Wade House Historic Site

Wade House Historical Site, also called Old Wade House, is a 240-acre (97 ha) open-air museum in Greenbush, Wisconsin. A Wisconsin historic site, the site is operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Wade House Historic Site
Old Wade House
Map showing the location of Wade House Historic Site
Map showing the location of Wade House Historic Site
Map showing the location of Wade House Historic Site
Map showing the location of Wade House Historic Site
LocationSheboygan, Wisconsin, United States
Coordinates43°46′36″N 88°05′05″W / 43.77667°N 88.08472°W / 43.77667; -88.08472
Area48 acres (19 ha)
Established1953
Governing bodyWisconsin Historical Society
Websitewadehouse.wisconsinhistory.org

The site contains nine major structures, three of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The namesake structure is the Sylvanus Wade House constructed in 1848–1849.

Live historic interpreters wearing period-style clothing populate the park during summer operations.

History

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The Wade house was restored in 1950–1953 by the Kohler Foundation and then turned over to the state to be operated as a state park.[1][2]

The Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum was constructed and opened to the public in 1968.[3][4] The museum features a collection of horse-drawn and hand-drawn vehicles, including carriages, sleighs, wagons, fire wagons and more.

The Robinson-Herrling sawmill site and 97 acres of property were purchased in 1960.[5] was reconstructed on its original site from 1999 to 2001.

A new 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) visitor center and carriage museum was opened in 2013.

List of structures

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Three of the site's structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Structure name location Image Built Construction/style/notes
Sylvanus Wade House 43°46′36″N 88°05′05″W / 43.776694°N 88.084779°W / 43.776694; -88.084779 (Sylvanus Wade House)   1849[6] Greek Revival
Listed on the NRHP in 1971 (#71000041)
Charles Robinson House 43°46′34″N 88°05′11″W / 43.776089°N 88.086371°W / 43.776089; -88.086371 (Charles Robinson House)   1855[7] Greek Revival
Listed on the NRHP in 1984 (#84000678)
Also known as the Butternut House; was residences of Sylvanus Wade's oldest daughter and her husband.
Robinson Carriage House 43°46′34″N 88°05′12″W / 43.776138°N 88.086653°W / 43.776138; -88.086653 (Carriage House)  
Butternut Cafe 43°46′35″N 88°05′09″W / 43.776432°N 88.085858°W / 43.776432; -88.085858 (Butternut Cafe)   1950[8] Astylistic Utilitarian Building
Robinson-Herrling Sawmill Farmhouse 43°46′40″N 88°05′08″W / 43.777908°N 88.085542°W / 43.777908; -88.085542 (Sawmill)   1847[9] Timber frame
Listed on the NRHP in 1984 (#84000685)
Rebuilt at original site 1999–2001
Dockstader Blacksmith Shop 43°46′39″N 88°05′06″W / 43.777588°N 88.085014°W / 43.777588; -88.085014 (Blacksmith Shop)   1970s[10]
Smokehouse 43°46′37″N 88°05′06″W / 43.776842°N 88.084957°W / 43.776842; -88.084957 (Smokehouse)  
Interpretation Building 43°46′39″N 88°05′14″W / 43.777462°N 88.087148°W / 43.777462; -88.087148 (Museum Store)   1950s[11] This building was previously used as the visitors center but was re-purposed after construction of the new visitors center building in 2013.
Visitor Center 43°46′55″N 88°05′15″W / 43.781824°N 88.087509°W / 43.781824; -88.087509 (Visitors Center)   2013
Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum 43°46′54″N 88°05′14″W / 43.781707°N 88.087221°W / 43.781707; -88.087221 (Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum)   2013 Over 70 horse-drawn and hand-drawn vehicles, including carriages, sleighs, wagons, fire wagons and more.
Carriage Pavilion 43°46′44″N 88°05′25″W / 43.778981°N 88.090407°W / 43.778981; -88.090407 (Banquet Hall)   1967–1968 This building was previously used as the carriage museum but was re-purposed after construction of the new visitors center building in 2013.[12]
Chicken Coop 43°46′37″N 88°05′07″W / 43.776885°N 88.085248°W / 43.776885; -88.085248 (Chicken Coop)  
Sheep Pen 43°46′38″N 88°05′09″W / 43.777252°N 88.085787°W / 43.777252; -88.085787 (Sheep Pen)  
Stable 43°46′41″N 88°05′14″W / 43.777961°N 88.087207°W / 43.777961; -88.087207 (Stable)  
Maintenance Building 43°46′45″N 88°05′30″W / 43.779205°N 88.091652°W / 43.779205; -88.091652 (Maintenance Building)

See also

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

References

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  1. ^ "Kohler Foundation, Inc. Buys Wade House". Sheboygan Press. July 14, 1950. p. 1.
  2. ^ "Our New State Park". Sheboygan Press. June 6, 1953. p. 20.
  3. ^ "Museum Project Launched". The Sheboygan Press. July 11, 1967. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Dedication Date Set For Jung Carriage Museum". The Sheboygan Press. March 7, 1968. p. 8.
  5. ^ "Old Wade House Buys a Dam Site". The Milwaukee Sentinel. August 11, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  6. ^ "Sylvanus Wade House". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  7. ^ "Charles Robinson House". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  8. ^ "Reference Number: 82038". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society.
  9. ^ "Robinson-Herrling Sawmill". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  10. ^ "Blacksmith Shop const". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  11. ^ "ST H. 23 | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  12. ^ "Jung Carriage Museum const". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
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