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Wade House Showcases Historic Trades


A wheelwright shows a young apprentice the tricks of the time-honored trade.

Several time-honored trades once common in 1860s Wisconsin — trades that only a rare few historic tradesmen ply today — will take center stage at Wade House Saturday and Sunday, May 31 and June 1, as the historic site celebrates its annual Historic Trades Weekend. Visitors can observe the skillful hands of a sawyer, a wheelwright, a broom maker, a blacksmith, a timber framer and other craftsmen as they demonstrate trades that have been all but lost to history. Log-skidding demonstrations, behind-the-scenes tours of the water-powered Herrling Sawmill, candle dipping, stagecoach rides and other activities that reflect scenes common in 19th-century Wisconsin will add to the historic ambience of the event.

Here is a detailed breakdown of activities in the lineup for Historic Trades Weekend (activities will be ongoing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted):

  • Wheelwright Tom Sveum will demonstrate the wheelwright's trade, which involves cutting, shaping and joining wood to make wheels that stand up to rough roads and rougher fields.
  • At 11:30 a.m. and again at 1 and 3 p.m., sawyer Matt Harvey will demonstrate his horse-powered drag saw to reduce big logs into smaller, more useful pieces of wood (he also has a people-powered saw that visitors can try for themselves).
  • Joel Van Haaften will demonstrates the very detailed process of broom making in the 1860s, using sorghum (broom corn) to lash to the handle using pegs and linen twine.
  • Dan Brill will press his draft horses into duty to move large logs from place to place, just as 19th-century Wisconsin settlers did to clear fields for farming, then using the logs to build homes.
  • Pete Schimming will demonstrate art of timber framing — constructing building components using only mortise and tenon joinery, using a beam drill, hand auger, hand saws and chisels (visitors are welcome to try their own hand at making a mortise and tenon).
  • The Herrling Sawmill, constructed in the spitting image and on the very spot where the original mill once stood, will fire up its turbine-driven muley saw to cut logs into lumber. The mill's lower level will be open to allow visitors to see the belts, pulleys, drive shafts, and tapered cones that drive the saw and propel the log carriage forward and backward.
  • At the Dockstader Blacksmith Shop, the blacksmith will demonstrate the tricks of his trade as he forms hot metal into everyday tools and utensils used in cooking, farming and the transportation of goods and people. For a nominal fee, visitors can use the blacksmith's tools to make an S-shaped hook to take home and hang on the fireplace hearth.
  • Weather permitting, visitors can board the full-size, reproduced Wade House stagecoach for a small fee and take a ride around the grounds the same way Wade House patrons did in the 1860s, traveling by stagecoach between Fond du Lac or Sheboygan.
  • From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. visitors can stop in at the Greenbush Cupboard café for a bite to eat, a hot or cold beverage, or some tasty ice cream.

For complete details on hours, admission fees, location and directions, and other details, see our Plan Your Visit pages.

:: Posted May 28, 2008
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