In concert with the blazing hot sun, it was also Mequon’s weekend to shine. Nearly 650 visitors and volunteers converged on five historic homes and an historic church this past weekend, August 6 and 7. The 42nd Architectural Treasures Tour (formerly known as the Stone House Tour) was a success by any measure. The visitors were enthusiastic; the homes represented a range of historical significance married to modern lifestyles; and the weather cooperated.

The word “Treasures” conjures up images of hidden riches. Yet here in Ozaukee County, we find Architectural Treasures around every bend.

Our county is dotted with jewels: homes and public buildings of every shape, size, style and material. Grand or humble, welcoming or austere, these gems have stood the test of time. They remain well used and well loved. Adapted to today’s lifestyles, their current owners and caretakers bridge two radically different eras, turning our founding fathers’ homesteads into their own.

The tour homes each had their own stories: tales of immigrants seeking religious freedom, fortune, and family security; and accounts of current homeowners who have willingly taken on the responsibility of guardian and custodian to wards who are constantly requiring more and more of their attention but who have given back even more.

Thank you to Architectural Treasures Tour co-chairs Amy Cordio and Cynthia Matchette, and house captains Buffy Godfrey, Barbara Hunt, Erin Ortiz, Jill Hepburn and Philia Hayes.

And a very special thank you to Phoebe and Stuart Parsons, David and Courtney Olson, Dan Lanzdorf and Lisa Bruce, Julie and Mark Harrington, Jean and Dave Johnson, and the parishioners of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Thank you not only for allowing us to share in your Treasures but also for preserving them as the jewels in Ozaukee County’s crown.