Sheboygan County Treasures

On Monday, after I got that caged animal feeling out of my system, I was okay with driving around Sheboygan County to see what they had to offer in the way of historic architecture. Sheboygan Falls has done a really nice job of revitalizing their old downtown and using their historic buildings in a modern way.  When I arrived it was early in the morning and none of the shops were open, but peeks in the windows seemed to indicate they might be doing well with their more upscale offerings. There were signs about town suggesting "Shop Falls First", which I thought were catchy and probably effective as well. The buildings have been beautifully renovated and even the Brickner Woolen Mills on the Sheboygan River was renovated in 1992 into 34 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments.

The town of Plymouth also had much in the way of historic architecture. Their downtown hosts a lot of antiques shops, and the old bank was turned into a cute coffee shop that had some tasty looking baked goods and sandwiches as well. It was still too early in the morning for that, so I just walked around town with my camera admiring not only their architecture but their collection of murals as well.  Plymouth now has 23 murals painted by the Walldogs, and they were fun to try to search out. Some were on the back or sides of the main buildings on Mill Street, so if you're like me and don't have a copy of the map handy, look in all the nooks and crannies!  If you can't get out this way, there is a video on youtube available here that highlights their efforts, including images almost exactly like the ones I took! Many years ago I stayed in Plymouth at 52 Stafford which has also been lovingly renovated, but there is always something new to learn about a place, and this time I learned that Sargento cheese had its humble beginnings in Plymouth. 

 

While exiting Plymouth I saw the sign for the Old Wade House and Jung Carriage Museum which I've been wanting to visit for years. Since it was only a few more miles down the road I took a tour of that as well...but I'll save those details for another post!

The town of Sheboygan has some treasures as well, and I only got a glimpse of a few on Eighth Street this time around. Not only are there some neat buildings, but they had a couple of murals as well.  I guess I'll have to return another day to search the rest out!