An Old House

Larson House. 6/26/22 dwm

 The reason was strawberry shortcake.

 That's why we met in downtown McFarland, Wisconsin to tour an old home.  After a Covid-19 interruption, the McFarland Historical Society was again hosting an afternoon with "the best strawberry shortcake" to raise money for the care and upkeep of the Larson house.

 I rode across town to meet the kids for a walk-through the old place which looked like the place where we lived in north Wisconsin.

 The woodwork, floorboards, and hardwood floors were most similar.  It was built roughly 10 years later than the place we lived.

 The Larson family were the second owners.  They lived 80 years in the place before closing its doors.  It stood empty 20 years before the Historical Society purchased it in 2012.  

 It was repaired, refurbished, and restored to what it looked like in 1920 when electricity came to McFarland.  

An original light fixture. 6/26/22 dwm photo

The house we lived in still had some of the old knob and tube wiring in it when we lived there; that was one of the priorities for the local historians as they replaced it with a safer system; replaced the siding; and scraped the trim and gables so they could be painted.

As we walked from room to room, I read about the family and realized I might know one of them.  I asked one of the tour guides, the niece of one of the Larson daughters, who confirmed the connection.

She had a beautiful home and I imagine she enjoyed seeing it restored to what it may have looked like 100 years earlier.

A doll and teddy bear wait for company. 6/26/22

 The Larson house is open 1 to 4 Sunday afternoons between Memorial and Labor Day.

 There are a lot of historic places in our communities.  A good number are open to the public occasionally, a look back to earlier times and a different way of life.

 The Larson home is cozy and comfortable.  The dining room table stands ready for another Sunday dinner, the cup of each family member hanging nearby because Norwegians love their coffee.  

On the last Sunday of June, I bet the Larsons and friends also enjoy strawberry shortcake.