New Event:
Oktoberfest & Beyond:  Thoughts on the German-American Experience in Appleton and its Meaning for Our Octoberfest

September 24, 6:00 pm

Mary Beth Nienhaus Community Meeting Room at the Appleton Public Library

Free and open to the public

What is the significance behind Appleton’s largest civic celebration being named after a German festival and what, if any, meaningful connections are there to the Oktoberfest in Munich?

There is a real irony that Appleton’s biggest civic celebration is named for a German festival, considering the tumultuous German-American experience in Appleton and the decades of discrimination that those of German descent faced in this city. And yet, when you compare the Munich celebration to ours here, there is actually a deeper meaning that makes it all too fitting and which Appleton can really take pride in.

Join Hearthstone’s Executive Director George Schroeder as he explores these connections and the history of Appleton as he injects some German-American themes into a community event with a German name but which is otherwise devoid of any connection to German culture and history.

The event is open to the public and free of charge. No pre-registration needed.

Hearthstone's Nooks and Crannies: A Behind the Scenes Tour

August 20, 21, 23

September 17, 18, 20

In this behind the scenes, special limited tour, Hearthstone’s Curation Director Lynne Phillips will take you through the museum to peer, literally, into the nooks and crannies that make Hearthstone so special. Guests will visit the spaces normally not open to the public and hear stories about the restoration of the house as well as the interesting revelations that have been found in the process.

Lynne will open drawers, closets, whole rooms, and complete floors to reveal items not normally on display. Over the past 39 years, museum restoration teams have looked under moldings, peeled away canvas, torn down plaster, and stripped layers of paint to reveal the past. Lynne will relate how restoration is done professionally and, most importantly, how it helps provide an authentic view of the Victorian Era.

Wednesday tours start at 2:00 pm.

Thursday tours are an extraordinary evening edition, starting at 6:00 pm, that lets guests experience the museum as dusk falls. Flashlights will be provided.

Saturday tours start at 11:00 am

Please note:

• Tickets for the Nooks and Crannies Tour are $15 and are available on-line only.

• Tours are limited to just 12 guests per tour.

• Please allow for two hours for completion of the tour.

• Guests will be climbing four stories of stairs. 

“Haus” and Home: A Special Gemeinschaft Tour

Select Fridays (11:00 am) and Saturdays (2:00 pm)

September 19, 20

In a very real sense, Hearthstone was a house divided. It was divided in terms of the family and the servant sides. This means it was divided in terms of architecture, with a fancy side, which was all about showing off wealth, and a functional side, which was all about simply getting the work done.

But it was also a house divided in terms of ethnicity, religion, and language… The Rogers family, builders of Hearthstone, were rich, English speakers and Protestant;. The servants in the house were, almost invariably, working class, German speakers, and Catholic. Together, the two sides make Hearthstone a “haus” and home.

This tour chronicles the compelling stories of the Mary Deimer, the German speaking cook, and Theresa Moder, the German speaking ladies maid. These women lead marvelous lives that make poignant counterpoints to life of Kitty Rogers, the spoiled daughter of the Rogers.

In a broader sense, the tour reflects the history of Appleton and Wisconsin and how people from diverse backgrounds come together to form a gemeinschaft… the German word for community.

Please note:

• Tickets for Haus and Home are $15 and are available on-line only using the link below.

• Tours are limited to just 12 guests per tour.

• Please allow for ninety minutes for completion of the tour.

Encore Presentation:
Don’t Worry Your Pretty Little Head: Patriarchy, Paternalism, and Women’s Rights in Victorian America

September 19, 1:00 pm

Considering that Wisconsin’s law banning abortion in most cases dates from 1849, a time when women were seldom free to exercise independent thought, let alone their individual rights, this topic has profound relevance today.

In this presentation, back by popular demand, Hearthstone’s Executive Director George Schroeder leads an hour long presentation and discussion on the transformation of women’s rights in 19th century America. The presentation will overview the changes in property rights, marital rights, reproduction rights, and voting rights. It will feature illustrations in each area from the lives of Hearthstone’s Cremora and Florence Rogers.

Sequential Killers of the Victorian Age - Season Eight

FRIDAYS AND SATURDAY EVENINGS from OCTOBER 3 to November 1

Hearthstone’s most popular event is back and more chilling than ever in this new theatrical performance that brings you face-to-face with Victorian serial killers.

Vignettes in each room of the museum bring to life (so to speak) sequential killers - they weren’t called serial killers at the time - and their nefarious deeds. As you tour the historic mansion decorated according to Victorian mourning traditions (see below) led by Victorian police detectives, you will meet the killers and their victims, hearing their tales of maliciousness and murder. Based on the newspaper accounts of the day, the scenes tell of villains, victims, and the beginnings of our fascination with true crime.

Death was so commonplace that it permeated every aspect of Victorian life and led to a morbid fascination with the macabre and elaborate rituals to commemorate the dead. Ticket holders for Sequential Killers will be able to explore Victorian ideas on death and mourning in two special exhibits included in the ticket price.

First, the entire house is decorated according to Victorian norms including windows and mirrors draped in black, clocks stopped at the time of death of a loved one, photos overturned, and a casket on display in the parlor.

Second, prior to the tour, guests can view exhibits of Victorian memento mori (items made to remind the living of the dead) including jewelry made from the departed loved one’s hair, post-mortem photography, and other funeral items - all on loan from the remarkable Loomis Family Collection. Mourning clothing, which was highly regimented, is also on display.

Each new season brings to life a new cast of real-life murderers. This year’s production features a vignette of a killer that still lives in infamy today as well as new retellings of two other famous killers, one with a direct connection to Hearthstone.

Be a part of the show…

Guests are encouraged become part of the show by wearing their finest Victorian costumes, especially as Halloween approaches.

Performances are presented every Friday and Saturday night from October 3 to November 1 starting every twenty minutes from 6:00 pm to 8:40 pm. Tours are about 60 minutes long.

Please note:

• Because of the dark subject matter, this event is for ages 13 years and older. No one 12 or under will be admitted. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

• To fully participate in the tour, guests must be able to climb a set of stairs from the lower level to the first floor and a long set of stairs to the second floor.

• The parking lot fills up quickly with these tours but there is ample free parking one half block away from the museum on State Street.

• Because of high demand for this event and the potential for overcrowding, all tours tickets must be purchased on-line through this website.

• Tickets are for specific dates and entry times as listed on every confirmation email (please make sure that your email address is accurate when buying tickets).

• Unfortunately, our ticketing system does not permit tickets to be changed or refunded after the purchase is made.

• Tickets MUST be used for their stated times and dates. Unfortunately, there can be no exceptions.

Tickets will be available exclusively on this website starting September 1.