OUR STORY

Above: Marcella as a child in the farmyard. Below right: Photo of Marcella as a young adult. (Images source: Schumacher Archives)

Our History

In 1892, Henry Schumacher purchased forty acres of land one mile east of the Village of Waunakee from the widow of Dr. Nathaniel Wheeler, the village’s first physician. Dr. Wheeler cultivated grapes and an orchard. Henry Schumacher purchased the acreage for the purpose of grazing his livestock while he lived on the adjacent Schumacher family farm with his brothers. Henry turned the land into a working farm in 1907 and hired Frank Schwenn to build the present-day cruciform two-story house for his future bride, Eveline Busby. The farm remained in the Schumacher family for nearly 100-years.

In 1908, Henry married Eveline Busby and in 1910, Marcella Philomene Schumacher, their only child, was born. Although all  farming activity had ceased shortly after the death of her father in 1942, Eveline and Marcella continued renting the land to local farmers. As a teacher working in the Waunakee School District for many years, Marcella wanted to leave an educational legacy by creating a living history museum that documented and represented farm life during the early 20th century. In 1978, Marcella donated the property to the Dane County Parks Commission and Schumacher Farm Park was born.

To carry out her dream of using her father’s farmstead as a conservancy and park, Marcella formed a non-profit organization, The Friends of Schumacher Farm, in 1986. Over the next several decades, Marcella mentored the organization while living in her family home until she passed away at the age of 83. At her death, she left the Marcella Schumacher Pendall Trust to provide for the basic financial needs of the Friends of Schumacher Farm. The Friends assumed responsibility for the restoration of the farm house to the 1930s era and have established various programs to represent life of the area’s early settlers.

In successful partnership with the Dane County Parks Commission, many volunteers, and the surrounding communities, the Friends of Schumacher Farm is able to execute it's mission of providing a living history museum and nature conservancy that offers a representation of Dane County's rural heritage through preservation, restoration, and education.

Schumacher Farm Park is operated through a partnership with the Friends of Schumacher Farm Inc., the Marcella Schumacher Pendall Trust and Dane County Parks. This triad collaborates together to accomplish the Friends' mission and goals.

Friends' Board of Directors

The Friends are managed by a five-member board elected for up to three-year terms at the Friends' annual meeting in March. Current board members are:

Mark Pelton, President and Advisory Board Liaison
Connie Gavinski, Vice President
Debbie Miller, Treasurer
Rebecca Ressl, Secretary
Gary Herzberg, Building and Grounds Chair

The Friends' five-member Board of Directors have two openings with terms beginning in March of 2025. Mark Pelton is stepping down after serving two consecutive terms. Rebecca Ressl  is completing her first term and is eligible for a second term.

The Board works in partnership with the Friends' staff and with Dane County Parks to preserve and restore the parkland and to lead programs and events in support of the Friends' goal to connect the community with rural history, the land, and one another. A priority of the Board is to provide visitors with the opportunity to engage with rural heritage and with nature. The Board is also focused on reaching families moving to Waunakee, Westport, DeForest, Windsor, and other rapidly growing areas, and providing programs for demographics with less access to nature

Board members are volunteers serving 3-year terms. The Board meets monthly to conduct business, establish direction and policy, develop programming, coordinate activities, and manage the budget. This is a working board and outside of monthly meetings, each board member is active supporting operations, programming, and events. Service as a board member requires a high level of commitment, a willingness to wear multiple hats, and an enthusiasm to support one another and the staff. 

The Board is particularly interested in applicants with skills in fundraising, community engagement, education, and event planning. All backgrounds are welcome to apply though. The only requirement is an enthusiasm for Schumacher Farm and dedication to work with a small board and staff to continue growing the Friends' prairie restoration, education programs, and community events. 

If the above sounds like a fit we would love to hear from you!

The Friends’ Nominating Committee is accepting nominations now through January 15, 2025. Please contact the park office if you would like to learn more and/or are interested in being considered for a board position:

Email: info@schumacherfarmpark.org
Phone: 608-846-4559

Marcella Schumacher Pendall Trust

The Marcella Schumacher Pendall Trust is overseen by eight trustees and provides financing for specific farm development activities that directly support the Friends' mission.

Dane County Parks

Dane County Parks owns the property and provides standard maintenance for the park grounds and some of the buildings, as well as support for land stewardship and ecological restoration activities, such as prescribed burning.