Happy Mother's Day

The Kvaale House Kitchen restored to 1865 as seen at Old World Wisconsin, Eagle WI.

A sewing machine, a pitcher, a crock,  a coffee grinder, a flatware tray, and various other ordinary household trinkets... It is a simple vignette of things used in a rural home in 1865. Many of us might see them only as symbols of drudgery and never-ending chores. Now, look at these items again. Think of all them women who through the course of the decades touched these items or items much like them. These simple items are symbols of a home. A home which women lovingly made for their families. Through the seemingly endless hours of work, there were tasty homemade dinners and treats. Clothes were sewn for little ones being welcomed into this world crafted with the same tenderness as the clothing worn by children passing from childhood into adulthood. Rare but precious moments of quiet were stolen over a hot cup of coffee...

It is in these simple symbols we still recognize a home, our families and our mothers...

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who have sacrificed, and created warm, nurturing, loving homes for their families. As children of all ages, we often hold the simple memories most dear!

Christmas for a Dollar...



2014 Christmas Exhibit at Old World Wisconsin
- Photo by Anne Danko

By 1880, many Americans had already been decrying Christmas as overly commercial for years. There were those who chose to celebrate Christmas elaborately with all the baubles the Victorian era could gloriously muster, but for many Christmas still celebrated modestly. Below is an excerpt which was printed in the Milwaukee Sentinel on December 20, 1880 and now found in the Wisconsin Christmas Anthology edited by Terry R. Engels and printed by the Partridge Press in 1989.

Who authored the piece is not recorded; but it stands as an example of the frugality of Wisconsin and the Greater Midwest. It is that same frugality which has become a stereotype and is often the butt of many jokes but is also the frugality many of still know and have learned to embrace…

Christmas for a Dollar


2014 Christmas Exhibit at Old World Wisconsin
 - Photo by Anne Danko

 “First the tree, fifteen cents secures a splendid one. Somewhere in the shed or cellar is an old box, just the thing to set it in. Ten Cents buys eight good candles that can be cut in two pieces. A pin stuck stoutly wherever a light is wanted, will hold the taper well in place. Five cents gets a pound of corn for popping. Then purchase twenty cents worth of stick candy with a quarter pound of raisins (five cents) to sprinkle with it. Gauze to make little bags in which the candy could hang on the tree takes another five cents. Now, forty cents still remains, and with it can be purchased a whittling knife with two blades (fifteen cents) for a boy and a set of toy dishes (twenty cents) for a girl. The remaining nickel can be used to buy a brightly colored Christmas card, and the children’s joy will be complete.” --Milwaukee Sentinel, December 20, 1880

Merry Christmas! May your stick candy and popcorn be plentiful…and your family and friends be happy and healthy!

--Anne

2014 Christmas Exhibit at Old World Wisconsin - Photo by Anne Danko

Engels, Terry R. A Wisconsin Christmas Anthology. St. Cloud, MN: Partridge, 1989. Print.

Pranks and Practical Jokes...



Photo by Jim McGuigan 9.6.14

Pomeranian Weddings are filled with merriment including pranking the Bride and Groom.  This can include practical jokes and/or attempts to get the Bride or Groom drunk. Often these pranks can happen days before the celebration or anytime during the 3 day wedding celebration.

The Polterbend was the climax of the pranks.  The day before the wedding friends would gather around the bride’s home making noise and general ruckus while banging on pots, ringing bells, hollering and whistling. Pranks could include stuffing old quilts down smoking chimneys, stole her clothes or removed wheels from the family’s wagon/carriage.

One of the tamer tricks was to wrap a box of broken china in very decoratively. A bridesmaid or friend would present the bride with this gift and as she reached for it, it would drop to the ground shattering. We chose to represent this prank because it was safe in a museum setting BUT I didn’t expect the pomp and circumstance between my brother and sister in presenting me with the gift. ….I began to have doubts as to what was in the box.

Only days earlier, my bridesmaid, Sandy had an unfortunate moment at home.  A shelf in her china cabinet became loose, fell and sent china crashing everywhere.   Although the loss of sentimental china pieces is never a happy moment, it did provide opportunity to fill a box with broken china. I had believed this to be the contents of the box until I stood on the back porch that afternoon and watched my brother and sister dance around and ceremoniously present the gift to me. The thought had seriously crossed my mind that the broken china had been replaced with something much less innocuous. After all, many interesting even nasty things can be found in a farmyard….

I was relieved when I found the gift truly contained broken china!

September 6th, 2014 – Our Wedding

 

Photo by Cara Spoto of the Racine Journal Times

After more than a year of planning, Karl and I stepped into a different chapter in our lives on a gloriously, beautiful early autumn day at Old World Wisconsin!  The sky was as blue as it can be.  The gentlest of breezes blew.  The sun shone as brightly as possible.  Old World Wisconsin provided the perfect 19th century backdrop.   BUT… It was our family, friends and public guests that truly made the day a colorful, festive 1880 Wedding celebration! 

I will let the photos speak for themselves. I have given credit on the photos wherever possible. We only have the photos that friends have sent me or posted on Facebook. I am sure there are more somewhere...

Photo by Julie Peterson

My brother, Jimmy Danko, was incomparable as the Hochzeitsbitter (Wedding Inviter). As my dear friend, Kathleen, stated, "He was born to play the role of the Hochzeitsbitter".

Photo by Erica Laabs

As tradition has it, I arrived to the ceremony by horse drawn carriage... or rather, in Old World Wisconsin tradition, horse-drawn Omnibus accompanied by my Bridesmaids and other dear ladies...

Photo by Becky Bross

I might be biased, but my father looked so dapper walking me down the aisle...

Photo by Kim Shrake

The vows...

Photo by Ashlee Peterson

The Kiss... Okay, soooo this feels a little weird posting this photo myself, but then I remember this whole ceremony was in public with 650+ people. ...and if we did it all over again, we would do it the same way! Thank you Old World Wisconsin and Thank You to everyone who attended. Karl and I hope you enjoyed spending the day with us and at Old World Wisconsin!!

Photo by Sara Kaphengst

Our Families...

Photo by Ashlee Peterson

The Bridal Party...

Photo by Erica Laabs

Wonderful Wishes arrived from all over Old World Wisconsin...

Photo by Michael Cannon

There will be other posts with wedding details in days to come...

Visit Old World Wisconsin, the largest Living History Museum in the United States which focuses on 19th Century rural life.... http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/

 

If you would like to read more:

 

Lake Effect on WUWM: http://wuwm.com/post/old-world-wisconsin-wedding-capture-19th-century-beauty

 

Racine Journal Times: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/longtime-interpreters-tie-the-knot-s-style/article_4603439c-8f5e-5b39-9b5d-7f27b8c48ab1.html

Mukwonago Chief: http://www.livinglakecountry.com/mukwonagochief/news/couple-wed-in-unprecedented-ceremony-at-old-world-wisconsin-b99346913z1-274432341.html

 

The Romance of Rural Architecture - The Frederich Koepsell House...

Some couples dream of a magnificent Cathedral with stained glass windows glistening in the sunlight as the backdrop of their wedding ceremony.  Others dream of a sandy beach, lapping waves and the scent of sea air. Our dream is that of a mid-19^th century half-timber farm house flanked by hops poles and animal pastures. This dream will come true for Karl and me on September 6, 2014. 

Specifically, it is the front porch of a fachwerk or half-timber house built in the late 1850’s by Friedrich Koepsell.  Mr. Koepsell likely apprenticed in Pomerania as a carpenter prior to emigrating from Pomerania with his wife and children. Upon arriving in Wisconsin, he would establish a farm and continue to build Pomeranian style fachwerk structures for neighbors who desired buildings in this style as opposed to an American style structure.

 

The skill required for this style of home is learned over the course of years. Apprenticeships would last for typically 7 years.  Afterward a term of journeyman was often required before a level of mastery was reached. The location of the timbers was predetermined prior to the erection of the walls. These timbers were numbered and documented with their appropriate location for each piece. Filling the spaces between the timbers were stucco or the more expensive brick.

A glimpse of the garden...

Think of this beautiful home as a Mr. Koepsell’s model home.   It displayed his skill very well to others in the neighboring areas. It is important to note.  At the time, this would not have been viewed as a stylish home. The architectural style of this home is that of rural Pomerania. It was an anomaly in the United States and overly ordinary in Pomerania in its day.  We, however, are exceptionally fortunate this building was saved, restored and on display for all of us to appreciate.

Visit the house Friedrich Koepsell built at Old World Wisconsin. http://oldworldwisconsin.wisconsinhistory.org/

Douglass, M., & Perkins, M. (1978). Unpublished Old World Wisconsin Interpretive Plan Koepsell Farm.

 

The American Twist...

Most commonly celebrated after the harvest in November or even December in Pomerania weddings were three days of music, food, drink, dance and games…

In the new country, American and Pomeranian customs would blend, change and morph into an occasion somewhat different than a wedding in Pomerania.  This fact doesn’t make a wedding in a community settled by Pomeranian immigrants ordinary or less special. Instead, the blending of the two cultures makes for an occasion which perhaps is more unique and indicative of the customs most closely held dear to the bride, groom, families and the community themselves. It also makes for interesting albeit challenging research.  By blending the two cultures, both Pomeranian and Victorian American, the combination of options becomes almost infinite. This is where our wedding begins…

In every conversation, the Hochzeitsbitter or Wedding Inviter dominates the conversation.  In truth, this colorful character is symbolic on multiple levels.  He is the indicator of the impending nuptials. He IS the social media prior to the age of telegrams, telephones and Twitter. A farmer or artisan doesn’t need to know how to read to understand the verbal invitation of the Hochzeitsbitter. He is a gentleman very special to the bride. He is also symbol of celebration…after months of work, the harvest is complete and there is time for great merriment.  Next to the Bride, he is the most visible symbol of a wedding. The tradition of the Hochzeitsbitter in his top hat and all his merriment crosses the ocean and finds a role in the Pomeranian settled communities into the mid-twentieth century.

Well, that was the easy part... The Hochzeitsbitter.  Next up...Koepsell House...

A Traditional Festive Atmosphere...

Among the Pomeranians along with other German speaking peoples and other ethnic groups, weddings were a community event. These festive events were most often held in the late fall after harvest when the food selection was plentiful and variety was at its best.

Days are cool, comfortable and after long weeks of harvesting and preparing for the winter, family and neighbors are ready for a festive atmosphere.

Already months in advance, the Bride, Groom and their families would be begin making or altering special clothing to be worn by the Bride and Groom.

Now, it is time for neighbors to join in the celebration. In the coming days, before the wedding there would be baking of special sweet treats, cooking special savory dishes, gathering flowers for decorative displays, often times the carriage or wagon of the wedding couple would be decorated.

  Traditionally, approximately a week or two prior the wedding, the Hochzeitsbitter or wedding inviter would travel the village in his colorful garb inviting extended family, friends and neighbors. Being paid in coin or drink by the invitees, this would signal time for wedding preparations to start. The celebration would often last for 3 days.

Large luncheons and dinners would be prepared with a wide array dishes and treats. Invited guests would lend a hand bringing delicious treats for feasting and partying . Good natured pranks would be had while the beer, schnapps and wine flowed. Musicians would bring their instruments to fill the air with music and dance. Laughter, colors, music, food and fun would start the couple off on their life together….