Where family lives on: A granddaughter’s gift to those who keep memory alive

MARSHFIELD – A touchstone holds more than memory — it holds the essence of those we’ve loved.
A wedding ring worn thin by decades of faithful wearing or a coffee-stained book that can resurrect late-night conversations with a friend whose voice we thought we’d forgotten can hold true meaning.
The touchstone doesn’t just take us back in time; it brings our loved ones forward, making them present again in the space between.
Some connections can never truly be broken.
For Monie Upham, granddaughter of former Wisconsin Gov. William H. Upham, the house that sits on the corner of Third Street and Walnut Avenue in Marshfield holds that kind of meaning.

Constructed in 1880 in the mid-Victorian, Italianate architecture style, the Upham House was the home of the former governor and Marshfield mayor, and also the place where Monie’s father, Bill Upham, was born.
“Growing up, even though I never met my grandfather, he was near and dear to my father; and even though he died when my father was a little boy, I had heard lots of stories about my grandfather while growing up. We also visited the house when my grandmother (Grace) was still alive. So, I have memories of going to the house as a little girl, and after I graduated from college, I went and visited my grandmother when I was about 26 or 27 years old and got some stories from her as well.” Monie recalled.
Monie’s grandmother died in the mid-1970s and was the last to reside on the property.
Today, the house includes furnishings that date from the late 1880s-1920s; most notably, a dining room set and three bedroom sets, all manufactured by the Upham Manufacturing Company.
It has survived Marshfield’s “Great Fire” and years of wear and tear.
While it currently serves as the center for the North Wood County Historical Society exhibits, it still holds a connection to home for Monie.
“I have a touchstone with the house now. You know, I just found out the last time I was in Marshfield someone said that Augusta Roddis was (helping to restore the house) when the house was in disrepair. Several businesses gave money to refurbish the house or get it up-to-code and whatever, so that they could use it as their clubhouse. And I didn’t know that part about it. I just thought it was all Augusta Roddis’ doing,” she explained.
“And I’ve seen the house over the last years visiting, and I’m impressed that they’ve been able to do a lot, with so little, in many ways.”
To thank those in the community for the work that has been done to preserve the home, Monie will be throwing a garden party at the Upham House in August.
“I am celebrating this fall my 80th birthday, and I got this idea: what did I want to do for my 80th birthday, and where did I want to do it? I came up with the idea, after being up in Marshfield for the pie and ice cream social, that maybe I’d like to do something at the house,” she recalled.
“I started to think about it, and then I wanted my nephew and niece, who are married and do have children, to come to the house. And so that’s why I picked something in the summer, so that it wouldn’t interfere with the school year.
“I thought that there’s a group of people that have kept the house going when my grandmother passed away. The house wasn’t even 100 years old, and now it’s about 145 years old. So, I’m grateful that a group came along in the North Wood County Historical Society that has taken care of the house.
“I also wanted to thank the members for taking care of the house and giving sort of a garden party or whatever to celebrate their accomplishment of keeping the house. And so that’s sort of what put it in my head to go and try and do something in Marshfield.”
The garden party is open to those who assisted with preserving the house and its legacy and will be held Aug. 9, 1-4 p.m., featuring iced tea, lemonade, and petite sandwiches and desserts.