Sylvanus Wade House

Sylvanus Wade House
Location: Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive
Greenbush, Wisconsin
Nearest city: Plymouth, Wisconsin
Area: western Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Built: 1850
Architect: Charles Robinson
Architectural style: Greek Revival[1]
Governing body: Wisconsin Historical Society
NRHP Reference#: 71000041
Added to NRHP: October 26, 1971

The Sylvanus Wade House, located in Greenbush, Wisconsin, was a stagecoach inn that provided lodging and meals to travelers in 19th Century Wisconsin. The three story wooden Greek Revival building was built by Sylvanus Wade in 1850, and quickly gained landmark status for its large size and stylish appearance. This, coupled with the inn's location halfway between the larger cities of Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, Wisconsin on the Fond du Lac-Sheboygan Plank Road, ensured that it was a popular stopover for travelers during the 1850s and 60s. However, as travel by horse and stagecoach later became obsolete, the inn fell into disuse. During the 1950s, the vacated Wade House was restored to its Civil War era appearance by the Kohler Foundation. The historic building was then deeded to the Wisconsin Historical Society in 1953.

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 also includes two other buildings on the National Register, the Charles Robinson House and the Robinson-Herrling Sawmill. In addition, the historical society 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 Wisconsin Highway 23 until the highway was rerouted north of Greenbush in the mid-1980s. The Wade house was a state park named the Old Wade House State Park.

References

  1. ^ National Register Information System, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. Retrieved April 8, 2008.

External links