Clio Logo
The Williamson Wheelwright shop was originally located along the busy Brunswick-Princeton Turnpike, now Route 27, in Franklin Township. The building received its name from the Williamson family, who owned the shop for much of the late 18th and 19th century. The shop stands as a reminder of a time in which most Americans relied heavily on horse-drawn equipment. The rising tide of mechanization drove wheelwrights out of business. This shop is a reminder of the challenges and peculiar norms faced by the Americans of yesteryear, and it serves as a showcase for one of the largest early American trades.

Williamson Wheelwright Shop

Williamson Wheelwright Shop

Williamson Wheelwright Shop

Williamson Wheelwright Shop

Wheelwrights were crucial to the communities they served. Wheelwrights produced wheels for carts, wagons, and coaches and belt drives of steam powered machines. With their skills, including Blacksmithing, they could produce horseshoes, tools and other implements as well as repair wagons, farm equipment and mend yokes.  

Like most wheelwright and Blacksmith shops, the Williamson Wheelwright is a simple building. It was built with sturdy material to help support the weight of large tools and carriages. The spacious open room allows equipment and horses to be moved around with ease. The ten-foot wide doors located on both sides of the building are wide enough to fit wagons and carriages.  

William Williamson built the Williamson Wheelwright shop in the mid to late 18th century. We know of William Williamson’s local residency because he was listed as an elder in the Dutch Church of New Brunswick in 1750. Mr. Williamson and his wife bore six children, and his son George inherited 100 acres of property upon William’s death in 1799. In the early 19th century, William’s daughter Jane Williamson Pumyea owned the shop. When Jane’s husband died in 1853, her son, also named William, purchased the property. In 1876, the shop was sold to Matthew and Sarah Suydam. Frank Metz operated the shop for the bulk of the Suydam ownership. He worked there from 1903 until his retirement in 1951. John and Jane Halase acquired the Williamson Wheelwright shop in 1958, and they donated the building to the East Jersey Old Town Village.