German Tour North
OZAUKEE COUNTY

This fascinating route passes through numerous ethnic rural settlements and offers every style of ethnic building and landscape common to eastern Wisconsin. Bordering dense and swampy lowland and on high stony hills, visitors experience many examples of German and Irish heritage. Lured by the promise of prosperity, early Yankee and German entrepreneurs established mills and townsites on both the Milwaukee River and Cedar Creek. The City of Cedarburg alone had five mill and dam sites. All of the communities on this tour are mill towns.

The geology of the area was conducive to creating mill sites. "Yankee Ingenuity" led to harnessing the power of falling water cascading over limestone rock outcroppings. The near surface limestone was also quarried into building blocks and fired in kilns for use as pure lime for fertilizer, mortar and plaster. Cedarburg and Hamilton display some of the best German stonework in Wisconsin. An annual Stone and Century House Tour gives visitors access to exceptional privately owned dwellings.

The Irish settled in this area soon after the Germans, taking the leftover, less productive farmlands. The stonework of the Irish and German is almost identical. St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church (1857) on Highway Y, south of Newburg displays stone and mortar walls similar to the most ancient buildings in Europe. Bavarian and Mecklenburg immigrants built this church using the unusual design of a square steeple with an octagonal roof.

From 1853 to 1875, a private road made of eight foot oak and elm planks ran through the area. For a few miles in southern Mequon, this road paralleled the earlier Green Bay Road. Toll keepers located every five miles collected toll fees for all horse or oxen driven vehicles.

Visitor's Guide to Festivals

Accommodations Stagecoach Inn Bed & Breakfast. Historically restored, 12 rooms, 6 whirlpool suites. Located downtown near shops and restaurants. W61 N520 Washington Ave., Cedarburg, WI 53012. (262) 375-0208 . FAX (262) 375-6170. The Washington House Inn. Historic B&B located in the heart of Cedarburg Historic District. Built in 1886. Antiques, whirlpool baths and fireplaces. Open all year. W62 N573 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012. 1- 800-554-4717. Attractions Cedar Creek Settlement, Cedarburg. Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg. The Kuhefuss House, Cedarburg. Cedarburg Woolen Mill. View 1860s wool carding machinery still in operation, spinning wheel and weaving demonstrations available. Open 7 days a week, group tours by appointment. W62 N580 Washington Ave., Cedarburg, WI 53012. 1-800-WIS-WOOL. Ozaukee County Pioneer Village, Cedarburg.

Events Ozaukee County Pioneer Village. Food & Beverage Bublitz's Restaurant, Saukville. Shopping A.B.'s Ladybug Gift Shop, Saukville. Cedar Creek Settlement, Cedarburg. Cedarburg Woolen Mill, Cedarburg. For more information... SAUKVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (262) 284-7492, JILL RICHARDS, P.O. BOX 238, SAUKVILLE, WI 53080.