Yawkey House Museum
Fund Drive Information | Restoration Slideshow

Background

The house was built in 1900 - 1901 in the Classical Revival style for Cyrus and Alice Yawkey. Designed by the Milwaukee architects Henry Van Ryn and Gerrit de Gelleke, it features large ionic columns and a pedimented portico. Only eight years after the house was built, the Yawkeys hired George W. Maher to remodel. The first floor was completely remodeled, a two story addition was added to the back, and a sun porch was added to the east side of the house. In 1974, the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally from Michigan, the Yawkeys moved to northern Wisconsin in 1889 when Cyrus joined with his uncle and a business partner from the Yawkey and Lee Lumber Company. A town was founded by the venture and Alice Yawkey named it Hazelhurst due to the abundance of hazelnut trees in the area. Ten years later, in 1899, the Yawkeys moved to Wausau where Cyrus was the uncontested leader of the Wausau Group. The Wausau Group was composed of wealthy lumbermen who pooled their resources in hopes of improving Wausau's economy as the logging industry was dying in the area. They founded several businesses, utility companies and the first paper mill in the area (Wausau Paper Mills in Brokaw).

Cyrus Yawkey died in 1943, and Alice continued living in the house until her death in 1953. Their only child, Leigh Yawkey Woodson, and her daughters presented the house to the Marathon County Historical Society in 1954.

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The house, carriage house and gardens are currently under restoration and temporarily closed to the public. Click here to view photographs of our restoration progress.

If you would like to make a donation to the Yawkey House Restoration Fund, please contact us or open our online Pledge Form. All donations are truly appreciated.