The Brookfield Scene

Some readers might recall past posts about the Elmbrook Historical Society and its Dousman Stagecoach Inn.  The 1843 Greek Revival Inn once stood on the corner of Watertown Plank and Bluemound Road.  This stately home is Brookield's only landmark on the National Registry of Historic Places.The home was given to the city in 1980 and it was relocated to a city park..

The non-profit Elmbrook Historical Society raised funds to move the home, build a bridge to the site about a half mile north. After the move in 1981, members of the historical society restored the inn to the 1850s-1870s when the stagecoach inn was operated by the "Browns."

Sunday, August 3 is a special day.  From 1 to 4 pm:

• You can enjoy an old-time Ice Cream Social on the grounds.
• Unless it rains, there will be a display of classic cars.
•  A 40" Sony HDTV will be raffled off.  At 2 pm. the winning raffle ticket will be drawn. The winner does not need to be present to win.

(The television was donated by Becker-Ritter Funeral Home and Flanner's Home Entertainment.) 

• In addition, guided tours of the Inn will be given.
• A private collection of 1860s British Doll Houses is on display.

There's a minimal charge for the ice cream and no charge for the classic car show.  Raffle tickets are $10 each or $20 for three. Admission to the Inn with a guided tours is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children or $10 family. 

The Stagecoach Inn is at 1075 Pilgrim Parkway in Brookfield.  The site is on the west side between Bluemound and Gebhardt Roads.  Onsite parking is available.

Please call the Elmbrook Historical Society about raffle tickets (262 784 4057). 

Take a walk in parklike settings.

On Saturday, July 26, 2008, three garden clubs (Mayfair Park, Elm Grove and Elmbrook) are hosting "Tour Le Jardin."  Your family can enjoy six wonderful gardens in Brookfield, Elm Grove, Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls. Tours are offered from 10 am to 3 pm.

This is a wonderful chance to enjoy beautiful gardens and be inspired by others' creativity. You may take home an idea or two that would work for your home, porch or patio.

Tour Le Jardin's advanced tickets are $8 and can be purchased until July 25th.  Just call one of the following:

Mayfair Park Garden Club - Carole Hopp - (414) 771-7979

Elm Grove Garden Club - Mary Ricklefs - (414) 774-1582

Elmbrook Garden Club - Diane Olsen (414) 578-2513 

Tickets will also be available the day of the event for $10. You will need to present your ticket at each garden, so please remember to bring it with you. There will be something for everyone to see.

All proceeds go to scholarships for students studying horticulture and related fields or other community gardening projects.

Staying close to home this weekend?

If you like chess, there's an opportunity for you at the Dousman Stagecoach Inn on Sunday, July 20.  The Waukesha Chess Club is hosting a Chess Challenge for people of all ages -- and skills.  It's a free event from 1 to 4 pm. - and it will be held indoors.

If you like Model A's, enjoy them at the Dousman Stagecoach Inn on Sunday, July 20.  It's a free event from 1 to 4 pm.

If you enjoy history, take a guided tour of the 19th Century stagecoach inn.  You'll learn how early Brookfield residents lived, ate and slept over a century ago, about stagecoach travel, wood plank roads and overnights at local inns. Plus, there's an outstanding exhibit of 19th Century dollhouses in the ballroom.  Guided tours are given between 1 and 4 pm.  The tour of the inn is $4 adults, $1 children, $3 seniors and $10 families.

You can also see the smokehouse, ice house, shanty and the 1852 Donaldson house. As you enter the grounds, you'll see the prairie which once covered much of undeveloped Brookfield.

The Dousman Stagecoach Inn is at 1075 Pilgrim Parkway, Brookfield, between Bluemound and Gebhardt Roads. For more information, call the Elmbrook Historical Society at 262 782 4057 or visit www.ElmbrookHistoricalSociety.org.

Work began in early June to improve the safety of Bluemound Road.  The first segment of construction is between Moorland Road and Calhoun Road.  The DOT anticipated that each segment would take about a month to complete.  We are at week four, so the newly configured highway should soon be "open." 

Businesses east of Calhoun should breathe a sigh of relief within a week or so. The learning process will then begin.

In the meantime, we have all enjoyed the traffic calming to date and traffic tie-ups. Especially enjoyable are the motorists who block other intersections while waiting.

Also noticed (while sitting through three stop light cycles) is that more drivers are making u-turns at intersections with stop lights.  The "no u-turn" signs are no longer at the intersections, so evidently they are legal now.  

Also, be especially wary of work that has been completed.  For example, Calhoun Road, north of Bluemound, has already made changes to traffic patterns, but one exit from the strip mall does not have a "no left turn" sign - yet.

When the work is completed east of Calhoun, crews will begin working on the Calhoun to Brookfield Road improvements.