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"Home for the Holidays" at Villa Louis takes place December 3, 4, 10, & 11, 2021

Prairie du Chien, WI. – Villa Louis, one of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s historic sites and museums and a National Historic Landmark, will ring in the holiday season with its “Victorian Home for the Holidays” special event on December 3-4 and 10-11, 2021. The mansion, decorated from top to bottom for the holiday season, will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day of the event and tours will begin every 5 minutes. 

“Victorian Home for the Holidays” explores elements of the holiday season and winter on the banks of the Mississippi river. Information drawn from the Dousman family archives and Prairie du Chien newspapers provide context for exploring these themes through the lens of the Villa Louis household. Themes featured in the mansion include preparing for a visit from St. Nicholas, Christmas day in the morning, and a New Year’s gala and reception. The mansion will be adorned with decorations of the 1890s, as documented in Dousman family records as well as photographs and periodicals from the era. 

In the elegant dining room, the table will be set for a midnight New Year’s supper that took place in 1893. In the kitchen, the Dousman family cook will reveal her plans for Christmas dinner, the New Year’s ball, and all the specialty cooking that goes on in between. The formal parlor, staged for Christmas morning, will showcase an elaborately decorated tree amid the mansion’s best furnishings and accessories. Guides will be at stationed throughout the mansion so visitors can explore at their own pace.

At 4:00 p.m. each Saturday of the event, a presentation celebrating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Villa Louis mansion, co-hosted with the Friends of the Villa Louis, will be held in the Fur Trade Building on site. The presentation is open to event attendees for no additional cost but seating is limited; call 608-264-4848 to reserve a seat.

General Admission to “Victorian Home for the Holidays” is $15 (ages 13+) and $8 for children (ages 5-12). Admission is free for children under 5 years and Wisconsin Historical Society members receive a 10% discount. Advance registration is required and tickets can be purchased through the online store.

About Villa Louis

The historic Villa Louis mansion is the centerpiece of a grand Victorian estate built by the family of Hercules Dousman, a frontier entrepreneur who amassed a fortune in the fur trade and other frontier investments. The mansion underwent a top-to-bottom restoration to return the Dousman home to the splendor of its 1890s heyday, with interior designs inspired by famed designer William Morris. Visit villalouis.wisconsinhistory.org for more information or call 608-264-4848.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.