Also Seen in Stoughton

Bill gave me a few other tips on my way out of the Stoughton Opera House, including the one about the Carnegie library on the next corner.  The town library at the turn of the century was located in the basement of City Hall, but the town was eventually convinced that a larger separate library would eventually be needed.  They applied for a Carnegie grant and received $13,000, the remaining $8,000 to completely finish and furnish the library was raised through local fundraising efforts.

They've built an addition onto the original library, and you can see what was once the outer wall on the inside.  The renovation and expansion ran $1,450,000, talk about inflation!

This sweet marble bust from the late 1800's entitled "A Young Swiss Girl" also graces the lobby area.

When the library was first built one of the most popular sections in the library was the large collection of Norwegian prose and poetry and I noticed that they still have a cultural collection. In the library there are works by local artists and display cases housing folk costumes used by the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers.  I wish I would've had my polarized lens and my SLR instead of my SX50 to better capture the intricate embroidery without the reflections on the glass.

Of course there is a lot to see in the downtown district, including architecture and art.  I'll save the mural for another day!

Thinking about visiting Stoughton?  Check out the Nordic Nook for shopping for Scandinavian items or plan to visit during the Syttende Mai festival.  I've added the festival to my "Things to Do in Wisconsin" list, I have 7 years left to attend before we sell it all and leave!