Jackson, Washington County, WI. – The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Wilhelm Tischer Blacksmith Shop in Jackson, Washington County, on the State Register of Historic Places. State Historic Preservation Officer Daina Penkiunas presents a certificate to property owners Joe and Jerry Borchardt.
The Wilhlem Tischer Blacksmith Shop is a highly intact and now quite rare example of blacksmith shops once found in small communities in southeastern Wisconsin. It helps tell the story of industrial development in the region as a source of crucial equipment, such as wagons and farming tools that boosted agricultural development. It is one of the first two blacksmith shops in Jackson, and the only one that remains. The Wilhelm Tischer Blacksmith Shop was built in about 1870 and was in continuous operation by multiple generations of the same family until 1976.
The building is also architecturally significant as a highly intact example of a rural blacksmith shop. The “Boomtown” or false front style was often found among commercial buildings in small towns like Jackson from the mid-nineteenth century. These once common vernacular buildings have mostly been lost to subsequent development.
The State Register is Wisconsin’s official list of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin’s heritage. The State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society administers both the State Register and National Register in Wisconsin.
Additional information for the Wilhelm Tischer Blacksmith shop is available at
To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit: www.wisconsinhistory.org.
About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
