Special Event – Mequon in 1860
Saturday, March 1, 2025, from 9:00 am to Noon, the Jonathan Clark House Museum, corner of Bonniwell and Cedarburg Roads in Mequon, will host a special museum open house featuring an up-close exploration of our newly-acquired 1860 Plat Map of Mequon.
In 1836, when the U.S. government surveyed the first official map of Mequon, there was not one white settler to be found in the whole town. By 1860 there was not one quarter-section of government land left unsettled, including the Jonathan Clark farm.
Were your—or your neighbors’—ancestors among Mequon’s first farmers? Come see our annotated 1860 Mequon Plat Map and discover where Mequon’s early settlers lived and learn details of how they farmed. Bring your favorite magnifier or use one of ours.
This is a free family-friendly event for ages 10 and up. Donations will be accepted. And if you can’t attend on this date? Contact JCH Preservation Manager Fred Derr to arrange a personal map exploration session at a date and time convenient to you: www.jonathanclarkhouse.org • jchmuseum@gmail.com • tel. 262-618-2051
The 1860 Plat Map Exploration and Open House is sponsored by the Friends of Jonathan Clark House and underwritten by Tammie Strause of the Pink Llama Gallery in downtown Cedarburg.
JCH Annual Meeting 2025
The New Year is almost upon us! And that means it's time for the Annual Meeting of the Friends of the Jonathan Clark House.
This year's meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, from 5:30-7:00 at Spectrum Investment Advisors Cafe, 6329 W. Mequon Road, at the corner of Mequon Road and Weston Drive in Mequon, Wisconsin. Free parking is available on the south side of the building. Please see the poster for more information.
Plan to bring a friend. Seating is limited, so please RSVP by January 2 to jchmuseum@gmail.com
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
JCH Holiday Lights 2024
On December 2nd and 3rd, 2024, Jonathan Clark House friends, family and guests gathered at the museum for our annual Holiday Lights event. Click this link to our PHOTO GALLERY for a few pictures of this year's event.
The house was decorated in Clark-era style, featuring a fresh tabletop tree in the parlour, graced with hand-made ornaments reminiscent of 1848. There were tasty beverages and other refreshments, accompanied by relaxing holiday music.
Become a Friend of the Clark House, and join us next year as we celebrate Holiday Lights, 2025!
The Fall-Winter Newsletter
November brings us the Fall-Winter, 2024, edition of the Jonathan Clark House Newsletter!
Along with a round-up of Clark House news and events, the newsletter includes feature articles about JCH historian Reed Perkins's presentation to the Wisconsin Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and information about some exciting historic maps recently added to the JCH collections by co-curators Fred Derr and Nina Look.
Click on the Newsletter image—or click over to the NEWSLETTERS section of this site, to read, download and save your copy of the complete newsletter.
"DONATE ONLINE" is back!
Just in time for our 2024 Year-End Fund Drive, this website's "Donate Online" function has been upgraded and returned to full functionality. As always, 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 this link to our DONATE webpage, and then click the DONATE NOW button and follow the prompts. A receipt will be emailed to the address you provide during checkout. Thank you for your support!
2024 Year-End Fund Drive
Fall is here, and so is your annual opportunity to support the Jonathan Clark House Museum, a vibrant cultural asset and vital educational resource in our community!
Already in 2024, the Jonathan Clark House has:
•Offered customized interactive museum tours •Provided youth leadership opportunities through our Young Historian Program •Completed significant historic preservation projects •Presented "Heritage Days" and "Pie on the Patio" family fun events •Extended important collaborations with other community organizations
We value your support. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our Year-End Fund Drive today, which includes your 2025 membership in the Friends of the Jonathan Clark House. For details on how to donate online or by mail, click this link to our DONATE webpage. Thank you!
Shhh…Special Craft Projects in Progress!
It may be early October, but some festive holiday projects are already under way at the Jonathan Clark House. On Saturday, October 5th, three of our Young Historians had fun making some 2024 JCH holiday cards & crafts. Thanks for the help, Historians!
Fall Clean Up
Also on Saturday the 5th, JCH Museum Co- Curator Fred Derr (left) was joined by members of Mequon's Scouts BSA Troop 865 for a clean up of the museum's outdoor spaces.
And while the Jonathan Clark farm property no longer comprises 160 acres, there was still plenty of wood to split and stack, and other fall yardwork to attend to. Our thanks to the scouts and adult volunteers from Troop 865 for their help last Saturday!
JCH Historian speaks in Cedarburg
Jonathan Clark House historian Reed Perkins gave two talks as part of the Cedarburg History Museum's 2024 showcase exhibition: "Wisconsin in the Civil War." Back in March, Reed spoke about the German immigrant Beckmann family and their experiences fighting for the Union in famous (and not-so-famous) battles such as Gettysburg and Jenkins Ferry.
On September 28, Reed's topic was "They Fought Like Devils" - the Black soldier and Wisconsin's Civil War experience, examining the part played by Black soldiers in vital combat and support roles in the fight for freedom and the Union. The talk focused on the stories of several very different Black Union soldiers and their lives in and near Wisconsin before, during, and after the Civil War.
JCH Historian at the WSDAR
On September 13, JCH historian Reed Perkins traveled to Oshkosh to give the after-dinner presentation for the Fall Workshop of the Wisconsin Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (WSDAR). His topic was “Building the Military Road, Wisconsin Territory’s First Federal Road.” Reed's presentation incorporated some of his extensive research into our Jonathan M. Clark and JMC's role in 1830s Wisconsin army life and road-building, much of which was published previously on his Clark House Historian blog. The talk also included new primary source materials and a whole bunch of relevant photographs, maps, and illustrations.
There were about 150 DAR members and guests in attendance. Reed reports that they were an excellent audience, asked interesting questions afterward, and were very interested in the history of the Jonathan Clark House Museum. Arrangements are being made for Reed to repeat this presentation in Mequon in Spring, 2025. Watch this space for details.
2024 Potato Harvest
Some of our JCH Young Historians and JCH adult volunteers gathered at the Jonathan Clark House on September 8 to harvest this year's potato crop. Well done, and lots fun for all!
Other Events — Coming Soon!
Our popular summer and fall events are done for the year, but there's always something coming up at the Jonathan Clark House. Watch this space for details of upcoming 2025 events.
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.