Highlights Archives
At Work and at Play at Wade House
The staff at Wade House, the Society's 1860s stagecoach inn and historic site in Greenbush, is getting ready for spring — and they could use a little help from their friends. On Saturday and Sunday, May 16-17, the historic site will celebrate the start of another season during At Work and at Play at Wade House, and the staff is hoping visitors will drop by to help with some of the spring chores such as preparing and planting the historic gardens, filling straw ticks, airing out quilts, making beds, blacking the stove and sweeping the floors.
Time-Honored Trades Once Common in Wisconsin
 A wheelwright and the tools of his historic trade In the spirit of work and play, several time-honored trades once common in 1860s Wisconsin — trades that only a rare few historic tradesmen ply today — will also be featured at the new event. 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, a farrier and a drag saw all reflect scenes common in the 19th-century Wisconsin countryside. Work vehicles will be highlighted in the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum, which houses one of the Midwest's most extensive collections of hand- and horse-drawn carriages and wagons.
The sawmill, carefully reconstructed on the same spot where the original mill once stood, will fire up its turbine-driven, vertical-action 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.
Play Ball! 1860s Style
On Sunday only, take in the sights and sounds of vintage base ball as it was played in the 1860s. The Wade House home team, the Greenbush Dead Citys, will take on the Milwaukee Grays. Game time is 1:30 p.m. Admission to the game is included with admission (game-only tickets are $5 per person). Concessions before and during the game will be available at the base ball field. Food service and refreshments will be available at the Greenbush Cupboard café from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., both Saturday and Sunday.
For complete details on admission, location and contact information, visit the Wade House visitor information pages.
:: Posted May 14, 2009
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