Brandon Tschacher was living the city life as a busy executive. Although he and his wife, Samantha, both had roots in rural Wisconsin, the couple had spent the previous seven or eight years living in downtown Milwaukee.
On a whim, Samantha asked if he wanted to tour a farmhouse that was for sale in Brookfield. She teased him about not being able to “make it” in the suburbs.
“We pulled up to this place, and the realtor hadn’t shown up,” Tschacher recalls. “The previous owner was home and offered to take us on a tour.” The owner had a strong German heritage and an affixion for history.
After the tour, Tschacher was hooked. That was 10 years ago. They bought the home, settled in, and are raising their two children there.
“I love this place,” he says. The place he’s referring to is Bradee Farm, a 150-year-old farmstead tucked between Burleigh Road and Capitol Drive in Brookfield. Rich in history and character, the property quickly became a passion project for him—one centered on thoughtfully restoring the farm while preserving the legacy that makes it so special. And that legacy runs deep.
After they bought the house, the previous owner handed him 40 pieces of paper history and postcards dating back decades. Someone had commissioned research on the place prior to 1986, and the results were handed over for him to continue. Others started to send them old pictures. He received a book about Brookfield that featured their house in it. Descendants of the Bradee family showed up to meet them as well.
It soon became evident that this sprawling suburban community had a vested interest in slowing down time and preserving its past. The Tschachers were up for the challenge.
Brandon was so intrigued by the research done on his home that he compiled a 54-page book titled “Roots of Brookfield: The Story of Bradee Farms Rich Legacy.” (Available on Amazon.)
In his book, Tschacher traced the beginnings of his property. Here is a brief synopsis.
The first known settlers were Carl and Mina Sommers, who emigrated from Germany in 1850 and built a log cabin on the land. The nearby creek and abundant forest appealed to prospective farmers. They later built a large, two-story white wood frame house with a full fieldstone basement to accommodate their five children. Ten years later they built a barn, silo, smoke house, well and milk cooling building. The barn still stands on the east side of Bradee Road and shows a cornerstone date of 1885.
And the name Bradee? It gets interesting. Of the Sommers’ five children, daughter Mary met and married William Brede (Bradee) Jr. His father had purchased the 14-acre farm on Lily Road, between Burleigh and North Ave., about two miles from the Carl Sommer farm, where he worked as a farmhand, tending to the cows and crops. He worked the farm until Sommer’s death, when he inherited 80 acres that became known as the Bradee Farm.
According to family lore, the spelling of their name was changed to Bradee so as not to sound German during a time of much hate toward Germans during World War I.
William Bradee died in 1943. The frame house burned and was torn down in the late 1950’s. The fieldstone basement walls were retained and a large, modern, fieldstone ranch house was built on the site. Bradee Road was later named after him. Several owners over time have passed the torch of history to new owners.
“For me, buying this house was great,” says Tschacher. “I love the history of the families. We’ve done all our renovations by trying to be respectful. But the outside is the showstopper. Across from us is Arrowhead Lake Park. We are the only property that gets sunset over the lake.”
The Tschachers enjoy sharing the past with others by frequently hosting outdoor dinner parties. “It’s what I describe as giving back,” he explains. “We are so lucky. This property is set up so others can enjoy.”
While there are no longer animals or crops to tend to on this farmstead, the Tschachers continuously harvest the memories of early inhabitants who saw something in Brookfield…a good life and a place to raise a family.
“I’ve always appreciated people taking care of their properties and making it the best place possible,” he says. “It’s been around for 150 years. Take pride in what is yours.”