dousman stagecoach inn museum - brookfield, wi
I couldn't even count how many times I've passed by this historic site on Pilgrim Parkway. I first visited, finally, a few years back, when I needed a nature break after work. I finally took some time recently to visit with my camera. The Dousman Stagecoach Inn Museum is a 20 acre historic park located in the heart of Brookfield. Just north of Bluemound Road, along Pilgrim Parkway, it features the historic Dousman Stagecoach Inn, and several other buildings of historic note.
The Inn, originally built in 1842 at the corner of Bluemound Road and Watertown Plank, was owned by Talbot Dousman. The Inn experienced several transitions through the decades, and was finally moved to the historic park in 1981. Since that time, volunteers from the Elmbrook Historical Society have restored the inn with furnishings representing its original era. It is available for tours a few times a month from May through October.
Other historical buildings on the site include: a wagon/blacksmith shop, a smoke house, an ice house, and the old Woodside one-room schoolhouse bell tower, and the Donaldson home, which serves as the visitor center.
The park also features a butterfly garden with native plants, and the surrounding wetlands along Dousman Ditch. Paved walking trails along Pilgrim Parkway also pass by the park (part of the Greenway Trail System). I spotted several wild turkeys while I was there, saw a couple migrating Kinglets, and heard calls from Blue Jays and woodpeckers overhead. There are plenty of picnic benches, some under shelter, with signs providing details on local history.
The property also includes several old oak and plum trees in the landscape. It's a peaceful spot to unwind, and just moments from the hustle and bustle of Bluemound Road with its shops and traffic.
Location: 1075 Pilgrim Parkway, Brookfield, WI (Waukesha County)
For more information, click here and here.
The Inn, originally built in 1842 at the corner of Bluemound Road and Watertown Plank, was owned by Talbot Dousman. The Inn experienced several transitions through the decades, and was finally moved to the historic park in 1981. Since that time, volunteers from the Elmbrook Historical Society have restored the inn with furnishings representing its original era. It is available for tours a few times a month from May through October.
Other historical buildings on the site include: a wagon/blacksmith shop, a smoke house, an ice house, and the old Woodside one-room schoolhouse bell tower, and the Donaldson home, which serves as the visitor center.
The park also features a butterfly garden with native plants, and the surrounding wetlands along Dousman Ditch. Paved walking trails along Pilgrim Parkway also pass by the park (part of the Greenway Trail System). I spotted several wild turkeys while I was there, saw a couple migrating Kinglets, and heard calls from Blue Jays and woodpeckers overhead. There are plenty of picnic benches, some under shelter, with signs providing details on local history.
The property also includes several old oak and plum trees in the landscape. It's a peaceful spot to unwind, and just moments from the hustle and bustle of Bluemound Road with its shops and traffic.
Location: 1075 Pilgrim Parkway, Brookfield, WI (Waukesha County)
For more information, click here and here.
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