2019 Wade House Civil War Weekend in Greenbush

Relive history at the 29th Annual Wade House Civil War Weekend on September 28-29, 2019 at the Wade House Historical Site in Greenbush, Wisconsin. This annual special event brings the history of the American Civil War to life. Held the last weekend in September, Wade House Civil War Weekend is two action-filled days of battle re-enactments, military drills, medical care situations, period music and food, demonstrations, and more. The weekend spectacle involves more than 500 reenactors. The weekend spectacle involves more than 500 re-enactors and each year features a different historic scenario crucial to the outcome of the war.Each year a different historic scenario crucial to the outcome of the war is featured.

Wade House Civil War Weekend in Greenbush

Wade House Civil War Weekend offers programs and activities for children and adults alike. Interact, explore and engage your entire family in the experience.

Experience the 1860s clash of arms and watch Union and Confederate troops set up camp, conduct drills and offer a variety of demonstrations. In addition to the programs listed below, you’ll also have the opportunity to participate in special hands-on activities and attend presentations on civilian issues, women’s issues, medical field hospitals, and Civil War era music.

In a scene reminiscent of the summer of 1861, watch with other spectators as hundreds of soldiers — cavalry, infantry and artillery — struggle across the field in a conflict depicted with startling accuracy and passion. In between the action, visitors can access the battlefield for an up-close look at the men, horses and equipment. Union and Confederate Armies skirmish at 11 am daily followed by a high-intensity, full-scale battle at 2 pm.

Admission
$15.00 Adult
$13.00 Seniors (65+) & Students w/ID
$8.00 Children (5-17)
Free – Children under 5

Schedule of Events
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Gates Open
11:00 a.m. Daily Skirmish
2:00 p.m. Daily Battle Reenactment

Location
Wade House Historical Site
W7965 State Hwy 23
Greenbush, WI 53026

Wade House Civil War Weekend in Greenbush Mini Gallery

For More Information
Call 920-526-3271; Email: wadehouse@wisconsinhistory.org

Attend President Lincoln’s Talk
Listen as President Lincoln gives a press conference about the situation in 1861, the prospect of losing Missouri, the war effort, and trials to come. Fritz Klein, one of America’s premier Abraham Lincoln presenters, will speak twice daily and stroll the grounds.

Explore Camp Life
Interact with Union and Confederate soldiers while you learn about 1860s camp life — the food, the lodging and the fellowship. Participate in demonstrations of military drills and medical scenarios while you tour the military and civilian camps.

Listen to Period Music
With war raging, music was a welcome retreat that entertained and relaxed the Civil War soldiers. Don’t miss the many 1860s musical performances, including the Civil War military band concert.

Tour the Site
Your admission includes tours of the historic buildings on site, including a first-floor tour of Wade House stagecoach hotel, the Herrling Sawmill and the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, home to Wisconsin’s most extensive collection of carriages, sleighs, wagons, and more.

Visit the Family Tent
Join us for games and crafts in the Family Tent, next to the Civil War building. Make a Civil War cockade. Play 19th century games, including stilts, hoop and stick races, and graces. See the Kids’ Civil War Camp, where kids set up tents and drill like Civil War soldiers.

[su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”General Wade House Civil War Weekend Reenactor Guidelines”]

1. All persons must be pre-registered by September 10. Please contact Jim Willaert at 920-526-3271 for late registration. No “Walk-ons” will be allowed.
2. All participants under the age of 18 must attend with a legal or appointed guardian and submit a signed parental waiver in order to participate. Children 12 years and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times during the event.
3. Registered participants must be in uniform or period appropriate civilian clothing in order to enter the event free of charge during public hours. Participants must also have already checked in at re-enactor registration. All nonparticipants will be required to purchase an admission ticket at the event entrance or Wade House Visitor Center.
4. All participants are expected to be courteous, respectful and professional. Wade House expects all participants to conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner and exhibit respect for the site, the event, visitors and other participants.
5. No alcoholic beverages are permitted during the public hours of the event. No alcoholic beverages may be visible or consumed in the camps or battle areas between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm Friday, Saturday or Sunday. No participant who has consumed alcohol in the previous three hours or who appears to be intoxicated or under the influence of controlled substances shall be on the battlefield, in battle formation, handle a weapon, or ride a horse. Any intoxicated and/or disorderly person will be removed by the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s
   Department.
6. Please inform Wade House staff if you have any safety concerns, including problem visitors.
7. Do not bring pets to the encampment. Pets and livestock are not allowed at the encampment. Re-enactors who bring pets or livestock will be asked to remove their animal(s).
8. Re-enactor and sutler vehicles are allowed on designated site roads for camp setup and take down only. No re-enactor vehicles are allowed in the camp areas once the event begins. Vehicles are not allowed in the camps on Friday (after Participant Rules & Regulations Annual Wade House Civil War Weekend or Saturday night. Re-enactors with mobility issues may have vehicles in camp, except between 9am and 5pm.
   Camp Setup : BEGINS AT 2 PM on Friday
   Please remove your car by 8 AM on Saturday
   Take Down: BEGINS AT 4 PM on Sunday
   Vehicles will not be allowed into the camp areas until 4pm on Sunday
   Please be courteous to your fellow reenactors – no headlights or vehicles in camp on Saturday evening, except for those with mobility issues and emergencies.
9. Exercise caution when driving. The speed limit is ten (10) miles per hour on site roads. Please remember there will be children, animals, and equipment on site, as well as many sharp turns. Please take extra caution when driving at night.
10. Reenactors and sutlers must park their vehicles in specified reenactor parking lots. Parking vehicles in a hidden area “behind the trees” or anywhere else on-site is not allowed. Parking at the far north end of the battlefield is NOT allowed! Do not leave your car parked on any gravel road!
11. Quiet time will be observed between 10:00 pm and dawn. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in dismissal from the event. No generators will be allowed in any camp during this period.
12. Wade House Civil War Weekend reenactors, other than approved vendors, may not sell or give food to the public.
    Food is NOT to be sold in the battlefield area except by approved vendors.
13. Anyone wishing to sell items to the public or reenactors must be registered as a Sutler.
14. Campfires are allowed in designated camp areas only. No fires are allowed in the Sutler area (see map). Reenactors are responsible for tending and keeping fires properly banked. Campfires must be drenched and sod replaced before leaving on Sunday. Please restack unused firewood in the location where you found it. Except to properly bank campfires, please do not dig holes anywhere on Wade House grounds.
15. Cutting of trees and saplings is prohibited.
16. Sutlers must break down any cardboard boxes before leaving the site.

[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion] [su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Military Safety and Conduct Guidelines”]

1. Do not bring bullets, live projectiles or live ammunition to the event. No loading blocks or musket balls. No ramrods are allowed to be pulled for loading during the battle scenarios.
2. All weapons must pass commanders’ safety inspections both days before
   being taken onto the battlefield and fired. Firearms will be discharged only in designated areas.
3. Artillery units must set up on the battlefield by 9 am each morning. Vehicles are prohibited from pulling cannons on or off the field during the hours the public is
   onsite. Artillery pieces may not be pulled back to camp with a modern vehicle until
   the camps have closed to the public.
4. Only full-sized artillery pieces are allowed. Carriages must have 57 inch wheels. No mortars or mountain howitzers are allowed.
5. Artillery pieces must participate in the battle both days to qualify for a bounty. Demonstration pieces do not qualify for bounties.
6. All scenarios must be approved by the U.S. and C.S. Commanders before the reenactment. Unscripted hand-to-hand combat is prohibited. Do not point firearms at any person.
7. You must provide adequate supervision of powder stores. Powder, charges, cartridges, and primers must be stored in special containers at a safe distance from
   campfires.
8. Participants under age 14 may not carry or fire black powder weapons of any kind. Participants 14 and 15 years of age may carry black powder weapons with a parent or guardian. Children and civilian reenactors are not permitted on the field during re-enactments, except for functional musicians (boys 14 or older who can actually play a drum, fife or bugle). Boys under 14 are not to serve as color bearers during battle re-enactments. Civilian reenactors may request prior written approval from Wade House event coordinator, Jim Willaert, before the event to participate in battle re-enactments.
9. Mounted cavalry units must station at least one unit member near their unit’s horses when public visitors are in camp. Horses will be inspected by cavalry commanders for health problems before being allowed to participate. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health, horses are not allowed within 500 feet of food concession areas.
10. There will be no unscripted “tactical” combat of any type during the event. Firearms will not be discharged at any time after sundown. If you would like to plan a scenario that will not take place on the battlefield, please contact the event coordinator.
11. No modern weapons are allowed. Only black powder weapons, appropriate to the Civil War era may be brought onto the premises.

[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion] [su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Authenticity Guidelines”]

1. Military and civilian reenactors should strive for as high a degree of
   authenticity as possible.
2. Camps will be classified as Military and Military Dependent/Civilian.
   Military Camps (Union and Confederate): Camping areas will be provided for traditional company/battalion streets. Campaign-style camping is also encouraged.
   Military Dependent/Civilian Camp: For military/civilian personnel who wish to camp authentically with friends and family. This camp will have Union and Confederate sections.
3. Chain of Command: Wade House Historic Site, through its Director, David
   Warner, and Curator of Interpretation and Collections, Jim Willaert, will ultimately be responsible for all aspects of the event. The Union military commander will be responsible for Union activities on the battlefield. The Confederate military commander will be responsible for Confederate activities on the battlefield. Names of these commanders will be released to pre-registered participants in advance of
   the event.
4. Period camping may be set up in designated areas only. Modern tents are not allowed on the grounds during the event with the exception of the Boy Scout camp. Camping in structures other than period-appropriate tents must be pre-approved by Wade House. This includes historic vehicles.
5. Camp furniture used during the event should be of period style and kept to a minimum. Blankets, quilts and other bedding used during the public hours of the event should be appropriate for the Civil War period, in general use by the common person in mid-war. Visible containers and utensils should be of the proper type common to general period usage. Please restrict lighting devices to candles and period appropriate oil lamps. Smoking during public hours is limited to pipes, cigars and period cigarettes.
6. Please keep modern coolers and modern equipment hidden during the public hours of the event. Televisions, portable radios, boom boxes, music devices, and propane lanterns are prohibited. Cell phone use is restricted to emergencies only (or out of sight of the public). Modern cameras and video recorders may not be carried onto the battlefield or used during a battle re-enactment. Please use cameras discreetly in the camps during public hours.
7. Do not use obvious 21st century adornments in your personal impression,
   including sunglasses, wristwatches, or other modern jewelry. The Wade House Site Director and his designees reserve the right to correct these faults. Anyone who has such an obvious unauthentic presentation will be asked to correct this immediately. Failure to comply will mean dismissal from the event.
8. All military personnel and civilian participants should be attired in
   appropriate historic clothing during the event. All participants must maintain 1860s impressions from 9 am – 5 pm Saturday and 9 am – 4 pm on Sunday. Wade House will not exclude women from participating as soldiers during the event. However, all soldiers will have to pass inspection in order to participate in drills and battles. As was standard policy during the Civil War, any female soldier discovered
   during inspection may be sent out of the ranks.
9. No impressions of Civil War generals, their staff officers or other noteworthy persons will be allowed without prior written consent from Wade House. 10.Wade House reserves the right to decline the registration and participation of any unit or individual for any reason.

[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion] [su_accordion][su_spoiler title=”Reenactor Dance, Member Event, and Beer Policy”]

• We invite all registered reenactors at the Wade House Civil War Weekend to join us for the Re-enactor Dance from 7 pm to 9 pm on Saturday, September 23, at the Pavilion Building. Beer, root beer and snacks will be available. Sorry, the public is not invited to attend the reenactor’s dance.
• The dance will end promptly at 9 pm in order to allow staff members to clean the building for Sunday activities.
• No one under age 21 may drink alcohol at the dance. We will dispense beer by the cup or mug. All reenactors will have to show a wristband to be served. In order to get a wristband you must show proof of age to a Wade House staff member. All Wisconsin laws related to the serving and consumption of alcohol will be observed.

[/su_spoiler][/su_accordion]

About Wade House
The Wade House Historical Site, also called Old Wade House, is a 240-acre (97 ha) open-air museum in Greenbush, Wisconsin. A Wisconsin historic site, the site is operated by a Wisconsin Historical Society. The site contains nine structures, three of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The namesake structure is the Sylvanus Wade House constructed in 1848–1849. Live historic interpreters, wearing period style clothing, populate the park during summer operations. Read More About Wade House

Mark your calendar today so you don’t miss the next Wade House Civil War Weekend at the Wade House Historical Site in Greenbush, Wisconsin.

Tags: Wade House Civil War Weekend, Wade House Civil War Reenactment, Greenbush Civil War Weekend, Greenbush Civil War Reenactment, Illinois Civil War Reenactment

View other Civil War Reenactments, Encampments & Other Events