Wade House

Our historical site visit today was to the Wade House in Greenbush, Wisconsin, half-way between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan. Wade House itself dates to about 1850, originally built as a home by Sylvanus Wade and then becoming a stagecoach hotel or inn. Today the inn, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is part of the Wade House Historic Site, a historical museum operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The site includes two other buildings on the National Register, the Charles Robinson House and the Robinson-Herrling Sawmill. The historical society also operates the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum at the site, exhibiting a large collection of 19th-century American horse-drawn vehicles.

The trip over took about an hour and forty-five minutes through thick fog. It was all country roads, which meant traffic was slow anyway but we had to keep an eye out for farm equipment and such things. Fortunately we made it safely just as the fog was beginning to lift.

It was an enjoyable visit. The carriage museum is very well-laid out and more entertaining that I had expected. From the visitor's center where you enter, you are then taken by wagon to the site of the historical buildings, a ride of ten minutes or so. There is also a stagecoach ride around the site, which was fun but made me happy not to have had to rely on that mode of transportation for long trips, fog or no fog.

We were quite impressed with the place and recommend it to anyone who has a chance to visit. The Wisconsin Historical Society has reason to be proud.