Interim Museum
The long gravel driveway with trees arching above seems to beckon to "come see what enchantment lies ahead." As you travel down the path suddenly a wonderful old stone house, appearing much like a gatekeeper for the "treasures" beyond, bids you welcome. Moving expectantly past the house, you stop in amazement at the scene before you.

Standing in the middle of this very special farmyard in the City of Cedarburg is like being transported back in time to the Civil War era. buildings of that period help makeup the magnificent assemblage of stone and frame structures that surround you. And perhaps one of the most remparkable things about thi delightful enclave is that the structures are true to their original architecture...they are literally untouched by modernization, additions or developers.

Getting to this point in history - unscathed has not been easy. Originally part of a 74 acre farmstead, eventually all the land was sold off until, today, only about 2.2 acres remain. But waht a remarkable piece of property it is with a wonderful old stone house, a milk house, wagon shed, chicken coop, corn crib, outhouse, silo, a small stone building with multi-uses, a remarkable barn in surprisingly good shape and an absolutely unbelievable stone building that once housed a blacksmith shop, summer kitchen and smokehouse all the same time!

About five years ago the two sisters who owned the farm decided to put it up for sale. Imagine their surprise when interested buyers wanted to tear down many of the accessory buildings (including the fabulous barn), subdivide the land and build more houses. The sisters decided to take the property off the market and the son of one of them agreed to try to find a buyer who would not only retain all the farm buildings...but restore and preserve them, as well.
For three years the owner's son led an exhaustive effort to find the right buyer. His perseverance paid off recently when members to the wisconsin Quilt History Project, Inc., a non-profit group dedicated to the preservation of quilts and quilting, took the big step forward to purchase the property. Their mission is to turn the barn into state quilt museum that will attract visitors from across the country.

The project has already received high praise from a very special visitor, Alberty Sebolt George, president of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, who recently toured the farm. George, who oversees the daily operation of thier world-famous village which consists of a non-profit, educational, outdoor living history museum where a re-created New England community of the 1830's spreads out across 200 acres, was definitely impressed with what she saw.

"I think the farm is wonderful," George said, "the structures, the site, the landscape all have a wonderful synergy with what the Quilters are trying to do." She explained that "the buildings are charming and there are some unusual historic structure." Then added, "its a very unusual to still have the building intact the Quilt Group is very fortunate." That's high praise, indeed, from someone who truly knows the importance of historic preservation.