basement and attic for storage. In 1997, the History Center moved its operation to the restored old courthouse. The old jailhouse was then used for storage until its restoration began in the summer of 2001 and finished in The building is now the Old Jailhouse Museum and furnished in style. Brief History of Founded in 1858, it was here that the Sisters of St. Agnes managed one of the first schools in Washington County, educating children of all denominations. The site highlights the triumph of survival over inexperience on the unsettled Wisconsin frontier; the drive to not give up but to seek success elsewhere. Father Casper Rehrl was born in Salzburg, Austria in In 1828 he became certified to teach in normal schools. In 1844, Rehrl left Austria for Milwaukee then followed the 4/19/2016 5

6 Milwaukee River on foot to Fond du Lac, passing through what would become West Bend and Barton. In 1855, Rehrl had a vision at the tomb of St. Agnes and vowed to create a sisterhood to assist him with his missionary work. Returning to Barton in 1858, Father Rehrl bought a house overlooking the Milwaukee River to serve as the motherhouse. He built a small fieldstone rectory for himself just west of the house. Young women began joining the society until there were nearly twenty, most of them between the ages of 11 and 13.The age and inexperience of the sisters, coupled with the rural and backbreaking frontier life, led to unhappy conditions. By early 1861, all the sisters had left, leaving Casper alone. In 1863, fifteen-year-old Anne Marie Hazotte arrived, wanting to become a sister and teacher. Less than two years later, Anne Marie, now Sister Mary Agnes, was elected superior by her fellow sisters, a position she held until her death in During the closing days of the Civil War, the congregation in Barton suffered both food and Sister shortages. Demand for school teachers was so great in and around Washington County that nearly all the sisters were dispatched to teach, leaving few behind to support the society. Sister Agnes (soon to be Mother Agnes) purchased property in Fond du Lac and established a new motherhouse in Father Rehrl remained in Barton with six sisters to tend to the mission churches until the society was dissolved in At this point, the sisters could choose to join another religious community or secularize. Father Rehrl died on September 3, 1881 in the field-stone rectory. In 1997, the motherhouse, rectory, and barn were donated to History Center of Washington County. With the help of the community and volunteers, the History Center created an exhibit within the restored Rectory which is open to visitors. 4/19/2016 6