CEDARBURG HISTORY MUSEUM
Cedarburg Blacksmith History
About
Wisconsin today has more blacksmiths per capita than any other U.S. state.
The two story stone buildin on the corner of Western and Washington Avenue looks like it's been there forever. It's history, however, tells a different story.
The original building (circa 1848) housed the August and William Bohrtz's blacsmith shop for approximately forty years. It was then purchased by William Krueger in 1913, who built an addition in 1915.
Early smiths provided services to the farmers and the surrounding communities by repairing tools and machinery, forging new tools and horseshoeing.
When the stone building was razed, it was replaced by a Tri Par Gas station. After the gas station closed, it was torn down and the corner became a vacant lot.
In 2003, developer Greg Zimmerschied's plan to replicate the original building was approved by the City of Cedarburg in keeping with the historic heritage. It presently houses a business.
'My Grandfather, Ed Krueger, was a short man. He had large hands and was very, very strong. He could make anything! He could fix everything!
When I was a young boy, he made me a go-cart out of a lawn mower.'
Tom Krueger,
President of Cedarburg History Museum
