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Even the simple things can be fun at some of the TH area hot spots. These children take a water break during a trip to the Stonefield Historic Site in Cassville, Wis.

History

* At Stonefield Historic Site, adjacent to Nelson Dewey State Park, the State Historical Society presents the story of early rural Wisconsin. The Society operates not only the Nelson Dewey homesite, which was the plantation of Wisconsin's first state governor, but also a re-created village of the 1890s and the State Agricultural Museum.

Stonefield was the name Dewey gave to the rock-studded 2,000-acre farm he established along the bluffs of the Mississippi, upriver from Cassville. He built Gothic revival stone barns and farm buildings and a large brick home. He practiced law and raised a variety of crops and livestock, at times employing as many as 50 people, who did everything from building stone fences to making furniture, wine and dairy products.

Dewey's lifestyle and wealth declined after 1873 with a national financial panic and a fire that destroyed his home. The home was rebuilt in the 1890s as a more modest summer residence. In 1936, the state acquired 700 acres of the property for a state park and a portion of the Dewey homestead was restored and refurbished. The Dewey buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

* The State Agricultural Museum portrays the history of agriculture in Wisconsin from 1840-1930, along with dioramas and a slide tape show. The museum features H diorama and exhibits displaying an outstanding collection of early farm machinery, models and related dairy and food processing items.

* Stonefield Village, a re-created hamlet, depicts rural Midwestern life at the turn of the century. Its school, church, trade shops, cheese factory, railroad station and business places show the life and economy of a rural community of that day. Visitors walk or ride a horse-drawn carriage through a covered bridge to the village square. Here, they can stroll the village green, visit with a costumed guide, discover the many historic artifacts exhibited in village buildings, shop in the museum store, and enjoy an ice cream treat in the old-fashioned confectionery. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, May, June and Sept.; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, July and August.

Stonefield consists of the Nelson Dewey home site, the estate of the first governor of Wisconsin; the Wisconsin State Agricultural Museum; a 1900 farmstead and a 1900 village.

Stonefield was the name Dewey gave to the rock-studded 2,000-acre farm he established along the bluffs of the Mississippi River, upriver from Cassville. Dewey built Gothic revival stone barns and farm buildings and a large brick home. He practiced law and raised a variety of crops and livestock, at the time employing as many as 50 people, who did everything from building stone fences to making furniture, wine and dairy products.

Dewey's lifestyle and wealth declined after 1873 with a national financial panic and a fire that destroyed his home. The home was rebuilt in the 1890s as a more modest summer residence. In 1936, the state acquired 700 acres of the property for a state park, and a portion of the Dewey homestead was restored and refurbished. The Dewey buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Wisconsin State Agricultural Museum portrays the history of agriculture in Wisconsin from 1840 to 1930. The museum features an outstanding collection of early farm machinery, models and related dairy and food processing items. It is also home to the 1896 McCormick Auto Mower, the oldest tractor in North America and a 1932 Allis-Charmers, the first rubber tire tractor in the United States.

The 1900 Farmstead offers a glimpse of farm life in the 1900s and consists of a farmhouse, barn and outbuildings.

The 1900 Village, a re-created hamlet, depicts rural Midwestern life at the turn of the century. Its school, church, trade shops, cheese factory, railroad depot and business places show the life and economy of a rural community of that day.

Visitors walk through a covered bridge to the village square. Here, they can stroll the village green and discover the many historic artifacts exhibited in village buildings. The site is operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, for more information go to www.wisconsinhistory.org.

Fishing

* Facilities for 50 boats, three free public ramps for launching, picnic area and boat livery.

* Good fishing for bass, bluegill, crappie and walleye in the Mississippi River.