Froelich Foundation

10/16/2024

We are currently closed for the 2024 tour season. We look forward to seeing you beginning MAY 10, 2025 to resume our normal tourism hours of Sundays 11AM-5PM, Monday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10AM-5PM. We look forward to seeing you then!

09/19/2024

Fall-der-All Sept 28 & 29, 2024 at Froelich, Iowa Welcome all! There is no fee to attend. We've just added a kids bouncy house as part of our Kids Fun Activities at no charge! Just bring your family to come enjoy! Reminder we have two separate RIDES with two separate ROUTES again this year!! SIDE by SIDES run a little faster than the tractors so two individual rides create for each group a greater experience!!!!!

09/19/2024

FALL-DER-ALL Sept 28 & 29, 2024 Announced

04/28/2024

Reminder: Great Give Day is May 15th for 2024. In the past the Froelich Foundation & Museum has received many wonderful donations in the past from those of you who find Froelich near and dear to your hearts and want to preserve this one-of a-kind 1890s Village Museum site and the preservation of John Froelich's 1892 invention of the very first successful gasoline-powered tractor able to propel itself both forward and backward. This first tractor led to the Waterloo Boy Tractors and was the forerunner of the John Deere Tractor Company. Please help us continue to preserve this museum with your most kind donation!

04/26/2024

02/07/2024

Froelich Foundation's Annual Meeting is Sunday, March 10th, 2024 at 1:30pm. Location: St Paul's Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall at Monona. This meeting is for all members. New members are welcome to join. We will elect new board of directors at that meeting. Refreshments provided. Any questions please call Denise #563-880-1525

09/03/2023

New Fall Hours at the Froelich Museum
THE FROELICH 1890s VILLAGE MUSEUM SITE
FALL HOURS FOR THE 2023 TOUR SEASON:
SEPTEMBER 1-24th (Closed Tues & Wed's.)
Open Mon, Thurs, Frid, & Sat: 10AM-5PM
and Sundays: noon-5PM

SPECIAL HOURS DURING
FROELICH'S FALL-DER-ALL weekend
SAT, SEPT 23 open 9am-5pm
Museum tours start 9:30am-5pm
SUN, SEPT 24 open 8am-3:30pm
Museum tours start 9am-3:30pm

AFTER Sept 24th we are closed during the week,
but OPEN on WEEKENDS ONLY:
Sept 30-Oct 1st, Oct 7-8th, Oct 14-15th, 2023
SATURDAYS 10am-5pm/ SUNDAYS Noon-5pm
October 15th is our final day open for 2023.
Large Groups call to schedule your tour.
If you'd like to book the Froelich Barn Event Center
please call Denise #563-880-1525.
Or email: [email protected]

07/01/2023

July 1st the Cowell Semis & jeep are heading to the Marquette Parade at 4:30pm today! Danny & Wyatt Torkelson are ready to go!!! See you there!

05/17/2023

MAY 17, 2023 is GREAT GIVE DAY!
https://greatgiveday.org/organization/Froelichfoundation
The Froelich Foundation is dedicated to preserving and sharing farm tractor history for generations to come. Guests tour our Froelich 1890s Village Museum Site including SEVEN historic buildings as they learn about the significance of John Froelich's 1892 invention of the first successful gasoline-powered tractor able to propel both forward & backward. We are not county, state, or federally funded so please make a gift to the Froelich Foundation on Great Give Day! Thank you!

09/18/2022

Little Miss Laura Ingalls 2022 is Isabella Cagley. She will be at the Froelich Foundation & Museum's "FALL-DER-ALL" Sept 24th & 25th in the One-Room Schoolhouse. She will also be present on the grounds throughout the weekend. She is the granddaughter of Bob & Sheryl Moses of Monona. Isabella is also the great-great niece of Verta Kerr of Postville. Maybe Isabella can tell you more about Laura Ingalls Wilder. Its amazing how much she looks like Laura Ingalls. Congratulations to Isabella Cagley!

09/16/2022

Little Miss Laura Ingalls 2022 - Isabella Cagley will be at the Froelich Foundation & Museum's "Fall-der-All" September 24th & 25th in the Froelich 1866 One-Room School Froelich #5 of Giard township. She will also be present on the grounds throughout the weekend. Come enjoy her presence and congratulate her. Maybe she can tell you a little more about Laura Ingalls Wilder. Thanks to Isabella Cagley!

08/31/2022

Are any of you nearby interested in demonstrating some old-time demonstrations during our Fall-der-All Sept 24 & 25, 2022? Also looking for vendors interested in coming to sell your wares during this annual fundraising event this year. Please email [email protected] or call #563-880-1525. Do not just show up. You need to contact us about your possible placement here. Thank you!

07/02/2022

Headed to the Marquette July 2nd parade at 1pm!

06/27/2022

We have tour guests this season coming from Quebec, Canada, Croatia, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas & California among many other states from throughout the United States!
Guests come seeking the history of the 1890s Froelich Village Museum site home to John Froelich's invention of the very first gasoline powered tractor able to propel itself both forward & backward in 1892. This became the forerunner to the John Deere tractors.
Guests come seeking the history of the 1890s Froelich Village Museum site home to John Froelich's invention of the very first gasoline-powered tractor able to propel itself both forward & backward in 1892. This became the forerunner to the John Deere tractors.
Fully guided tours of the 1891 General Store & Post Office, 1866 One-room School, Blacksmith shop, Freight Depot, Railroad Depot, Cowell Semi Transportation Building, and vintage barn from 1903. Allow some time to go through all the buildings.
Tourists comment after their tour how pleasantly surprised by all they saw during their tours. There is so much more here than seen from the roadside! This is a family-friendly guided hands-on tour allowing children to touch and feel and interact in many areas of our museum site. Come enjoy!!!

06/12/2022

The Progressive Farmer Magazine & DTN have created an article about John Froelich's 1892 invention of the first gasoline-powered tractor able to propel itself both forward & backward. This is the link to the dtn coverage of this. https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2022/06/1 The article will come out in the August publication of the Progressive Farmer. 🌽🚜

06/01/2022

Travis Breese of KWWL news channel comes to Froelich to share the revival of Jim Cowell's semis by Danny Torkelson and his family for upcoming parades in the area. These are at the Froelich Foundation 1890s village museum site! Come for a family-friendly guided tour of our site including 7 buildings! Home to John Froelich's invention of the very first gasoline-powered tractor able to propel itself both forward & backward in 1892. This became the forerunner to the John Deere tractors.
Click on this link https://www.kwwl.com/news/dubuque/beloved-small-semis-returning-to-clayton-county-parades/article_5adaa7e0-e08c-11ec-a7d3-ff01d413f285.html

FROELICH, Iowa (KWWL) - In 1971, Jim Cowell of McGregor wanted to one-up a previous boss at a trucking company who had built a shrunken-down version of a truck.

05/30/2022

Jim cowell's semis now runni g thanks to Danny Torkelson & family & a few local businesses.

05/30/2022

Jim Cowell's semis running once again thanks to Danny Torkelson and family & a couple business sponsors!

05/30/2022

Our museum is open through Memorial Day weekend. 10am-5pm. Come for a tour! Does anyone have any old pictures of Jim Cowell's small-scale semi's in parades??? If so please email them to [email protected] now. Tomorrow May 30th Travis from KWWL news is coming to interview Danny Torkelson who has gotten Jim's semis running once again to take them in parades! Travis asked for those pictures to use in this spot on KWWL News tomorrow night. Short notice, but thanks in advance. I just found out a little earlier.