Okawville (IL) Heritage Days 2010 at the Time-Frozen Schlosser Home Complex

Century-old rural, small town life is the theme at the Heritage Days activities June 12th and 13th, 2010, at the Schlosser Home Complex in Okawville, Illinois. The annual June event offers free tours of the preserved early 20th century Schlosser house and neighboring harness shop, along with craft demonstrations, music, flea market, surrey rides, traditional homemade food, and kid's games.

Story of The Frank Schlosser Home Complex

The centerpiece of the event is the Schlosser Home at 114 West Walnut, an early 20th Century residence with harness shop and laundry that was operated by the family. As the family members passed away, first the neighboring shop, which was fully stocked, was closed down with the death of the father. Without windows, there was no sun damage to papers and other vulnerable items.

Much of the merchandise inside still has the original labels. The laundry behind the house operated by the mother then, later, by the daughters, continued operations into the 1970s, when it was closed with its contents. The rooms of the house itself were closed off one at a time. Finally, when the last elderly Schlosser sister died in 1982, the house was closed up and forgotten, along with its contents, frozen in dusty time. Amazingly, when rediscovered decades later, the house was found undisturbed, never violated by vandals or burglars, furniture and household goods intact. In the garage were the family surrey (which is among the surreys available for inexpensive rides around town during Heritage Days) and a 1930 Buick, parked there since 1956 due to difficulty in finding parts.

The Dr. Poos Home (202 North Front Street) with its medical museum housed in an outbuilding once intended as a bathhouse, is also part of the complex, as is the Joseph Schlosser home, located across Walnut Street from the Schlosser Home and harness shop/laundry. The Joseph Schlosser family operated a cobbler shop out of the home during its heyday. Tours of these Victorian-era homes are free although donations are accepted.

Listed as the Frank Schlosser Complex with the National Register of Historic Places, it joins the Okawville Original Springs Hotel and Bathhouse, located three blocks down Walnut Street and still operating as Illinois' last mineral water spa, on the list.

Heritage Day Activities

The event is held on the Schlosser Home lawn with a stage behind the house where visitors can enjoy bluegrass, cloggers, the Venedy Band, and other entertainers throughout the weekend, topped off by a Sunday afternoon fund-raising auction.

Demonstrators of common early 20th Century activities as soap making and butter churning will be on hand. In fact, there are always vendors of baked goods, homemade butter, homemade ice cream, and other traditional food items, aside from the regular snack bar located at the rear of the property.

Last year's event also included a vendor of decorated gourds (they're regulars), a balloon animal maker, a honey vendor complete with glassed-in bee comb on display, and flea market vendors.

Getting There

Okawville is located in rural Washington County off US Route 64 (Exit 41), less than an hour's drive east of St. Louis' Gateway Arch.

For information, call the Okawville Chamber of Commerce at 618-243-5694.