Wade House Sawmill & Blacksmith Shop and the Jung Carriage Museum

In 1963 the Wisconsin Legislature voted to create a permanent home for the carriage collection of Wesley W. Jung, grandson of a Sheboygan carriage maker, at the Wade House site. In 1968, the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum opened to the public.  I only had about 20 minutes to view the nearly 100 horse- and hand-drawn vehicles, making it one of the most extensive collections in the country. As usual in places like this I had difficulty getting the light to do what I wanted it to, and got better images out of my point and shoot. I was especially drawn to the "working" vehicles.

The Kohler Trust for Preservation also  pledged a $1.8 million gift to rebuild the Herrling Sawmill on its original site near the Wade House. The mill, which had stood in Greenbush throughout the second half of the 19th century, was the source of lumber for the local settlement's needs. The most distinctive feature is the water-powered muley saw, which was state of the art in the 1850s. The mill was, and still is, powered by the Mullet River.

 Our tour guide for the mill was also the blacksmith for the day describing for us how the blacksmith was necessary to keep the carriages running and the horses well shoed. You've all seen Doc's version of blacksmithing in Back to the Future Part 3, right?

 Sure are a lot of cobwebs on those horseshoes, must not be any horses needing shoeing in Greenbush for awhile! If you're in the area, give the Wade House Historic Site a look-see, and if you're interested in the Civil War they also have a Civil War Weekend every September with two action-filled days of battle re-enactments, military drills, medical care situations, period music and food, demonstrations, and more. The weekend spectacle involves more than 500 re-enactors and each year features a different historic scenario crucial to the outcome of the war.