Old World Wisconsin exists largely due to the efforts of German immigrant Hans Kuether and architect
Richard W. E. Perrin. Perrin was an early advocate for the preservation of historic structures as evidenced by his involvement with the
Association for the Preservation of Historic Buildings and with the preservation of the
Mitchell-Rountree House in
Platteville, Wisconsin in 1959. Perrin published a guide book in 1960 titled
Historic Wisconsin Architecture listing 76 structures in Wisconsin that he felt were worthy of preservation. Perrin first proposed the idea for an outdoor museum in 1964 in the form of a "Pioneer Park". Perrin's inspiration for the park actually dated back to a trip he made to Europe in 1953 and visited European outdoor museums including
Skansen in Sweden which he used as his model for the Wisconsin Park. The proposals created were published in a report titled "Heritage Village, Wisconsin – A Preliminary Proposal". Following this, two graduate students were selected to refine and expand the preliminary programs through research, on-site investigations and design studies and create a master plan for development. The study was co-funded by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the State Historical Society at a cost of under $5,000. In 1968, the master plan was summarized in a 122-page report which also included an economic feasibility study by a graduate student in the School of Business. The project was named
Old World Wisconsin and the
Heritage wording was later applied to the
Heritage Hill State Historical Park near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Fundraising for purchase of property estimated at $30,000 were begun in January 1969. In June 1971 it was announced that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would transfer about 560 acres of property that was then part of the
Kettle Moraine State Forest to the State Historical Society for the museum. Development costs were estimated at $1.5 million at that time with about 20% of that coming from private donors. Development of the park was intended to start in 1972 and the Historical Society had already moved 11 dismantled structures to the site but work was delayed until 1973 pending completion of an environmental impact study. A dispute arose in 1973 with the Town of Eagle. The residents of the town were concerned about the impact the
environmental impact statement revealed that the development of the museum would have on their town and the town board became concerned over lack of control by local zoning and building permits. The board had directed the town's building inspector to post a stop-work order at the site. The state filed a suit to vacate the order and $50,000 damages. The town countersued for $5,000,000 claiming that newly passed state law required the state to follow local zoning ordinances. The court lifted the order stating that work had started at the site before the law took effect on August 1 and was therefore exempt from the new rule. The town did not give up on their lawsuit until November 1974. The park was dedicated on June 8, 1974, with a flag-raising ceremony. At the time there were 8 structures completed or under construction. In May 1975, the society reported that construction was still on schedule but that estimated costs had risen from $2.3 million to $4.5 million but that donations had only produced about $1 million. In December 1975 Wisconsin Governor
Patrick Lucey announced that a $4 million fund raising campaign would be chaired by
Herbert Kohler Jr. and his wife Linda. The
Kohler family already had a 45-year history of historic building construction and restoration through the
Kohler Foundation dating back to the 1931 construction of the
Waelderhaus and the 1950s restoration of the
Sylvanus Wade House. The queen of Denmark,
Margrethe II dedicated the Danish exhibit on May 14, 1976. The museum officially opened on June 30, 1976, in time for the
United States Bicentennial celebration.
Tornado damage On the evening of June 21, 2010, the museum was hit by a tornado that leveled acres of trees on the grounds. The "Old World 4th of July" event was canceled because of the clean-up efforts. ==Villages==