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(Photograph by Paul J. Jakubovich, courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society)
In 1867, Jacob Ritger opened his wagon-making shop in the crossroads village of St. Lawrence to serve the surrounding agricultural region. His commodious one-and-a-half-story shop is constructed of split fieldstones, laid with ample mortar. Boulders tie the thick walls together at the corners, and segmental-arched lintels of yellow brick support most of the window and door openings. The field-stone and yellow brick create a colorful appearance. Attic windows light the upper level. Ritger used the double-door opening on the south side to get materials into the shop and finished wagons out. The opening has been filled, but the heavy wooden lintel remains visible. Later, Ritger formed a partnership with Louis Hermann, a blacksmith whose attached one-story shop is also built of fieldstone. Iron hitching rings on the exterior and interior walls attest to the many horses that this village smithy once shod. In 1915, cabinetmaker Herman Ziegelbauer converted the wagon shop into a residence.