Ms. Kreul’s Class Blog

By PM

Hello, my name is Joseph and I am the Blacksmith at Wade House. I’ve worked here for many years after leaving my home in Indiana.

One morning in May, I woke to the sound of…gunshots!  I knew right away that I should leave right away with my family. It seemed that my wife heard the noise and was already packing her bag and getting ready to leave home. Ten minutes later, my whole family was crammed in the back of our rickety,  old wagon, and I was hitching up our team of horses. A week later, we rode into Greenbush, Wisconsin. There I met Mr. Wade, and he invited me to the Wade House. When the Wades learned of my mettle working skills, they hired me as the new blacksmith. I the had my dream job!

I think this job is as good as it gets. The clang of the hammers and the roar of the forge. There are all sorts of things that I make in the forge, for example, horse shoes, Oxen shoes and wagon wheels. If you’re wondering what a forge is, it’s a stove that burns coal instead of wood that has a large bicycle pump on one side, Generally speaking.

Sometimes I go down to the sawmill to go see my friend Tom. He runs the sawmill and makes wooden boards  out of trees. In the mill, there is a huge saw powered by the water pressure pushing down on a turbine that operates the saw. It impresses me even today!

Now to the house itself. You can see that we are in the barroom. Only men were allowed in the barroom, so the room next door is the parlor. It is meant for women, but children can go there too. If you to go upstairs, you would see a room were a wounded soldier stayed during the Civil War. In the third floor, there is a ballroom with small rooms on the side. Man, those dances must keep you up all night!

I guess this is all I can tell you about the Wade House and Greenbush and it’s history. Remember, even though times change, the past is still important.