The Marathon County Historical Museum is museum located in Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located in the Cyrus Carpenter Yawkey House, a house listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The house is a significant example of Classical Revival architecture.National Register of Historic Places
"Wisconsin- Marathon County"
Retrieved November 22, 2007.

Yawkey

The house was the home of prominent citizen,

Cyrus C. Yawkey Cyrus Carpenter Yawkey (August 29, 1862 – May 18, 1943), commonly known as C. C. Yawkey, was an American business executive in lumber, and politician in Wisconsin. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Yawkey moved with his family to Saginaw ...

. Yawkey was a co-owner of a firm in Saginaw, Michigan, before moving to Wausau to purchase large tracts of land for lumber. He later owned numerous local businesses, was a member of the Wisconsin Legislature, and led the Wausau Group, which invested in new businesses like paper mills around Wausau as pine timber dwindled. The house was built in 1900 to 1901, designed in Beaux-Arts Classical style by Van Ryn & DeGelleke of Milwaukee. Six years later Yawkey hired prominent

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

architect

George W. Maher George Washington Maher (December 25, 1864 – September 12, 1926) was an American architect during the first quarter of the 20th century. He is considered part of the Prairie School-style and was known for blending traditional architecture wit ...

to remodel the house. He remodeled the first floor interior in a style closer to Prairie School, added a sun porch, and added two stories to the back of the structure. Yawkey died in 1943. His wife Alice lived in the house until she died in 1953. Their daughter, philanthropist Leigh Yawkey Woodson, donated the house to the Marathon County Historical Society.

Museum

The first floor contains the foyer, living room, dining room, Cyrus's office, a sun porch, and the ladies' parlor with authentic furniture from the beginning of the 20th century. There is also a kitchen with a back staircase, a pantry and former servants' dining room, and a half bath. The second floor contains the Yawkey's bedroom (with an attached bathroom), Leigh's bedroom (with attached sitting room and bathroom), a guest room, another bedroom, a servant's bedroom, and an additional bath off the main upstairs hallway. The staircase features large,

stained-glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows. Cyrus's den, part of Leigh's suite, the sun porch, and the small bump out which was built onto the dining room, all designed by George Maher, were added eight years after the Yawkeys moved in. On the third floor are servants' bedrooms, a bathroom, and a ballroom. There are formal gardens on the grounds and a carriage house with servant's quarters above. When the house was donated to the city in the 1950s, many of the second and third floor walls were torn down, the space being used for rotating exhibits. The second and third floors no longer house rotating exhibits. The house was restored to near original condition in the early 2000s.explorewisconsin.com
Marathon County Attractions
Retrieved November 22, 2007.

Museum library

The Marathon County Historical Museum Library is located across the street at the Woodson mansion. The Woodson mansion, designed by architect

, was the home of Leigh Yawkey Woodson and her husband Aytchmonde Perrin Woodson. The library contains information about the history of the county.

Historic district

The houses are part of the Andrew Warren Historic District, which contains 62 historic buildings, mainly homes.

References

External links

Official website
{{National Register of Historic Places Historic house museums in Wisconsin History museums in Wisconsin Houses completed in 1901 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Libraries in Wisconsin Museums in Marathon County, Wisconsin Wausau, Wisconsin Houses in Marathon County, Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Marathon County, Wisconsin