Friends of the Saxonia House, Inc. (FOSH), welcomes
you to the Saxonia House, one of the largest standing half-timber construction homes in the U.S. The Saxonia House is located
30 miles northwest of Milwaukee, in the Town of Farmington, Washington County, near Fillmore, Wisconsin.
FOSH is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1997
to purchase and restore the Saxonia House site; to operate the site as a heritage-based public meeting place; and to strengthen
community life by preserving, promoting, and sharing out history, culture, and ethnic heritage. Membership at several
levels is open to the public.
Ernst and Liberta
Klessig, from the Saxony region of Germany, built the Saxonia House in 1854 and 1855. The house was used as an inn for settlers
traveling through the area and was also a community center, housing the area's first Turn-Verein (Turners) hall, the Fillmore
post office, a dance hall, a general store, and a tavern. The Klessigs' Farmington Brewery produced German beer, which
was stored in the nearby man-made beer-storage cave. Brewery employees and their families lived in the Saxonia House
at one time.
FOSH owns approximately eight acres
of the original 77-acre Klessig farmstead. FOSH's acreage includes the house, a large barn, other small out-buildings and
the large man-made beer cave.
The Saxonia House
property is on the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places (as of September 2005) and on the National Register of Historic
Places (as of February 2006). The house was also listed on Wisconsin's Ten Most Endangered List by the Wisconsin
Trust for Historic Preservation in 2005. The property is a Washington County Landmark.
We have sold out of Klessig family history books, but a number of Wagner family
history books are still available for sale at $35, plus postage. We are also selling blank, 5 1/2" X 8 1/2"
greeting cards in packets of six, with historic photos of the Saxonia House on the fronts of the cards (two each of three
images). The cost is $5.00, plus postage, for six cards and envelopes. Send us an e-mail at www.saxoniahouse.com to order Wagner books and packets of cards. Be sure to include your mailing address, your phone number, and
the quantities you want. We will include an invoice with your shipment.
The Klessig family has been traced back to the 1400's in Germany. If you are related and want more information, please
feel free to e-mail us. (Include "Saxonia House" on the subject line.)
