The Grotto and Shrines erected in the Village of Dickeyville are the works of Fr. Matthias Wernerus, pastor of the Holy Cross Parish 1918-1931. His handiwork in stone, built from 1925-1930 is dedicated to the unity of two great American ideals: love of God and love of country. It is created in stone, mortar and bright colored objects collected from all over the world. There are many round balls in the construction which used to be found on the top of a stickshift in old cars. The shrine was constructed without the use of blueprints.
There are several shrines in the Grotto garden. Besides the main shrine which houses the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin, there is a patriotic shrine, sacramental shrine of the Hold Eucharist, the Sacred Heart shrine, Christ rhe King shrine, Fatima shrine and the stations of the Cross. These shrines are located in a beautiful floral garden and surrounding the Hold Ghost Church.
Never one to pass up a garage/yard sale, we wandered down to the church basement and looked over the huge array of items at bargain basement prices!
The next morning we left Cassville and stopped at the Toy Barn in Argyle, WI on our way to Baraboo. The Toy Barn is housed in a barn on a farm outside of Argyle, and is truly amazing. Father and Son have been working on the layout for many years, and have been featured on Public Television in Wisconsin. The father is a genius at using microwave motors, VCR drives, and various other electronics to power his handmade animations. His wife, Jan, models people from clay and paints them as needed. Father and Son are both train engineers, so wife Jan runs the American Flyer trains and entertains guests by explaining what her husband has used to build his layouts. Definitely a site to visit!
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