"Settlers & Science" At St. Agnes Historic Site - Washington County Historical Society
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“Settlers & Science”
At St. Agnes Historic Site
Washington County Historical Society, Inc.
320 S 5th Ave, West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 335-4678 - www.HistoryIsFun.com
Contact: education@historyisfun.com or (262) 335-4678
About the Program
At the St. Agnes Historic Site, your 3rd grade students will learn how changing the forests of
Wisconsin into farmland took not only brutal force and many tools, but also planning, math
(statistics, and probability), and science.
First, students will trace the travels of the first settlers to Southeastern Wisconsin and
Washington County on historical and modern maps. Then, students will learn how ordinary
people used math and science to farm, start businesses, and make basic necessities. All
activities contain original, reproduction, and modern artifacts; photographs; and documents
from Washington County’s past.
Fees
$3.00 per student. Teachers and adult chaperones are free. Includes curator facilitated
program. Payment may be made by one check for the entire group, by cash, or by credit card.
Make checks payable to “Washington County Historical Society, Inc.” Payment may be made
upon arrival.
Scheduling
Settlers & Science is available September-October and May-June. A rain date will also be
scheduled. To schedule a visit, contact (262) 335-4678 or education@historyisfun.com.
Schedule at least 2 weeks in advance. Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to
cancel or reschedule your visit. Pre-paid visits will be refunded 100% if you contact us 24 hours
prior to your scheduled time.
Updated September 2015Helpful Information
Grade Levels Recommended for 3rd grade. May also be suitable for 4th and 5th grades.
Length Plan 2 hours.
Class Size Limited to 25 students.
Chaperones No more than 4 adults (teachers or parents) per 25 students. Teachers
and chaperones must remain with their groups and are responsible for
student supervision while at the Museums.
Nametags Please wear nametags (first name only) to help us effectively interact with
your students.
Accessibility There is one gravel driveway leading up a slight hill to between the
Rectory and Barn, and grassy, slightly uneven ground between the
buildings. There are no paved walkways. Please advice staff if anyone in
your group has special needs so we can make accommodations.
Restrooms Currently, there is no public restroom at the site.
Dress for the This event is held outside on the grass. In the event of inclement weather,
Weather the program will take place on the rain date. As the site is on a hill, it is
often breezy so hats and/or earmuffs are suggested. Advise students and
chaperones to dress appropriately in layers.
Severe Weather Weather conditions are monitored via the National Weather Service
weather radio. If severe weather does occur during your visit, shelter will
be taken in the barn basement.
Photography Taking flash pictures inside the museums is not permitted.
Supports the following Standards:
Education Standards Grades 3-5
Language Arts
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
RI.3.3 RI.4.3 RI5.3
RI.3.6
RI.3.7 RI.4.7 RI.5.7
SL.3.2 SL.4.2 SL.5.2
SL.3.3 SL.4.3 SL.5.3
Social Studies 2018
SS.BH4.a.i SS.Geog1.b.i SS.Geog5.b.2
SS.Gerog1.a.4-5 SS.Geog2.b.5
Social Studies - Old Standards
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
A.4.4
A.4.5
A.4.8
B.4.1
B.4.4
B.4.8
Washington County Historical Society, Inc. – West Bend, WI 2E.4.4
E.4.5
E.4.15
Science Grades 3-5
SCI.ESS2.D.3 SCI.ETS2.A.3-5 SCI.ETS2.B.3-5
SCI.ETS1.A.3-5
Science - Old Standards
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
E.4.5
E.4.6
E.4.7
G.4.4
Mathematics
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
3.NF.A.1 4.MD.B.4 5.MD.A.1
3.MD.B.4 5.MD.B.2
Site Rules
1. No running is allowed anywhere on the site or in any buildings.
2. Please don’t bring large purses or backpacks, food, candy, gum, drinks, or weapons that
are concealed or otherwise.
3. Groups must remain together while at the Site.
4. Please respect the other visitors and neighbors.
5. Please do not touch objects unless otherwise instructed.
When You Arrive
Address St. Agnes Historic Site, 1386 Fond du Lac Street, West Bend, WI 53090
Directions From Washington Street/Highway 33, turn north onto Main Street. Turn
left at the stoplight which is Barton Avenue. Turn sharp right onto Fond du
Lac Street. The Site is on the left.
From Highway 45, exit at CTY D/Lighthouse Lane. Head east on CTY D
which becomes N Main Street in West Bend. Turn right onto Fond du Lac
street. The Site is on the right.
Parking Park and unload buses on Fond du Lac Street in front of the Site. Park on
the street in front of the Site.
Where to Go Proceed to the end of the gravel driveway. The Curator of Education or
volunteer will meet you to collect admission and direct the group.
Site Map
Washington County Historical Society, Inc. – West Bend, WI 3Brief History of St. Agnes Historic Site
Founded in 1858, it was here that the Sisters of St. Agnes managed one of the first
schools in Washington County, educating children of all denominations. The site highlights the
triumph of survival over inexperience on the unsettled Wisconsin frontier; the drive to not give
up but to seek success elsewhere.
Father Casper Rehrl was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1809. In 1828 he became certified
to teach in normal schools. In 1844, Rehrl left Austria for Milwaukee then followed the
Milwaukee River on foot to Fond du Lac, passing through what would become West Bend and
Barton.
In 1855, Father Rehrl created a sisterhood to assist him with his missionary work. Young
women began joining the society until there were nearly twenty, most of them between the
ages of 11 and 13. The age and inexperience of the sisters, coupled with the rural and
backbreaking frontier life, led to unhappy conditions. By early 1861, all the sisters had left,
leaving Casper alone.
In 1863, fifteen-year-old Anne Marie Hazotte arrived, wanting to become a sister and
teacher. Less than two years later, Anne Marie, now Sister Mary Agnes, was elected superior by
her fellow sisters, a position she held until her death in 1905.
During the closing days of the Civil War, the congregation in Barton suffered both food
and Sister shortages. Demand for school teachers was so great in and around Washington
County that nearly all the sisters were dispatched to teach, leaving few behind to support the
society. Sister Agnes (soon to be Mother Agnes) to purchase property in Fond du Lac and
established a new motherhouse in 1870.
Father Rehrl remained in Barton with six sisters to tend the mission churches until the
society was dissolved in 1879. The sisters could choose to join another religious community or
secularize. Father Rehrl died on September 3, 1881 in the field-stone rectory
Vocabulary
Washington County Historical Society, Inc. – West Bend, WI 4Artifact St Any object made by human beings. People study artifacts from the past
to learn more about how they lived.
Barter Exchange good or services without money; to trade.
Conflict A disagreement or argument about something important.
Credit In this program, credit is a way to purchase goods or services without
immediate payment, i.e. store credit or credit card. Similar to an I.O.U.
Dam A barrier built across flowing water, usually a river. Constructed to create
either a water reservoir for irrigation, recreation, or water storage, or, in
the case of the Milwaukee River in Barton and West Bend, to divert and
contain the flowing water to power flour and saw mills, and other
machines.
Eurasia The combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia.
Immigrant A person who has come into a foreign country to live there permanently,
not as a tourist or visitor.
Menominee Native American people who have been living in what is today called
Washington County and Wisconsin for hundreds of years.
Missionary A person from a religious group sent to other locations either spread their
beliefs or provide services like education, literacy, and health care.
Natural Resource Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land
that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Nonrenewable A resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural
Resource means on a level equal to its consumption. Fossil fuels like oil, natural gas,
and coal.
Potawatomi Native American people who have been living in what is today called
Washington County and Wisconsin for hundreds of years.
Renewable Any resource that can replenish itself over time, like wood and solar
Resource energy.
Scholastically Related to school, teachers, and education. In relation to the program,
Casper set up schools and provided teachers to teach.
Subsistence Farming to provide just enough food, clothing, housing, and other basic
Farming needs of the farmer and family to survive; very little surplus, or extra, to
sell.
Temporary Serving or existing for a time; not permanent. In relation to the program,
temporary housing.
Topographical A type of map that features contour lines or shading to represent
elevation, or height, of the landscape.
Trade In relation to program, the process of buying, selling, or exchanging goods
and services.
After Your Visit Discussion
1. Most of what we know about the past comes from artifacts, or objects, left behind by the
people who made or used them. At St. Agnes Historic Site, we studied the buildings, the
landscape, and tools. Pick a single object from your room at home. Imagine someone
Washington County Historical Society, Inc. – West Bend, WI 5finding it thousands of years from now. Write as if you were that person. Describe the
object, what you think it is, and what it was used for, and what you think the object tells
about the person who owned it.
2. Wisconsin was once so dense with trees that an early settler remarked that she could hold
all the stars that seen in the sky in her apron. Walk around your neighborhood or a county
park. Imagine yourself an early settler, seeing trees covering every hill and coming right up
to the road. Write a journal entry about what you might see and what might happen to you.
3. Learn more about the railroads that came through Wisconsin. Read the book, “Steam and
Cinders : the advent of railroads in Wisconsin, 1831-1861” by Axel S. Lorenzsonn.
4. Find and make a recipe for a settlers’ meal. Consider bean soup, corn bread, stewed rabbit,
or even pig’s tail!
5. Probability helped farmers “predict” the weather so they could grow a good crop. If the
farmer didn’t have a crop of wheat, he or she wouldn’t have anything to take to the mill,
and the millwright would lose money. Bakers, other farmers, and bigger markets, would
suffer from the loss as well. Does the weather affect food supplies today? How?
6. Check out the old but still great book, “Folklore of American Weather” by Eric Sloane.
Washington County Historical Society, Inc. – West Bend, WI 6You can also read
