April 2020 Accelerate Magazine

WAUKESHA COUNTY BUSINESS ALLIANCE, INC. | WAUKESHA.ORG PRESERVING THE PAST AND BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE What’s Your Story? Everyone has a story. Who you are… Where you came from… What dreams you have for the future… Each story is as unique as the individual telling it. OldWorld Wisconsin is a collection of beautiful stories. There are stories of hope and freedom, injustice and hardship, loss and achievement, and courage and triumph. Why did immigrants choose to leave the homes they knew and come to America? Were they pushed to escape famine, religious persecution and disease or did opportunity pull them here? The opportunity to satisfy their hunger for land, work, freedom. Why did they settle in the unforgiving Wisconsin wilderness? Nestled in the beautiful Kettle Moraine and located in Eagle, just 17 miles from Waukesha, OldWorldWisconsin is a collection of these stories. Owned and operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, OldWorldWisconsin creates amazing, immersive experiences for guests that allow them to explore these stories and make connections to their own past. Over 60 historic buildings are located on this 600- acre site, along with 100+ animals and 20 heirloom gardens. Costumed facilitators bring history to life for nearly 50,000 visitors each year. In 1984, a small group of dedicated people formed a “friends” group to raise money and awareness about this unique local treasure. This small group grew into an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization known as Old World Foundation. The foundation is guided by a group of 11 dedicated trustees and three staff members who continue to raise funds for projects and programs at OldWorldWisconsin to keep these stories alive for future generations. Through the support of our Friends partners and supporters, OldWorld Foundation was instrumental in providing the needed funding to relocate many of the historic buildings to OldWorldWisconsin from around the state. These buildings are not just cold, rigid structures that dot the landscape of OldWorld, they are portals that transport guests back in time. They set the stage and create a space for historic exploration to begin. These buildings assist facilitators in telling the stories of our ancestors. Old World Foundation has long recognized the need to preserve these buildings and has continuously provided funds for their upkeep. In fact, during the past year, two of these buildings, the Clausing Barn and 1880s Yankee GWEN GRIFFFIN Executive Director, OldWorld Foundation 16