The Charles Ringling Estate was pretty high tech in it’s time, it was made to be a self sustaining estate. It had a barn with a chicken coop, carriage house for carriages and horses, an underground cistern system that collected water from the gutters of all the buildings, and a green house. Now this cistern system fed water to the fire suppression system in the house, the outdoor fountain, the horses in the barn, and the plants in the greenhouse. Yesterday, as we were cleaning out the greenhouse, we found out how high tech this estate was for its time. The greenhouse was heated by a radiator system. Not only was the greenhouse heated, but the tables that held the plants were heated from below so the plants would survive the cold wisconsin winters! As history buffs, these things just amaze us! Hope you enjoy us sharing this with you!
Check out this new video, done by the Grand Marshals of the coming Circus Parade this Saturday in Baraboo: Baraboo’s own folk music group PHOX! All video work was done in the Ringling House Bed & Breakfast!
We LOVE the video, very creative! Thank you PHOX, Jordan Jensen, Zach Johnston, Michael Doyle Olson & Nanci Caflish!
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whspress/books/book.asp?book_id=163
We received a very special gift today. The gilded mirror that originally went over the fireplace mantle in the music room at the Ringling House Bed & Breakfast, had been on display at the Al Ringling Mansion here in Baraboo, WI. Joe Colossa has generously loaned the mirror to us from the Ringling family collection so it could be displayed again in its original home. To confirm our thoughts that this mirror belongs here, were the holes in the fireplace mantle for the dowel fittings in the mirror – a perfect fit!
Shown from left to right are the guys working to get it up above the mantle, Stuart Koehler, Richard Bennett, and Joe Colossa.
Doesn’t it look great in front of the Ringlings Steinway Grand, on loan from the Ringling family collection?
Thank you so much Joe and Rich!
So today, our first customers arrived, as wide eyed as we did when we first did our walk through with the house! We have been working really hard to get the bedrooms ready for our guests, and the work paid off today with some excited and happy customers. We have a big evolving vision for this place, and want to make enhancements to this place every year!
It gives us a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment to share this house and the history behind it with others. I hope you can come and stay sometime!
Julie & Stu
Our tentative open date was June 15th, which has come and gone. Oh boy, what a journey! We will have three rooms open on July 10th, with finishing touches being put on the newly added bathrooms in the other three rooms. We are looking to get one bathroom done a week so we will be open for a full house by the big circus parade weekend on July 25th! Book your stay now!
The outside of the house is being painted is being painted by Culvers painting, who by the way, is doing a fantastic job. The house is getting back to it’s former glory! We will be posting some before and after photos when the work is finished.
We are so looking forward to sharing this great house with our guests in the near future!
Julie
So, you have never stayed at a B&B and your co-workers are telling you that they had such a wonderful time at a special B&B in Wisconsin last weekend. This sounds interesting but you have no idea of what to expect and you have a few questions. Well, everyone has questions and fortunately we have answers!
Here are some of the questions that innkeepers hear frequently and their answers. If you have more questions, don’t be shy! Every innkeeper that I know wants to make sure that you pick the perfect B&B for your perfect visit each and every time that you visit us. So email us or pick up the phone and call. We would love to answer your questions.
(from Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association)
Welcome to the newly established Ringling House Bed & Breakfast!
This unique Colonial Revival home is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1901 by Charles Ringling, one of the founders of the Ringling Brothers Circus, and was constructed with some of the finest materials and modern conveniences available. It has remained in the Ringling family for over 100 years, until now. You can be one of the first to experience the grandeur of this phenomenal home!
When will you be staying with us?
Julie