Pioneer Village Museum (Tour)

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From humble beginnings as the 1908 home of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ebenezer Congregation of Poskin to a centerpiece of the Pioneer Village Museum and still-functioning church, the Ebenezer Lutheran Church is a must-see stop for visitors to the Barron County Historical Society. A carefully-maintained building and preserved artifacts provide both historical context and a rich background for anyone wanting to learn more about this aspect of Northwestern Wisconsin history or have it as the backdrop for a contemporary church event.

2. The Meeting House

The Meeting House is representative of a staple feature in early settler communities. Clergymen frequently traveled from one town to another as communities developed, and without provisions to afford hotels or boarding houses, many would stay at settlers' homes. These clergymen were critical for communities without an established church and clergy to perform important church rites and services such as baptisms and marriages. In some places, an established "meeting house" near the community church also served as boarding for clergy.

3. Town Hall

This town hall was originally the Ulysses School, built in 1876 on the Leroy Merritt homestead. The Merritts were from a small community in Pennsylvania by the name of Ulysses, hence the name of the school. The original structure looked pretty much the same as it now does, but at one point, an 11' x 12' woodshed was attached to the back and in 1907, a 10' hall entrance was added to the front. In 1921, a new school was built. This building then served as the Doyle Town Hall until 1962. From 1962 until 1976, the building stood vacant. In 1972, the building was donated by the people of the Town of Doyle and was moved to the Pioneer Village Museum as a joint project for the historical society and the Retired Teachers Association in celebration of the Bicentennial Year of the United States of America. The woodshed and entrance hall were removed at that time.

4. Carpenter Shop

The Carpenter Shop, completed in 2022, houses antique woodworking tools and machinery historically used in early Barron County. Woodworking was an important trade for both building construction and the creation and maintenance of tools for personal and commercial use. This display building introduces visitors to the woodworking trades and techniques.

5. Doctor's Office

This 16' x 24' frame building was donated by Gladys Severson Sells in memory of her father Sam Severson. Formerly located in the Village of New Auburn, it was a small store. Buildings such as this often had false fronts to present a more impressive appearance and to provide space for a large sign to advertise the business.The Barron, Sawyer, Washburn, and Burnett Couty Medical Society and Medical Auxiliary generously contributed to cover the cost of moving and repair. The Medical Auxiliary also assisted in obtaining items for the office and helped arrange the exhibit.

6. Blacksmith

Blacksmiths were essential to pioneer life. In 1983, the Pioneer Village Museum added the Blacksmith Shop to the grounds. The building was built by Herman Severson, Mel Jensen, and Bill Meiesegeier, Jr., with the help of the Green Thumb crew. This is a functioning smithy with a forge built by Alfred Koser and Mel Jensen.The trip hammer, just north of the forge and belted with power, was an essential tool for sharpening plow shares, cultivator and harrow points, spring harrow teeth, road grader blades, and more. The shop's center features an emery wheel stand, a standard piece of equipment in a blacksmith shop. The abrasive wheel was either silicon carbide or aluminum oxide, usually of different hardness and grit size for different finishes. Next to the north wall is a water-cooled, three-horsepower Fuller-Johnson gas engine, belted and clutched to turn the lineshaft above, delivering power to the emery wheel stand and trip hammer.At the left rear of the shop is a small forge standing on metal legs with a hand-operated air blower. These portable forges were used extensively in the pioneer days to shape horseshoes, make and repair harness chains, and repair sleds and wagons for farm and logging site use.The left-hand door frame holds a hand-crank post drill used to drill holes of various sizes in wood and iron. The workbench to the left was the work area for making wagons, sleds, sleighs, wagon boxes, and other bench work. The embedded tool holder in the bench held forming tools. The post vice attached to the workbench is typical of all early blacksmith shops and was used to hold objects and to cut threads or tap internal threads.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Pioneer Village Museum

Created by Izzie Benes on July 26th 2020, 8:05:48 am.

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Growing from humble beginnings in a one-room schoolhouse in 1964 to the sprawling, park-like atmosphere and 40+ buildings of today, the Pioneer Village Museum is a volunteer-driven endeavor by the Barron County Historical Society to provide the best in cultural understanding about the history of Northwestern Wisconsin. Historic homes and buildings line the classic “Pioneer Village,” while multiple outlying display buildings enhance the story of the region with displays from homes, businesses, farms, libraries, and more. This museum encourages exploration and includes abundant green areas for picnic lunches and resting outdoors while visiting the grounds.

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Pioneer Village Museum

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