Haunted by history
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A different perspective is shown when the Milton House replica is lighted up during a twilight tour.
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Cassie Thill lights a lantern in the Milton House during a preview twilight tour last week. The tour, which the museum offers each year, is a completely different experience from the daytime, Thill says.
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Antique products sit on the shelves at the Milton House.
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The Milton House twilight tour includes the war room.
MILTON — From the moment I approached the Milton House Museum, I knew this wouldn't be an ordinary tour.
A young woman greeted me at the door looking as if she'd stepped out of the 1860s in a pink cotton dress with her brown hair demurely tied back in a bun.
Cassie Thill, a staff member and volunteer at the museum, was about to lead me on a dusky trip around Milton's most famous landmark as a preview of the museum's annual twilight tour.
And if your only knowledge of the Milton House comes from school field trips, get ready for a treat.
"It is so different" at night, Thill said.
Actually, this was Thill's first nighttime tour as well, despite her year of experience as a guide. Normally, tour guides don't dress in costume, but Thill put on the patterned day dress and white crocheted shawl to set the mood.
"I just think it adds a little something," she said.
At first, the dim light of lanterns and smell of burning oil offered an odd contrast with the hum of traffic along Highway 26. But soon I lost myself in the world of the home, hotel and shopping center created by Joseph Goodrich in 1844. The lamps threw yellow light amid the shadows as we gazed at a general store and a dining room table set for dinner.
As daylight disappeared from the windows, I had to ask: Are there ghosts in this house?
Thill thinks so.
"I don't do anything (to the ghosts) unless they do it to me," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "They don't do things unless they like you."
Once, Thill was leading a tour when a music box started playing in another room.
"Yes, there were two boys here with me that day, and yes, boys are known to be tricksters, but I don't think it was them," she said. "My dad, he's a skeptic, and he just laughed when I told him."
I'm a skeptic, too, but the shadows were starting to get to me. Was that a black cat sitting on a dining room chair? No, just a man's hat.
No matter, because the earthly aspects of the tour were plenty interesting enough. Thill threw out funny historical tidbits, such as the habit of 19th-century storeowners to charge fractions of cents to help children and adults with their addition.
We saw all kinds of artifacts, such as a rope bed, a warming stone and a "mustache cup" with a hole in the lip so men could keep their facial hair from getting wet.
Thill saved the best for last, leading me down the steps to the cellar and tunnel that were part of the famous Underground Railroad. The tunnel felt close and spooky despite the light bulbs leading the way.
"Imagine trying to crawl through there with no light, or maybe a small candle," Thill said.
No thanks.
As we reached the cabin at the end of the tunnel, I thought about all the people who had spent their evenings in these buildings—travelers, former slaves and members of the Goodrich family.
I still don't know if ghosts haunt the Milton House, but I do know one thing: This place is haunted by history.
IF YOU GO
What: Milton House Museum Twilight Tours
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20.
Where: Milton House Museum, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton.
Cost: $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 children ages 5-17, free for children under 5 and members of the Milton Historical Society. Tickets will be available at the door.
For more information: Call (608) 868-7772.
Sep 16, 2008 at 9:46 a.m.
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The tunnel between the cabin and the Milton house was used for sneeking the former slaves in to the basement of the main building. They would enter the cabin and then go down thru the tunnel and hide in rooms in the basement. The reason for this was that they were unsure of who were staying at the Milton House.
Sep 16, 2008 at 12:02 a.m.
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I think what hannah fails to realize is that the "underground railroad" is a figure of speech and was not actually "underground."
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Main Entry: Underground Railroad
Function: noun
Date: 1842
: a system of cooperation among active antislavery people in the United States before 1863 by which fugitive slaves were secretly helped to reach the North or Canada —called also Underground Railway
Sep 15, 2008 at 11:02 p.m.
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It is believed that the Tallmans' were abolitionists from the east. Mr. Tallman was against slavery. There is no proof that it is even possible that the Tallman house was uses as a "station" on the underground railroad.
Sep 15, 2008 at 9:22 p.m.
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I will go. The tour guide is a very attractive lady, plus I really enjoy learning the history of old structures. Great article Gazette
Sep 15, 2008 at 8:43 p.m.
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With all do respect "Hannah", I read your link and do not see where it says that the Tallman House was a stop on the Underground Railroad. This is copied from your quoted site:
"Don't forget to tour the Lincoln Tallman House, a fully restored 18 th century Italianate style villa where Abraham Lincoln spent a night. The perfect complement to Janesville's historical attractions is the nearby Milton House Museum. Rich in history, the Milton House Museum is one of 12 Underground Railroad National Historic Landmarks in the U.S."
Sep 15, 2008 at 4:57 p.m.
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I too worked at the Milton House about 10 years ago. I truely believe that it is haunted. When I locked up the museum at closing I always walked backwards thru the tunnel because it always seemed someone was following me. I also announced my self when I was in the tunnel it seemed to calm the "spirits". We had one guide that belived that the 3rd story was haunted and put flour on the floor to catch them.
Hannah: The Underground railroad is basically a seris of places that former slaves would hide. The Tunnel at the Milton House is just from the Cabin to the main house. It is belived that they followed a route from the Tallman house to Milton using the river bed and creeks to get there. There is no documentation that the Tallman house was a stop on the railroad. This is why they no longer use it in there tours.
Sep 15, 2008 at 3:12 p.m.
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I worked at the Milton House way back when and I could be wrong, but the underground tunnel didn't go to the Tallman House. It just went from the Milton House to the house out back. But, it is a great place to visit with a lot of history.
Sep 15, 2008 at 1:39 p.m.
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I don't know about anyone else,but i am completely confused by what janesvillian is trying to profess!
Sep 15, 2008 at 1:23 p.m.
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"the habit of 19th-century storeowners to charge fractions of cents to help children and adults with their addition"
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Uh, that wasn't because they were promoting math. It was because a penny was worth something, and there were actually coins worth a fraction of a cent in those days. The half penny coin was eliminated in 1857, for instance, when the average hourly wage was around 9 or 10 cents.
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Also, the image of "helping" someone by incorporating fractions makes me think that the help might be a little more self-interested. If you want a modern analogy, think of a car dealer "helping" you by getting your monthly payment down, while extending the term of the loan (you pay more, of course).
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Ah, rose-colored glasses.
Sep 15, 2008 at 12:08 p.m.
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I lived in Milton as a young lad,us neighborhood kids would go there all the time. It was,and still is a great place for young and old to visit. To all that has never visited the Milton House,listen close,and share the history of this land mark,a lot of interesting history.
Sep 15, 2008 at 10:49 a.m.
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I'm going too! Thank you for the story. My 4th grade class went many moons ago and I was sick and never got the chance. It's about time I go :)
Sep 15, 2008 at 10:29 a.m.
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these are GREAT!!!! do go!!!
Sep 15, 2008 at 10 a.m.
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I am so happy you wrote this story. I am definately GOING. Thank you.
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