My Journey

Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion
July 19, 2008

The day after the wedding, the kids took us sight seeing. Pa and I sure love playing tourist! The area of Wisconsin where they will residing is beautiful with its rolling hills and lots of trees. One of our first stops was the Cedar Valley Cheese Store (more here) where Pa and I made out like bandits with our cheese score. Leaving the countryside we headed into Milwaukee. As we passed the Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion one of the kids mentioned they had always wanted to go through so we stopped. By then it was drizzling rain. We joined the guided tour through the mansion. Oh my!

The Pabst mansion was built in 1892. The rooms that have been restored are simply breathtaking by any stretch of the imagination. The rooms on the first floor have 16 foot ceilings all beautifully painted and gilded! The furniture is elegantly impressive. The mansion must have been even more impressive in its hey day, a blatant symbol of wealth in every detail and activity like the popular beer gardens they hosted. Even so many years later the presence of wealth permeates throughout the mansion. There is a beautiful atrium to the right side of the house with a domed ceiling and ceramic tile flooring. It must have been quite lovely when it was filled with plants!

We found out some interesting things like the pies were kept in a locked pie safe! The silverware was also under lock and key to be counted each day. The beds were shorter not because the Victorians were shorter but because the slept sleeping up to prevent spirits from entering their lungs. Tour prices for adults are $8 and the guided tour is well worth it. This is a must see tour when in Milwaukee!

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