WELCOME TO THE
JONATHAN CLARK HOUSE
Open for tours by appointment.
To schedule, please call 262-618-2051 or email director Nina Look at jchmuseum@gmail.com
SPECIAL SCREENING! — Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the Rivoli
The Jonathan Clark House is excited to announce a special screening of FernGully, the Last Rainforest. on Saturday, May 3rd, 12:00-2:00 p.m., at the historic Rivoli Theater, W62N567 Washington Avenue in downtown Cedarburg.
This unique event features a pre-screening presentation by Oscar-nominated director Bill Kroyer, featuring behind-the-scenes artwork and film clips.
FernGully was one of the last hand-drawn animated feature films, but contained 40,000 frames of computer-animated imagery! Starring the voices of—among others—Tim Curry, Samantha Mathis, Christian Slater, Jonathan Ward, Robin Williams, and Grace Zabriskie. Rated G, for the whole family.
Tickets are $10 at the box office (cash only, please), and all proceeds will benefit the Jonathan Clark House Museum.
Come have some fun, get the inside scoop on the transition from hand-drawn to computer-rendered animation, enjoy watching a film in Cedarburg's historic Rivoli Theater, and support the Jonathan Clark House. See you on May 3rd!
WHAT ELSE IS NEW AT THE CLARK HOUSE?
Spring is here, and we're getting the Jonathan Clark House ready for a great 2025 lineup of spring and summer events for history lovers of all ages..
Keep your eye on this website's new NEWS & EVENTS page for more information on recent and upcoming Jonathan Clark House Museum events, activities, and announcements, including details of our March 1, 2025, special map event at the museum, as well as upgrades to our DONATE webpage and much more. For a look back at recent events and activities, be sure to click on our GALLERY and NEWSLETTERS pages.
As always, tours of the house can be arranged, depending on staff availability. Just send an email or give us a call to arrange a tour on a day and time that suits you. We love to give tours to children and adults. Contact us at:
Volunteer Laverne Foster prepares the JCH parlour to welcome our 2025 visitors.
THE HOUSE
Jonathan M. Clark purchased his first parcel of Mequon land in late 1839. He married a neighbor, Mary Turck, in early 1840 and they began clearing and farming their land and raising a family. Their first home on the property was probably a shanty or log cabin. They built this beautiful stone Greek Revival style home in 1848, the year of Wisconsin’s Statehood. Long-noted for its architectural and historical significance, the Jonathan Clark House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982; it was organized as a non-profit museum in 2012.
THE CLARK FAMILY
The Clark House was home to Jonathan and Mary (Turck) Clark, their eight children and several hired men. It was not only their home but also served as a community meeting place during a time when early settlers such as Clark, his father-in-law Peter Turck and neighbor William Bonniwell were clearing the land, promoting local settlement, and developing the first government of the county and township.
For more Clark House history, and more about the Clark, Turck, and Bonniwell families and their connection to the house and early Mequon history, please see Who Were the Clarks?, The Peter Turck Family and The Bonniwell Family in this site's HISTORY section. (Some pages are under construction.)
YOUNG HISTORIANS
Hands-on history education is a big part of what we do at the Clark House. Whether at our summertime Heritage Day events, our signature Young Historian program, or our free tours for Scouts, the Clark House has developed a wide range of fun and informative activities for children and young adults of all ages.
Our JCH YOUNG HISTORIANS page for this site is under construction. Stop there, and then take a look for more on our youth and education programming at our NEWS & EVENTS, VISIT, and GET INVOLVED pages.
THE FRIENDS OF THE JCH
The Friends of Jonathan Clark House Museum is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization of volunteers that fund and manage the museum and organize a variety of awsome tours and history-filled events to be enjoyed by the whole family!
For more on the Friends, what they do, and how you can join in the fun, please see ABOUT US, GET INVOLVED, SUPPORT US and NEWSLETTERS sections of this website.
JCH Board of Directors, 2025
DONATE ONLINE
DONATE ONLINE is the easy way to support the Jonathan Clark House Museum. Donations of all sizes are graciously accepted.
If you would like to make a secure, tax-deductible donation via credit card, debit card, or PayPal, just click the DONATE NOW button and follow the prompts.
A receipt will be emailed to the address you provide during checkout. The merchant for online donations will appear as PAYPAL *FRIENDSJCH on your card or bank statement. Thank you for your support!
