An 1900 Classical Revival mansion on the National Register where staff smell pipe smoke in the first-floor landing, a poetry book moves between exhibits, and a door held shut by an unseen force stopped an employee from reaching the basement.
403 McIndoe St, Wausau, WI 54403
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Museum admission; see website for current pricing and hours
Access
Limited Access
Historic Victorian mansion; multiple floors with stairs; limited accessibility
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · National Register of Historic Places · Home of lumber baron Cyrus C. Yawkey · Wisconsin lumber industry history · Marathon County Historical Society museum
The Yawkey House at 403 McIndoe St was built in 1900 for Cyrus C. Yawkey, a prominent figure in Wisconsin's lumber industry who made his fortune in the timber trades that dominated Marathon County's economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The house is a substantial Classical Revival mansion reflecting Yawkey's wealth and social position in Wausau.
The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for both its architectural merit and its association with the Yawkey family's role in regional history. Wikipedia confirms the address, NRHP designation, and the Classical Revival style. After passing out of family ownership, the house was acquired by the Marathon County Historical Society, which operates it as a museum open to the public.
The Marathon County Historical Museum at the Yawkey House provides visitors with a documented look at Wausau's lumber-era prosperity, the Yawkey family's domestic life, and the broader history of Marathon County. The museum's collections include period furnishings, photographs, and archival materials.
Sources
Three clusters of reported activity distinguish the Yawkey House from typical house-museum hauntings. The first involves persistent pipe smoke on the first-floor landing — a smell staff associate with C.F. Yawkey's well-documented habit, appearing with no identifiable source in a non-smoking facility.
The second involves a poetry book that has been found moved between exhibit locations. Object displacement in a controlled museum environment carries more weight than reports from private homes, because museum staff track display arrangements professionally.
The third is the most specific account: an employee heard his name called from the empty basement, descended to investigate, and found the door held shut by a resistance that could not be explained mechanically. The Visit Wausau blog documented all three categories of activity, placing the museum in Wausau's official haunted history alongside the Grand Theater.
The association with C.F. Yawkey provides a named historical anchor for at least the pipe smoke accounts, though no claim is made in available sources that Yawkey died in the house or that his death was linked to paranormal activity.
Notable Entities
A guided tour of the 1900 Classical Revival mansion, home of lumber baron C.F. Yawkey and now operated by the Marathon County Historical Society. Staff have reported persistent pipe smoke on the first-floor landing, a moving poetry book, and a door held shut by an unseen force.
The Yawkey House is featured on Wausau's annual ghost tour, with the museum's paranormal accounts highlighted as part of the city's haunted history programming.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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