The Hoard Historical Museum has announced that it will be hosting walking tours of downtown Fort Atkinson. The activity will be held in conjunction with the downtown Farmers Markets on Saturday, Oct. 9.
“Every day we strive to fulfill our mission of preserving, protecting and promoting Fort Atkinson and the surrounding area’s history but not all of our history is in our museum. So let’s go to where our history is and learn about it,” Merrilee Lee, Hoard Historical Museum director, said within a recent press release.
According to the release, Fort Atkinson is home to interesting examples of commercial and residential architecture. There are also inspiring, heartwarming and occasionally tragic stories behind the people who built, lived, and worked in the buildings and homes.
The walking tour will highlight the structures and people who helped build Fort Atkinson. Walking tours will explore the buildings and area around the downtown section of Fort Atkinson, the release stated.
Walking tours will begin at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Each tour should last roughly an hour. Participants should be prepared to walk approximately one mile over paved surfaces. Strollers, wheelchairs, and leashed dogs are welcome. All the walking tours will begin and end at the Farmers Market in Fort Atkinson.
“Fort Atkinson is very fortunate to have a vibrant Farmers Market and the connection between the market and our history is important. In fact, much of our town’s early history is near the Farmers Market location,” Lee, who will be leading the first tour, said. The second tour will be led by Dana Bertelsen, assistant director of the museum.
There is no fee to take a tour; however donations to the Museum are always appreciated. The Hoard Historical Museum is able to provide these programs and tours at no cost to the public due to the on-going support of the museum’s membership and business patrons, as well as the City of Fort Atkinson.
The museum welcomes continued support from the community through donations and volunteers to help support programs such as the walking tour, the released noted.
Membership is open to anyone, according to the release.
The Hoard Historical Museum and National Dairy Shrine Museum are located at 401 Whitewater Avenue in Fort Atkinson. The museums are open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays. For more information, call the museums at 920.563.7769, visit our web-site www.hoardmuseum.org, and like us on Facebook.
The Fort Atkinson Farmers Market is held from May to October, Saturdays, between 8 a.m. and noon. The Market is located in the municipal parking lot on East Milwaukee Avenue across from the post office and the Dwight Foster Public Library. For more information, visit www.fortfarmersmarket.com.
A member of the Hoard Historical Museum staff leads a walking tour focusing on downtown area Fort Atkinson history. The next walking tour is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9. Tours will leave from the farmers market at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. The full tour is anticipated to last for an hour. Contributed photo.
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