Rural House Walk Scheduled for September 2012

The date for the next Rural House Walk has been announced! September 22, 2012 is the date and the details are starting to be worked out. This is an event that happens once every 4 or 5 years and should not be missed. Many of the historic buildings in the village will be open to the public and residents of Rural will share the history of the village with visitors. Look for special events during the day, including wagon rides and food. I'll keep you updated on any details I learn about the event.

Come and see one of the few Yankee Villages in the Midwest! Tour the beautiful homes and businesses on the National Register of Historic Places, the lovely gardens and village graveyard. Enjoy our lovely setting on the banks of the Crystal River!

Expanded Exhibit at the Rural Historical Society Museum

The Rural Historical Society Museum continues to be open to the public every Wednesday and Sunday from 1 to 3 PM. Docents are available to speak with visitors and answer questions. The Museum shows and tells of the settlement and development of the Village of Rural.


At this time the Museum features an exhibit on Margaret Ashmun, her life and her work. Miss Ashmun is probably the most published author ever to come from the Waupaca area. She has over 24 novels and textbooks to her credit. She was born in the Village of Rural and she used the area as a setting for a number of her novels. Early in her career she was a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The entire Village of Rural is on the National Register of Historic Places and is often cited as one of the few examples of an early Yankee village in the Midwest. One may view photos and learn the history at the Museum and then walk the village streets and see many of the original houses and the bridges over the Crystal River. Guided tours are occasionally possible on request by calling 715-258-0973. Rural is located south of Waupaca just off highway 22 - about 4 miles from highway 10. The Museum is on Main Street.

(Helen Robinson)

Below Zero But Still Beautiful!

I went out to take some pictures a few days ago and the wind chill was so bad that I kept having to get out of it in between shots. I was bundled up with hat, scarf, mittens, boots and a heavy coat but the chill easily penetrated everything. Just above my boots my legs felt as though they were burning from the cold and, indeed, they were very rosy when I was finished photographing.

Still, it was a gorgeous day and I couldn't keep from capturing some winter scenes for these pages.




The Crystal River looks so much different now than in the summer with bare trees and banks of snow and ice framing it. There is a lot of open water near the portage where the river runs down a small drop and is diverted for the mill race. If not for that, I'm sure there would be a thick coating of ice from one bank to the other.





The first three pictures were taken from on top of the bridge by the portage on old state highway
22 - now the corner of Main Street and Cleghorn Road across from The Weller Store.













The last picture is a tease. I couldn't resist taking several shots of the Radley House that day. It is so much easier to get photos of this wonderful house when the trees are bare. It is encircled by black walnut trees that partially obscure the building from view during the other seasons.


I will publish more photos of this house and some of the architectural details in a future blog.



Stay warm and stay tuned...

"Downtown" Rural - summer of 2008

On a snowy day like today I just can't help thinking about how wonderful it is here in the summer.

I keep telling myself that the days are already getting longer.

Can't you just imagine sitting on the front porch with a tall glass of lemonade?

Visit our website! www.wellerstore.com

The Village of Rural

Yes, there really is a place named "Rural" in Wisconsin!

Located near Waupaca and the beautiful Chain-O'-Lakes, it is one of the few "Yankee Villages" in the Midwest. It's not too far off the beaten path of State Highway 22 but once you get here you will think you traveled far into the past. Many of the buildings in the village were built during the 1800s in the style of their Yankee owners from New England and are listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.




The beautiful Crystal River winds its way lazily through the center of the village and among the quaint homes. Canoes and tubes that began their trip at the Chain-O'-Lakes negotiate a small portage across the street from the Weller Store. Wellers rents some of those real old fashioned rubber inner tubes for only a few dollars a day if one wants to take a shorter trip downstream.




There are also some good spots for fishing along the river bank or on the bridges. There's even a small waterfall where Great Blue Herons like to fish!

Come and visit us if you're ever in Central Wisconsin!