Old Falls Village in Menomonee Falls Has an 1849 Log Cabin

A log cabin from 1849, a one-room schoolhouse from 1851 and a railroad depot from 1890 all stand in one park on County Line Road. That cluster is Old Falls Village, the historic park in Menomonee Falls run as a living history museum by the Menomonee Falls Historical Society. The society says the buildings show life from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, and its site marks 2026 as 60 years at the park.

The grounds are open to walk around, but the building interiors open only on select weekends or by appointment. So what you see depends on the day you come.

Where is Old Falls Village?

Old Falls Village sits at N96W15791 County Line Road, on the corner of Pilgrim Road and County Line Road, about 1 mile northeast of downtown Menomonee Falls. County Line Road is also the village's northern edge, so Germantown starts on the other side of the street.

The village's facility page lists parking, restrooms, picnic areas and ADA access, and gives park hours of 6 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset.

Who runs Old Falls Village?

The village owns the grounds and the buildings, and two community groups do the work. The Menomonee Falls Historical Society maintains the buildings and gives the tours, while Friends of Old Falls Village Park looks after the grounds and runs events.

The society's own site says the Friends group grew out of a split with the society and that both groups hold a lease with the village. It matters for one practical reason: an event or a rental can belong to either group, so check whose name is on it before you call.

The buildings at Old Falls Village

The village's parks guide counts 9 historic buildings on the former Miller-Davidson farmstead. Here is what you are looking at as you walk the paths.

The Clio walking tour, which you can follow on your phone, says the village bought the house in 1965 and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The society's history page says the house was its first acquisition and that the park officially took the name Old Falls Village in May 1972, after Fallstown, Fallsburg and Heritage Hall were considered.

Cabins and the schoolhouse

The oldest building on the Clio tour is the Walker-Sparrow Cabin, built in 1849 and moved to the park in December 2003. The Umhoefer Log Cabin dates to 1856, and the One Room School House to 1851, built, the tour notes, for $55. A replica Sunnyside School bell tower was dedicated in 2018.

The depot, the barn and the Steichen House

The railroad depot dates to 1890 and was dedicated at the park in 1980, the same year the 1873 Koch House was moved in. The Miller-Davidson Barn is listed as built soon after 1850 and has carried a mural since 2021.

The Steichen House was the home of the parents of photographer Edward Steichen, and the Clio tour says its military exhibits were expanded and reorganized in 2026. The society's site also names the Depot Museum, the Little Red Barn Library and a caboose among the things on the grounds.

A June 2026 Google reviewer said nothing is open when there isn't an event, so it is a walk-around-and-peek-through-windows kind of visit. The same reviewer noted QR codes on each building that give a detailed description of it, so a phone fills in a lot.

The smaller pieces

The Clio tour also lists a gazebo built in 1979, a carriage house moved onto the grounds in June 1972 and a beet garden. The tour dates the Umhoefer Log Cabin's dedication at the park to July 1970.

The society traces itself to the 1960s and says it formed with a vision to preserve local history. Walk the loop and it reads as what it is: a town collecting the pieces of its own farm country before they disappeared.

Tours and what they cost

The society's tours page lists free building tours during select events and group guided tours by appointment from May through September. It gives group prices of $7 for adults and $5 for students, with a $25 minimum and children 5 and under free; confirm the rate when you book.

For a self-guided visit, the Clio app carries a tour of the park's buildings. The tours page also warns that entrance fees may apply at some special events.

The Clio tour runs to 12 stops, from the Miller-Davidson House to the carriage house, so the full loop is a slow hour with a phone in hand. Group tours run from May through September, so that is the season to plan around if you want to see inside.

What a visit is like on an event day

Event days are the time to come, and Google reviewers have described World War II Days reenactors in June 2025 and a Revolutionary War event on an earlier visit. The June 2026 reviewer passed while staff were setting up for a beer garden and music evening.

The grounds suit a picnic, and the same reviewer saw a couple flying a kite with a child on the lawn. Bring a blanket and plan on an hour, more if the doors are open.

Events and beer gardens at Old Falls Village

The society's 2026 calendar listed an Open Doors day on September 27 and a crafts event on October 16 and 17. Its site also names a Classic Car Show, Halloween Family Fun in October and a Silver Tea and Cookie Sale in December, without posting dates for them.

The village's beer garden page lists two at the park: the society's Depot Beer Garden and the Old Falls Biergarten, run by the Friends. The Depot Beer Garden's own page describes free admission, Wisconsin craft beer and food, and no carry-ins, but its posted schedule is from 2024, so check both groups for the coming season before you plan around either.

Renting the gazebo or the pavilion

The society's rentals page lists the gazebo at $75, which it pitches as an intimate wedding setting, the pavilion and stage at $100, the caboose at $75 and the firepit at $50. The Public House rents at $50 an hour, seats 50 and has a kitchen with no stove, and payment is due 3 weeks ahead.

The page has no date on it, so treat those as a starting point and ask for current rates. The society answers at (262) 250-3901, and the village's page lists (262) 239-1489 for the Friends.

What else is near Old Falls Village

Across County Line Road, about 0.2 miles east, Natures Healing Day Spa is in Germantown, a massage stop if the afternoon calls for one.

For a bed, SpringHill Suites on Falls Parkway is about 0.6 miles south, with Home2 Suites beside it.

Downtown is about 1.1 miles southwest, where Percolatte on Appleton Avenue and Epilogue Books on Main Street make an easy coffee-and-bookshop pairing after the park.

The rest of the walk is in downtown Menomonee Falls, from the river parks to Main Street.

Old Falls Village is one stop on the longer list of things to do in Menomonee Falls, which also takes in the lime kilns and the Bugline trail.