The Sylvanus Wade House is a former stagecoach

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

located in

Greenbush, Wisconsin Greenbush is a town in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,773 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Greenbush is located in the ...

, United States. The house provided lodging and meals to travelers in the mid-1800s, before the construction of a nearby railroad made the stagecoach route obsolete. Today, it is part of the

Wade House Historic Site Wade House Historical Site, also called Old Wade House, is a open-air museum in Greenbush, Wisconsin. A Wisconsin historic site, the site is operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The site contains nine major structures, three of which ar ...

Early years

In 1844, Sylvanus Wade moved his family to the Greenbush area, where he purchased several hundred acres of land with the intent of building a town. The first dwelling they built was a log home that was repeatedly enlarged as the family grew and the number of visitors increased. A three-story wooden

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

house was built between 1848 and 1851. It quickly gained attention for its large size and stylish appearance. Wade began advertising his "Half Way House" in Sheboygan in 1849. This, coupled with the inn's location halfway between the larger cities of Fond du Lac and

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

on the Fond du Lac-Sheboygan Plank Road, made it a popular stopover for travelers during the 1850s and 1860s. However, when travel by horse and stagecoach became obsolete and the railroad between Sheboygan and Fond du Lac went through Glenbeulah to the north, the house's full-time use as an inn was discontinued. Ironically, a railroad directors election meeting was held at the house in 1854.

Post-railroad era

The family continued to host personal guests at the house in the following decades, and hosted events such as business meetings, socials, wedding anniversaries, and showers. By 1917 the house was being referred to as the historic old "Wade House". The house was owned by Hollis Wade until his death in 1921, at which time ownership passed to his son William. A domestic argument at the house in 1927 ended with William accidentally shooting his son-in-law, Fred Limberg, in the leg. In 1939 an effort was made to turn the Wade House into a going business, with advertising noting its availability for private events and dinners. Ownership of the house passed out of the family in 1941 when it was sold to Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Dorst of

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is known for hosting the second Linc ...

, with the new owners announcing their intent to restore it to 1850s condition. Martin Dorst was a native of nearby Plymouth. and Mary Dorst was a friend of the Wades from childhood. William Wade died in 1943 at the age of 71. Frequent mention of the house in the society columns of ''

The Sheboygan Press ''The Sheboygan Press'' is a daily newspaper based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of a number of newspapers in the state of Wisconsin owned by Gannett, including the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' a ...

'' throughout the 1940s indicates that it continued to be a popular destination. Even as late as June 1950 rooms were being rented out. The Methodist church of Greenbush used the Wade House for church services for a two-year period from 1944 to 1946. Attempts to operate a business were made in 1949 when Mrs. Martin Dorst's son, Clare Dorst, announced that he would be operating a restaurant in the house.

Restoration

The first mention of selling the property to the

State Historical Society of Wisconsin The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

was in April 1948 when Mrs. Martin Dorst offered it to the society. In December 1949 she announced that she was putting the house up for sale to any buyer because of the large expense that would be required to meet modern health codes for restaurants. In February 1950, the state conservation commission proposed purchasing the house to use as an office and visitors' center for the

Kettle Moraine State Forest The Kettle Moraine State Forest is a state forest in southeastern Wisconsin. The chief feature of the reserve is the Kettle Moraine, a highly glaciated area. The area contains very hilly terrain and glacial landforms, such as kettles, kames a ...

. The sale of the house did not occur until July 1950 when it was purchased, along with all furnishings, by the Kohler Foundation for $17,000 with the intention of donating it to the historical society after the restoration work was completed. From 1950 to 1953, the Wade House was restored to its

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

–era appearance by the Kohler Foundation with the effort spearhead by Ruth Miriam DeYoung-Kohler, wife of Herbert

Kohler Kohler is a surname of German origin. The name was first found in Saxony. It means, "charcoal burner" so the first "Kohlers" were most likely of that occupation. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan Kohler, Australian journalist *Anton ...

. Mrs. Kohler intended the restoration as a memorial to her husband's sister, Marie Christine Kohler, who had become interested it the Wade house before her death in 1943. Ruth Kohler died on March 7, 1953, at the age of 46 and was not able to witness the turning over of the house to the state three months later. The historic building was deeded to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (now Wisconsin Historical Society) in 1953 in a ceremony that featured poet and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

biographer

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

Modern historic site

Today the inn, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, is part of the

, 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 house was located on the main line

Wisconsin Highway 23 State Trunk Highway 23 (often called Highway 23, STH-23 or WIS 23) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The route is signed as a north–south route from Shullsburg to Wisconsin Dells and as an east–west route from Wisconsin Del ...

until the highway was rerouted to bypass north of Greenbush in the mid-1980s. The Wade house was formerly a part of the Wisconsin state park system as the Old Wade House State Park, before coming under the direct purview of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Notes

References

External links

Wade House Historic Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Sylvanus, House Carriage museums in the United States Historical society museums in Wisconsin Historic house museums in Wisconsin Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Mill museums in Wisconsin Museums in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Open-air museums in Wisconsin Transportation museums in Wisconsin Wisconsin Historical Society State parks of Wisconsin Houses in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Grinding mills on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin