CARRIAGE FACTORY MUSEUM

1 North German Street, Mayville, WI 53050 920-387-2420 • mayvillehistorical@gmail.com www.mayvillehistoricalsociety.org

Free Admission

Open 2nd and 4th Sundays each month May - October from 1:30pm - 4:30pm

The museum of the Mayville Historical Society occupies what once was the home and workplace of John Hollenstein and family. Hollenstein came to the Mayville area in 1873, where they worked a small farm. Hollenstein started making wagons and carriages with blacksmith William Albrecht in a building on North Main Street. Today, the Hollenstein House contains antique furnishings, clothing and pictures plus special exhibits, including vintage clothing and historic infants’ and children’s parapernalia.

Hollenstein set up his own wagon and carriage business, erecting a factory east of his home. He operated his shop until 1908, and then sold it to his son, John Hollenstein Jr., who continued the business until 1941. Anton Jagow purchased the factory building in 1945. He made and repaired farm wagons, built wooden truck bodies, wooden folding chairs and other items. Algot Streed bought the building in 1953 and ran the tool and die operation there until 1967. Then James Gilboy purchased the facility but never occupied it. Ted and Grace Bachhuber donated funds to enable the Mayville Historical Society to buy the building.

The Hollenstein Carriage Factory consists of the main wagon factory with attached farm shop and house. The two buildings to the north are the Firehouse and the Brunke Cigar factory. Both were moved to the museum grounds in 1978.

The museum displays several wagons, carriages and sleighs made in the factory; in addition to these, we have an old bank interior (Knowles), military displays, a mounted eagle that Harley Davidson photographed for some of their advertising, printing press equipment, a dentist’s office, and a lot of Mayville marked items from yesteryear. We also have many pictures and maps showing the early history of Mayville.