By Jacob Mathias

Over 100 visitors walked the rough paths up to the Historic Point Basse for the annual Heritage Hollyday Celebration, a look back at what Christmas and life was like in the mid-nineteenth century.

The Hollyday ran from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM with exhibits of the Wakely family home, farm animals, a blacksmith shop, a woodworker and a trading post. The Columbia School house on the grounds was also open and featured carolers, period decorations and ornament making for children.

This year’s Hollyday nears the 20th time the event has been held according to Tom Brehmer, chairman of the Historic Point Basse Citizens Committee.

“They have an interest in seeing what Christmas might have been like 150 years ago, here,” said Brehmer. “We read about stuff…but that was further east.”

He said a Wisconsin Christmas in the mid-nineteenth century would have been considerably more rustic that most are aware of and an extravagant celebration was not common.

The next event at the Historic Point Basse is the Sugar Bush maple sap harvest on March 19 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Historic Point Basse is located at 300 Wakely Rd. in Nekoosa.