Heritage Village at Big Creek 2041 Michigan Ave. Sturgeon Bay, 54235 doorcountyhistoricalsociety. org/heritage-village 920-746-5895
Door County Library & Archives
107 S. 4th Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 www.co.door.wi.gov/650/ Door-County-Archives
920-746-7137 – Archives 920-743-6578 – Library
Door County Bookmobile
7860 Hwy 42, Egg Harbor, WI 54209 bookmobiledoorcounty.org 920-868-3717
Door County Historical Museum
18 N. 4th Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 doorcountymuseum.org 920-743-5809
Door County Historical Society
P.O. Box 71, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 54235 doorcountyhistoricalsociety.org 920-421-2332
Door County Maritime Museum
120 N. Madison Ave., Sturgeon Bay WI 54235 dcmm.org 920-743-5958
Egg Harbor Historical Society P.O. Box 264, Egg Harbor WI 54209 eggharborwi.org 920-421-0790
Ephraim Historical Foundation
3060 Anderson Lane, Ephraim, WI 54211 ephraim.org 920-854-9688
Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands
P.O. Box 61, Washington Island, WI 54246 plumandpilot.org 262-613-4680
Gibraltar Historical Association History Center
4167 Hwy 42, Fish Creek, WI 54211 historicnoble.org 920-898-2091
Why ‘Surrounded by Water’?
In 2024, the Heritage Alliance of Door County (HADC) and History Days focuses on the element that many residents and visitors see and experience every day – the waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.
From Monday, June 17, through Sunday, June 23, join us as many HADC member organizations focus on water and how it has influenced and impacted the history of Door County and its people.
the Women of Jackson Harbor and ‘the other’ Ridges
by Nina Botting Herbst, Director of Town Museums, Washington Island
The Potawatomi of the Northern Door Peninsula
by Karen Board Moran, Liberty Grove Historical Society Archivist
TWo me this year’s choice of theme for History Days is an obvious one. Water seems to attract and fascinate many people and has lured them to Door County and its islands for hundreds of years. My own love of Washington Island and Door County sprang from visiting Jackson Harbor and the Ridges Nature Preserve to its south.
Now, more than 20 years after that love was born, it is my job to run Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum. Wanting to know more of the history has introduced me to some of the people that also loved this part of the island and worked to preserve its special quality. Those who helped save Jackson Harbor and the Ridges includes two women, Louise Wagner Erickson and Arbutus Greenfeldt.
If you mention The Ridges to most visitors to Door County they might think the reference is to the natural area at Bailey’s Harbor, and both these Ridges trace their origins back to the Ice Age when beach and dune complexes were deposited at high lake levels after glaciers receded. The preservation story of the Washington Island Ridges began in the late 1960s when the idea to purchase a portion of
ho were the original peoples who lived at the northern tip of the Door Peninsula along the Niagara Escarpment? Early settlers and archaeologists have found evidence of prehistoric peoples and later indigenous villages. The villages were often kinship groups who spoke the same language or shared economic relationships with other tribes or nations. Many different groups lived on the Door Peninsula over thousands of years. This year, during Door County History Days, the Liberty Grove Historical Society welcomes the Forest County Potawatomi to help celebrate the influences of these early settlers. The 1875 Wisconsin census recorded two Potawatomi families living in Rowleys Bay. Local lore and the Rogers’ Store ledger indicated they left before 1880. But what does Potawatomi History tell us?
The birchbark Midewiwin Scrolls record the formation of the Algonquian-speaking Council of Three Fires in 796 C.E. after the Anishinaabe reached Michilimackinac on their migration from the Atlantic Coast (Patty Loew. Indian Nations of Wisconsin, 2001). This related group saw the Ojibwe (Chippewa) as the Elder Brother or Keepers of the Faith, the Odawa (Ottawa) as the Keepers
of Trade, and the younger brother Potawatomi as the Keepers of the Fire. The latter were called Boodewaadamii. The missionaries and fur traders who often wintered over with these people heard the pronunciation as Potawatomi.
The Great Lakes Region, rich in natural resources, was populated by many other peoples. They lived, worshiped, hunted, fished, and traded among themselves like the Shawnee, Sac, Meskwaki (Fox), Menominee, Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), Wyandot, and Sioux. As early as the 1600s, many of these nations traded with the French, British, and American Colonists which often led to conflicts between the Indigenous Nations, especially against the Iroquois Confederacy and Sioux. In 1633, Samuel de Champlain sent Jean Nicolet west to establish trade with the French and he identified the Potawatomi Nation.
With the establishment of the United States of America, native life changed forever. American treaties forced the Potawatomi onto the “Trail of Death” west or to seek refuge away from the Door Peninsula to become “Strolling Potawatomi” to make way for American settlers.
Horseshoe Bay Farms
7212 Horseshoe Bay Rd, Egg Harbor, WI 54209 horseshoebayfarms.org 920-868-3968
Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum Jackson Harbor Rd., Washington Island, WI 54246
Jacksonport Historical Society 6144 Hwy 57, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Jacksonporthistoricalsociety.org 920-743-6415
Liberty Grove Historical Society 11831 Hwy 42, Ellison Bay, WI 54210 libertygrovehistorical.org 920-680-1942
Miller Art Museum
107 S. 4th Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 millerartmuseum.org 920.746.0707
Northeastern Wisconsin Antique Power Association 5005 Country View Rd, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 valmythresheree.org
Sevastopol Historical Society 4528 Hwy 57, Sturgeon Bay WI 54235 920-493-4522
Sister Bay Historical Society 10310 Fieldcrest Rd, Sister Bay, WI 54234 sisterbayhistory.org 920-854-7680
Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation P.O. Box 827, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 sturgeonbayhistoricalsociety.org doorcountygranary.org 920-278-2301
this natural lakefront and part of Jackson Harbor from Art and Bernice Hansen was suggested. The idea became reality in 1972 when the Town of Washington acquired this property.
At this time both Wagner Erickson and Greenfeldt were members of the Washington Island Natural Areas Board which spearheaded the purchase. Neither of them were islandborn, though both had first come here as very young children. Wagner Erickson’s vision was summed up as to
protect the ridges natural area and establish a fishing village with a museum to preserve the history of this Island industry. That plan became a reality in 1978 when the Fishing Village Museum opened.
This summer a new display will be put up at Jackson Harbor to remember some of the people, including Wagner Erickson and Greenfeldt, who did so much for this beautiful corner of Washington Island. Come and visit, experience, and find out more!
Washington Island Archives 910 Main Road, Washington Island, WI 54246 washingtonisland-wi.gov/ archives-committee 920-847-3072
Write On, Door County 4210 Juddville Road, Fish Creek, WI 54212 Writeondoorcounty.org 920-868-1457
ON THE COVER Old fishing shacks in Gills Rock. Photo courtesy of the Ingrid Nelson Lawrenz family collection.
Women of Jackson Harbor continues page 3
Women of Jackson Harbor continued from page 2
History Days Schedule of Events
MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2024
Liberty Grove Historical Society
Commercial Fishing Traditions and Sustainable Practices with Charlie Henriksen
11831 Hwy 42 Ellison Bay, WI 54210
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
https://libertygrovehistorical.org/
TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024
Ephraim Historical Foundation
History Kayak Tour of Eagle Harbor
Launch at South Shore Pier, Ephraim
9:30 AM. Experience Door County history from the beautiful waters of Eagle Harbor on a guided kayak tour. With stops near historic shipwrecks, Anderson Dock, Eagle Bluff, and more, the tour will give guests a close-up look at important pieces of Ephraim’s cultural and natural history. The tour will launch from South Shore Pier in Ephraim
and take out in Nicolet Bay, with transportation back to South Shore Pier included.
Corner of the Past Museum at Fieldcrest and Country Lane
10:30 AM. This one-day exhibit will feature some of the most wellknown historic families of Sister Bay — the Andersons (Anderson House), Roesers, Champeaus, Willems, Hendricksens, and Jischkes — and their contributions to the early development of the village. Representatives from each family will be on hand to share stories, memorabilia, and family history. https://sisterbayhistory.org
Ephraim Historical Foundation History Speaks Lecture: Through Their Lens
Ephraim Village Hall
6-7 PM. Join Ephraim Historical Foundation Curator & Collections
Manager Jeff O’Keeffe for an in-depth look at the ongoing digitization efforts of the EHF collection, and how that work inspired this year’s feature exhibit. From preserving glass plate negatives to uncovering the fascinating stories of local photographers, this presentation will take you behind the scenes of the preservation and interpretation of Ephraim’s history. www.ephraim.org
Sister Bay Historical Society
Sister Bay Stories Corner of the Past Museum at Fieldcrest and Country Lane
7:00 PM. Husby’s Food & Spirits — a history of the family and their iconic, still-operating business. Current and past owners will be on hand to provide their personal stories. The emcee for the program will be long-time Sister Bay resident Dick Burress.
https://sisterbayhistory.org
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2024
Door County Library
Imagining History: What’s Fun and What’s Not about Writing
Historical Fiction
10:00 AM. Door County Library, Jane Greene Room, 107 S 4th Ave, Sturgeon Bay
Join Ann Heyse, author of This Light is Ours to learn more about this book set at a fictional lighthouse
in Door County and the process of writing historical fiction. https://www.doorcountylibrary.org/
Door County Historical Society
The Stories Behind the Light: Eagle Bluff’s Maritime Heritage
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, 10249 Shore Rd, Fish Creek, WI 54212
11:30AM - 1:30PM. Discover the rich history of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, a beacon of safety on the waters of Green Bay for over a century. Join us to experience the life of the lighthouse keepers and their families. Learn why this lighthouse was vital in the late 1800s and get an exclusive look at the exciting renovations underway. Kids can enjoy a fun lighthouse coloring station, and author Sue Steckart Jarosh will be there to sign her delightful children’s books about Eagle Bluff Lighthouse. https://doorcountyhistoricalsociety. org
Baileys Harbor Historical Society Hickey Family Commercial Fishing
Baileys Harbor Town Hall, 2392 County Road F, Baileys Harbor 7:00 PM. The men and women of the Hickey family have been fishing Lake Michigan waters since the mid 1800s. Join us as Dennis Hickey shares facts and stories about the life of commercial fishermen and women in Baileys Harbor. The program will begin by honoring Leann Despotes, a founder of Baileys Harbor Historical Society as she steps down from the board. www.baileysharborhistoricalsociety. org
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2024
Door County Maritime Museum
Exhibit Launch: Fishing Families of Door County
Deaths Door Museum, Gills Rock 10:00 AM
https://dcmm.org/deaths-doormaritime-museum/
Door County Library & Sturgeon
Bay Historical Foundation
Preserving and Making History: Updates from the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation
Door County Library, Jane Greene Room, 107 S 4th Ave, Sturgeon Bay 10:00 AM. Dedicated to preserving Sturgeon Bay’s living history, Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation is focused on structures that reflect the value, wonder, and charm of a city surrounded by water. Join us to find out what’s
happening with our current projects, Potawatomi Tower and the Granary and what’s on our radar for the future.
https://www.doorcountylibrary.org/
Ephraim Historical Foundation Curator’s Tour: ‘Through Their Lens’
Anderson Barn Museum, Ephraim 1:00PM - 2:00. PM Come to the Anderson Barn Museum and walk
with Ephraim Historical Foundation Curator & Collections Manager Jeff O’Keeffe through this year’s feature exhibit Through Their Lens: Unseen Photographs from the EHF Archives. Learn the stories behind the historic photographs spanning from the late 1800s to 1970, and have the opportunity to converse with the curator about historic photography! www.ephraim.org
EPHRAIMITIS!
by Cody Schreck, Director, Ephraim Historical Foundation
Ephraim, summer of 1954. Guests swim off the Eagle Inn Dock, sailboats clip past on their way into the harbor, and Chris-Craft’s make their way out for a sunset cruise. The setting is serene, and emblematic of Ephraim’s “golden age” of tourism, but below the water’s surface something sinister lurks. The Village was no stranger to waterborne dangers, as cholera had taken the lives of seven early settlers living on Horseshoe Island in the 1850s. But 100 years later, much had changed. By 1954, Ephraim was a tourist hotspot, home to 11 hotels that could accommodate roughly 700 guests all together on any given day.
“Ephraimitis” eventually faded away with improvements in local water treatment. E. Coli bacteria, which thrives in water contaminated with human and animal waste, was the likely culprit behind the illness. Homes and businesses across the peninsula had been using the lake as a dumping site for years.
E. Coli-related illnesses are far from a thing of the past, however.
History Days Schedule of Events
Liberty Grove Historical Society (LGHS) 22nd Fish Boil
Fundraiser: Lake to Table The Barn, LGHS Campus, Grandview Town Park, 11831 Highway 42, Ellison Bay
As the 1954 summer season began, the excitement of relaxing on the water was overshadowed by a mysterious illness plaguing the village, marked by complaints of gastrointestinal discomfort and nausea. It wasn’t long before the illness gained the moniker “Ephraimitis.” People widely accepted that “Ephraimitis” was caused by contaminated water. Despite this, Eagle Harbor saw no shortage of water recreation.
One local recalls swimming in the harbor around this time, walking on a submerged metal pipe from the shoreline into the deeper water. It was only later on that they realized the pipe was a sewage drain from one of the hotels, pumping directly into the harbor.
DNR studies show that Door County waters are increasingly at-risk from human factors, including run-off from industrialized agriculture. In 2023, Ephraim Beach had five advisories and two closures due to dangerous levels of E.coli. In 2022 those numbers were six and four, respectively. Nonetheless, people continue to flock to Ephraim to swim off the docks and beaches. With the number of ecological concerns facing the waters of Door County, one wonders how long it will be before “Ephraimitis” strikes again.
4:00:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Experience a traditional Door County Fish Boil with whitefish caught in the waters off the shores of Liberty Grove. https://libertygrovehistorical.org
FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2024
Belgian Heritage Center Presentation: Belgian Settlers Success Shaped by Land and Water
1255 County Highway DK, Brussels, WI
1:00 PM. We will look back at the economic development of the Belgian settlements and the important role of local docks and the waters of Green Bay. Visitors will be able to view old-time hand implements used by settlers to improve their livelihood. Belgian baked goods will be available for purchase and there will also be plenty of time to check out the exhibits and visit the restored school/convent. www.belgianheritagecenter.org
iconic Door County Bookmobile was towed from John Enigl’s farmstead. Join us as the beloved Bookmobile awakens with it’s rededication and transfer to its own operating entity “Door County Bookmobile, Inc” https://www.horseshoebayfarms.org
SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2024
Egg Harbor Historical Society & Horseshoe Bay Farms
A Door County Bookmobile Celebration 7212 Horseshoe Bay Road, Egg Harbor 4:00 PM. More than 10 years ago the
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2024
Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum
Book Signing: Sunken Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan by Kathy Groth Jackson Harbor, Washington Island 2:00PM - 3:30PM. Come along to Jackson Harbor (a location of many shipwrecks!) to hear from Kathy Groth about her book Sunken. https://www.washingtonisland-wi. gov/museums
Liberty Grove Historical Society Season Opener 11831 Hwy 42, Ellison Bay, WI 54210 10:00AM - 4:00PM. Join us in celebrating the official opening of the LGHS museum buildings for the 2023 season on Saturday, June 24 from 10:00 – 4:00 pm. Docents will be on site. Onsite Veterans Memorial/Circle of Honor and Heritage Walkway. Access to scenic overlook. Plenty of parking and seating available. https://libertygrovehistorical.org/
June 20, 2024 continued from page 5
History Days Schedule of Events
OVER THE WEEK
JUNE 17-23, 2024
Friends of Rock Island State Park
Pottawatomie Lighthouse Museum Guided Tours
Pottawatomie Lighthouse
Rock Island State Park
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Join Friends of Rock Island State Park docents for their 20th year giving guided tours of the historic Pottawatomie lighthouse tower and keeper’s quarters. https://fori.squarespace.com/
JUNE 17-22, 2024
The Ridges Sanctuary Tours of the Baileys Harbor Range Lights
Tour the Upper Range Light, restored to the period of the Range Light Keepers! Learn about the history of the Range Light buildings, the keepers who inhabited the house, and how the lights work as a critical tool for navigational aid. www.ridgessanctuary.org
JUNE 17-21, 2024
Egg Harbor Historical Society History of Egg HarborSlideshows and videos Kress History Center, Egg Harbor Library
10:00AM - 3:00PM. Continuous Programs feature on June 17
“Getting to know our Town, From Here to There”, June 18 “The Ghost Ship Raised From the Depths of Green Bay”, June 19 “Door County Bookmobile Story, Start to Finish”, and June 20 “Pete LeMere KNows the Village of Egg Harbor.” http://eggharborhistory.org
Bjorklunden Boynton Chapel Tours
One mile south of Baileys Harbor, enter off HWY 57 (7590 Boynton Lane)
10:00AM - 3:00PM. Visit, view, and learn about the Norwegian “stavkirke” chapel that is the icon of the Björklunden campus. Created by Donald and Winifred Boynton to ring peace into the world during WWII, the Boynton Chapel features exquisite architecture, hand carved sculptures, and painted frescoes throughout. https://www.lawrence.edu/ bjorklunden/boynton-chapel
JUNE 18-23, 2024
Gibraltar Historical Society
Exhibit “Reflections of the Past”
Alexander Noble House Museum, Fish Creek
10:00AM - 3:00PM. Embark on a thrilling journey into history as you delve into the life of Asa Thorp, the
visionary who erected the first pier between Washington Island and Fort Howard. This pivotal development in transportation fostered trade and played a vital role in the burgeoning of tourism in Door County. www.historicnoble.org
JUNE 18-21, 2024
Ephraim Historical Foundation History Tram Tours
10:30 AM
One of the most popular ways to experience Ephraim’s history! Guided by incredibly knowledgeable volunteers, History Tram Tours take visitors along picturesque Eagle Harbor to historic sites throughout the village. The open air tram is a great way to enjoy Door County’s beautiful weather and views. Tours accommodate up to 5 people and last approximately an hour. ephraim.org/history-tram-tours
JUNE 20-23, 2024
Door County Historical
Society Docent led tours -
Heritage Village
Heritage Village, 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay 1:00 PM. $5.00
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, 10249 Shore Rd, Fish Creek, WI 54212 11:00AM - 3PM. $5.00 https://doorcountyhistoricalsociety. org/eagle-bluff-lighthouse/
How the Piggly Wiggly Came to Sister Bay
Before 1985, instead of a shopping center on top of the Sister Bay hill, visitors heading to and from the village passed by an old orchard. But a group of developers — Bob Hastings, Tom Nelson, Warren Gustafson, James Cuene and Allen Ross — saw a prime location for a new outdoor shopping center to serve Northern Door, and created what we now know as the Country Walk Shops. When they needed a grocery store as the anchor, the group reached out to grocers Tom and Dan Nesbitt. The Nesbitts owned two Piggly Wiggly stores, including one in Sturgeon Bay, and believed they were the right fit for the project. Though grateful to be approached, the Nesbitts were also unsure about expanding into such a small community.
“It was a scary process because this was a very small community, and tourism business was not what it is today,” Tom Nesbitt said. “It was very quiet up here in the winter months, so we had to take that into consideration when we were deciding on moving forward with the new store.”
The Nesbitts have deep roots in the grocery business. Tom’s father, Leo Nesbitt, owned a Bi-Low Grocery store in Oshkosh as well as meat markets in Plymouth and Sturgeon Bay. In 1956, his father opened the first Piggly Wiggly in Door County on the corner of 6th and Jefferson in Sturgeon Bay. (Jim Nesbitt, Dan’s father, managed the Sturgeon Bay store until his retirement in 1976.)
The Nesbitts seemed the perfect fit for the location. It was a risky move with such a small year-round population, but Tom and Dan Nesbitt jumped into the project and never looked back. The Sister Bay Piggly Wiggly opened in April 1983.
The local community welcomed the new store with open arms, even if things started a bit slow, as Tom Nebitt recalled on opening day. “We had our Grand Opening, which are usually fairly big events, but there wasn’t much business. It was a little scary at first, but seven years later, we needed to add on additions.”
The first addition to the Piggly Wiggly happened in 1990. The original building was 8,900 square feet, and the first new addition added 3,500 square feet while creating the bakery-deli section. Another two additions also happened in the 1990s. A lobby with cart storage was added in 1994, and a truck dock was added in 1996. The store remained relatively unchanged until the big remodel in 2018.
With summer tourism causing congestion, the remodel turned the 13,600 square foot store into nearly 27,000
The Nesbitts didn’t want to cut the community off from their main grocery store for long months of renovation, so the Piggly Wiggly remained open. In May 2023, a new parking lot was installed, completing just before Memorial Day weekend. It included beautiful new landscaping and changed the flow of parking and traffic to make it safer for shoppers walking in and out of the store.
square feet of expanded office, storage, and food and liquor department space. Finally, the aisles were widened to make shopping easier.
*Find more information about these historic sites on the following pages.
910 Main Road, Washington Island
1675 Jackson Harbor Road, Washington Island (33) Washington Island Historical Archives
8061 Highway 57 Baileys Harbor (31) Tornado Memorial Park 8518 County DK, Brussels (32) Washington Island Farm Museum
Harbor Maritime Museum (20) Jacobsens Museum 2150 Little Lake Road, Washington Island (21) Liberty Grove Historical Society Museum 11831 Highway 42, Ellison Bay (22) Norb Blei’s Coop at Write On, Door County 4210 Juddville Road, Fish Creek (23) Old Baileys Harbor ‘Bird Cage’ Lighthouse Baileys Harbor (24) Pioneer Schoolhouse Museum 9998 Moravia Street, Ephraim (25) Plum Island Lighthouse Plum Island (26) Pottawatomie Lighthouse Rock Island (27) The Iverson House 9966 Moravia St, Ephraim (28) The Ridges Sanctuary 8166 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor (29) Thordarson Boathouse Rock Island (30) Toft House
GREEN BAY
HERITAGEDOORCOUNTY MAP
Historic site information
(1) Alexander Noble House Museum
4167 Main Street, Fish Creek
This Greek Revival farmhouse was built in 1875 and lived in by three generations of the Noble family. You can enjoy a tour of the 10-room home, with new exhibits each year. This museum is a must-see listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Noble House is the starting point for the audio walking tour and seasonal docentled tours, consisting of 23 historic sites.
(2) Anderson Store Museum
3081 Anderson Lane, Ephraim Opened in 1858, The Anderson Store was owned and operated by the same family for 100 years. In 1958, the property was taken over by the Ephraim Historical Foundation. Visitors can step back in time and see how the store would have looked while still in operation.
(3) Asa Thorp’s Cabin
4189 Main Street, Fish Creek
Asa Thorp, the founder of Fish Creek, established an early pier, warehouse, and sawmill to supply residents and ship captains with supplies and cordwood.
Later Asa and Eliza ran the Thorp Hotel, the second oldest in the state. This log cabin, built in 1849, is his original home.
(4) Baileys Harbor History Along The Way
Go back and forth in time by viewing five groupings of historic images along the sidewalks of Baileys Harbor. Visit historyalongtheway.com for the most up-to-date map.
(5) Belgian Heritage Center 1255 County Road DK, Brussels
The Belgian Heritage Center tells the story of the Belgian settlement in Wisconsin and works to preserve unique elements of Belgian culture, architecture and the Walloon language. Also on the campus is a 1894 schoolhouse and convent, a typical Belgian roadside chapel, and historic St. Mary of the Snows Cemetery.
(6) Björklunden
Baileys Harbor
Björklunden is the northern campus of Lawrence University. The 425-acre estate is on Lake Michigan in Door County, Wisconsin, just south of Baileys Harbor.
(7) Cana Island Lighthouse
8800 East Cana Island Road Baileys Harbor
Ride a hay wagon over the causeway to explore the island, including the 89-foot-tall tower, the original home of the lighthouse keeper and his family, and the oil house where fuel for the light was stored. Climb the 97 steps of the tower’s spiral staircase for a stunning view from the gallery deck.
(8) Corner of the Past Museum 10310 Fieldcrest Road, Sister Bay Operated by the Sister Bay Historical Society, Corner of the Past includes the Old Anderson House Museum plus 15 other historical buildings. Machine shed photo gallery features unique images dating back to pioneer settlers.
(9) Death’s Door Maritime Museum
12724 West Wisconsin Bay Road
The Death’s Door Maritime Museum traces the area’s commercial fishing tradition and features a fishing boat, shipwreck and scuba diving exhibits and information on Death’s Door passage.
(10) Door County Granary
92 E. Maple Street Sturgeon Bay
Originally built in 1901, the Teweles and Brandeis Grain Elevator is the last vestige of a busy, agriculturally-oriented, commercial wharf on the west-waterfront of Sturgeon Bay. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, it is being rehabilitated and repurposed as the Door County Granary. The Granary pays homage to Door County’s agricultural heritage and will serve as a living museum, community pavilion, and historic landmark. Expected to open to the public in 2025.
(11) Door County Library
107 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay
(12) Door County Maritime Museum
120 North Madison Avenue, Sturgeon Bay
Located on Sturgeon Bay’s west-waterfront, the Door County Maritime Museum showcases the area’s rich maritime roots through guided tours, exhibits, artifacts, presentations and is now home to the new Maritime Lighthouse Tower.
(13) Door County Historical Museum & Archives
18 North 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay
The Door County Historical Museum has educated locals and visitors alike about the history of the Door Peninsula since 1939. The Museum features a wide variety of artifacts and exhibits, including vintage fire trucks, a historic jail cell and hearse, and the spectacular Seasons of Life wildlife diorama. Open year ‘round and free to the public, the Museum & Archives are cornerstones of the Door County Community.
(14) Eagle Bluff Lighthouse 10249 Shore Rd, Fish Creek
Brick lighthouse perched atop a 76-foot-high bluff was built in 1868 and guided schooners and steamboats through the Strawberry Channel. It is now a museum with some of the keeper’s original furnishings and artifacts.
(15) Ephraim Fire House Museum
9970 Water Street, Ephraim, WI 54211
Keeping watch over the waters of Eagle Harbor, the Ephraim Fire House Museum features historic fire trucks, fire fighting equipment and memorabilia.
(16) Ephraim Historical Foundation & Anderson Barn Museum
3060 Anderson Lane, Ephraim
Founded in 1949, the Ephraim Historical Foundation is dedicated to preserving, sustaining and sharing the history, culture and beauty of Ephraim. The Historical Foundation operates a wide variety of historic attractions in Ephraim across six historic buildings. The Anderson Barn Museum is home to an annual feature exhibition and the starting point for all Ephraim Historical Society led walking and tram tours.
(17) Heritage Village at Big Creek
2041 Michigan St, Sturgeon Bay
Eight historic Door County buildings provide a glimpse into the lives of the peninsula’s settlers and an understanding of community. Walking paths, gardens, and the trails of Crossroads at Big Creek adjoin the village.
(18) Horseshoe Bay Farms
7212 Horseshoe Bay Rd., Egg Harbor
In the 1910s the farm was the largest employer in Door County and one of the most innovative dairy operations in the state. It’s now owned by a nonprofit working to rehabilitate the barns and grounds. Horseshoe Bay Farms is also now home to the newly restored and transformed Door County Bookmobile.
(19) Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum
Established in 1978, this collection of buildings located on the site of an original Washington Island fishing community tell the story of islanders and their relationship with the water surrounding them.
(20) Jacobsens Museum
2150 Little Lake Road, Washington Island
Constructed in 1931 by Jens Jacobsen, this vertical cedar log museum contains hand carved ship models, Danish crafts, and other exhibits that tell the history of Washington Island.
(21) Liberty Grove Historical Society Museum 11831 Highway 42, Ellison Bay
Enjoy the iconic view from the top of the hill as you browse the museum grounds of the former Johnson-Hanson Century Farm overlooking beautiful Ellison Bay. Walking paths lead visitors from the Circle of Honor to the Log House all while taking in a collection of carefully maintained historic structures and features of Liberty Grove.
(22) Norb Blei’s Coop at Write On, Door County
4210 Juddville Road, Fish Creek
The most esteemed chronicler of Door County’s artists and characters did most of his writing in a converted chicken coop on his property in Ellison Bay. It now rests on the grounds of Write On, Door County, where you can arrange a visit by emailing info@writeondoorcounty.org.
(23) Old Baileys Harbor ‘Bird Cage’ Lighthouse Baileys Harbor
(24) Pioneer Schoolhouse Museum 9998 Moravia Street, Ephraim
(25) Plum Island Lighthouse Plum Island
Built in 1858. Boat tours from Gills Rock go past the lighthouse for viewing and photography.
(26) Pottawatomie Lighthouse Rock Island
The oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin, built in 1836. The tower and keeper’s house are made from rock quarried on the island. It was named for the Native Americans who inhabited the area and whose name means ‘keepers of the fire.’
(27) The Iverson House
9966 Moravia St, Ephraim
The oldest frame home in Door County, built in 1853. Reverend Andrew Iverson and members of his Moravian congregation who founded Ephraim constructed this home and held early church gatherings in a north bedroom before the church was completed.
(28) The Ridges Sanctuary
8166 Hwy 57, Baileys Harbor
Hike the trails and boardwalk through the ridges and swales of Wisconsin’s first land trust for a glimpse at thousands of years of the history of the Lake Michigan shoreline.
(29) Thordarson Boathouse
Rock Island
One of Door County’s most stunning buildings, the gem of Chicago inventor Chester Thordarson’s island escape was completed in 1929 and is considered one of the most historically significant buildings in Wisconsin.
(30) Toft House
8061 Highway 57 Baileys Harbor
The shared home of the Baileys Harbor Historical Society and the Baileys Harbor Community Association, the historic Toft House features historical displays detailing Baileys Harbor’s past, as well as the town information center.
(31) Tornado Memorial Park
8518 County DK, Brussels
The park marks the site of Williamsville, a tiny village wiped off the map by a forest fire on Oct. 8, 1871, the same day the Peshtigo Fire killed thousands of people across Green Bay. It is now part of the Door County Parks System.
(32) Washington Island Farm Museum
1675 Jackson Harbor Road, Washington Island
(33) Washington Island Historical Archives
910 Main Road, Washington Island
Home of official Town of Washington and school records and articles dating back to 1862, as well as photos, maps, audio tapes and videos, family files and more records. Open Tuesdays and Fridays from 1-4 pm.
The Heritage Village at Big Creek is a memorial to the people who lived in rural Door County from 1880 to 1910. Greene Store was owned and operated by well-known store owners in Sturgeon Bay.
Writer Norbert
The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
by Steven Rice, Door County Museum and Archives
The Sturgeon Bay and Lake Michigan Ship Canal was not a pretty sight when it opened in 1881. A muddy channel barely one hundred feet wide and six feet deep, it cut across the isthmus at the foot of Sturgeon Bay like an open wound, surrounded by barren sand hills and gnarled stumps. Decades of exploitation had left the landscape ragged and aching. Logged and burned, traded and raided for every possible resource, the canal was a metaphor for the wild rush of Western expansion in the Gilded Age. The human infrastructure of the canal fit the setting perfectly. From ramshackle sheds at either end of the passage, agents of the Sturgeon Bay & Lake Michigan
Ship Canal Company ushered a growing flood of commercial shipping across the Peninsula, for a price. Tolls were variable, and strategic: friends of the company often received preferential treatment. The canal, possibly the single most significant project ever undertaken in Door County, was little more than a vehicle for graft. The dream was tarnished.
Door County citizens would not have been surprised by this at the time. The canal had been controversial for years. Timber tycoons, local politicians and soldiers of fortune had dreamed up the scheme in the waning days of the Civil War, ushered it through Congress and the Wisconsin
statehouse, and profited handsomely from its many delays and false starts. Scandal was commonplace, as in 1876, when a backwoods lawyer named G.J. Tisdale stole $12,000 of Canal Company money and disappeared overnight, never to be seen again in northeastern Wisconsin.
By the time the canal opened in 1881, the swashbuckling frontier mindset was already changing. Business leaders in the region were outraged by the crippling tolls and rampant corruption in the Canal Company, and they had the clout to push back. Throughout the 1880’s, increasingly venomous rhetoric flew between the Company’s allies and opponents: in person, on the pages of local newspapers, and in the halls of Congress.
The proponents of free navigation won out, though lawsuits would continue for years afterward. Sold to the federal government in 1891, the canal was brought up to navigational standards through the diligent efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers. A whitewashed lifesaving station grew up where shacks had once been, and two modern lighthouses rose over the channel and breakwater. Widened, deepened, and redeemed, the Ship Canal became what it is today: a piece of maritime infrastructure and source of community pride.
Today the canal is one of the quietest places on the Peninsula. It is a good place to fish, or walk a dog, or just ramble across the tumbledown landscape of the southern shore. Lost in the eerie stillness are the echoes of another time, when this stretch of water was the stuff of dreams and fortunes, and half of our county was forever surrounded by water.
From Boom Towns to Ghost Ports: A Brief History of Southern Door’s Abandoned Ports
by Brennan Christianson, Collections Coordinator, Door County Maritime Museum
When a new resource is discovered, small hamlets can become sprawling urban centers. While boomtowns in other parts of the country could be based around a gold rush, in the clay banks of Southern Door County boomtowns formed around trees.
Large amounts of very large trees were found all around the Clay Banks area. One witness recounted that the trees in the area could be as tall as 100 feet. Some of the trees were so thick they had to be cut twice, just so the pieces were manageable. To make money on these trees, a way to ship them would need to be found. Door
County has many natural harbors, but Clay Banks is not one of them.
The coastline has a line of shallow stony shoals that made loading and offloading very difficult. To avoid this, piers would need to be constructed.
The docks would be of various lengths, with some extending as far as 1,500 feet.
The Ports may be long abandoned, but what we can learn from them is still abundant. In June of 2023, the Wisconsin Historical Society received a grant worth $29,434 from the State of Wisconsin to investigate “19th century lumber and commercial piers of Door County and their associated Ghost Ports.” Only time will tell what new knowledge is learned, but our understanding of early Door County will surely grow.
Building such piers took large investments and consistent maintenance. On top of this, the docks were subjected to damage caused by acts of nature with hundreds of feet of dock being wiped out in a matter of hours. To justify such expenditure, each dock sold massive quantities of wood product. Foscoro, for instance, exported 1.5 million board feet of lumber in 1875 alone. This was not, however, a sustainable level of production. By the Late 1880s the forests were virtually all gone. With the lumber craze ending, the profits that kept the piers maintained disappeared. Overtime, the quarter mile long piers fell victim to Lake Michigan, and the structures sank beneath the waves.
Fishing in Northern Door
By Ingrid Nelson Lawrenz
Our family and many of our neighbors have been doing commercial fishing in the Bay and the Lake from the time they arrived in Northern Door. My father, Harlow Nelson, fished with his uncle Stanley Voight and the Johnson brothers out of Sand Bay around Spider Island. He had awful sea sickness on every boat ride. My great great grandfather on my mother’s side, Ingebret Johnson, came from Norway to the county in 1853 and lived and fished on Rock Island for many years before he moved to Liberty Grove. My great great great grandfather Torkel Knutson and all his sons and many of his grandsons fished in the bay around the Sister Islands.
They fished for herring, perch, sturgeon, lawyers, chubs, and whitefish. They missed the cod from the waters around Norway, but liked the abundance of these freshwater fish, and they were great to eat. In Norway and Sweden, cod fishing had been done by gill nets, so when they came over here, they knew how to do the same and were able to feed their families and earn some income. You couldn’t leave the fish hanging in the gill in nets too long or they would die and go bad. This kind of fishing required checking the nets daily. The Swedes and Norwegians were fishing like they had been when they were growing up. Arriving here and being able to fish the same way with plentiful catches was a real blessing. The other type of nets they used were pond nets. They are like fences that form a heart and head the fish into the middle pot where they stay trapped.
used an icehouse to store the fish until they could peddle the fish to the local stores and restaurants. The icehouse was a small building set up on beach stones back in the cedars. It was filled with huge chunks of ice that had been cut from the bay the previous winter and then hauled up on the beach by horses. The ice was stacked in the icehouse with saw dust to keep it from melting. It worked pretty darn good until electric refrigeration came into being. There also was a smoke house near the dock for smoking the chubs.
I remember standing on Melvin Knutson’s crib dock and looking out in the bay at the long line of poles set east and west. The net would be suspended straight up and down in the water with lead weights along the bottom and wooden floats along the top headline. As fish swam into the net, their heads would go through but not their bodies. Melvin Knutson would go out in the pond boat to lift the net and hope that it would be a big haul. He brought the fish in, so they could scale, gut and fillet the perch. Gretna Johns and Elaine Johnson were the first to process perch and make them an item on the menu. In the old days they
one extended from the shore on the north side of the shanty out into the bay and then made a right angle to the south towards Sister Bay. This protected the pond boat and the fish shanty from high seas and ice shoves. The old docks were wooden cribs that got filled with stone. For hook and line fishing these docks were wonderful because many fish liked to hang out by the old wooden crib.
I’ll describe how the fish shanty looked to me in the 1950’s. Melvin’s fish shanty was built out on part of one short dock. It had a wood burning stove, a high bench or cutting table along the whole west wall and a small, square trap door in the floor. When the trap door was opened it exposed the clear water and smooth white beach stones below. It was used when cleaning up after the fish were dressed.
Buckets of water were thrown over the table and floor and swept down that hatch. There was a calendar on the wall, a row of nails from which hung oilers and aprons, and a light bulb in the ceiling.
Sometimes empty fish boxes and boxes of clean nets were stacked in the corner. There was also a strange machine that looked like a small elevator. You could hang perch by their tails from hooks, and as they moved along the conveyor they got scaled. It was a wonderful place for a kid to play!
Outside the fish house was a small harbor created by another much bigger dock. This
When they fished in deep water, the fishermen started out before dawn to lift the nets they set the day before. They would go maybe three hours out from shore and it would be mid-afternoon before they returned. It was hard work and sometimes you made a living from it and sometimes you just scraped by. And sometimes the water claimed a life. The story goes that Torkel Knutson drowned in the waters of Green Bay in June of 1896 when he was 77 years old.
Another sad drowning death was that of Robbie Kodanko, brother of Jake Kodanko and a good friend, especially to my aunts, Gretna and Elaine, Robbie was a Norwegian bachelor who was both a farmer and a fisherman. He had a big laugh and it rang out loud, along with Al Johnson’s, at the counter in Al’s restaurant. This was a common place for locals to gather for a coffee break and a time to shoot the breeze. Elaine could keep up with the storytelling and jokes without even trying.
blowing his horns to the giggles and cheers of the onlookers.
Robbie had an old black Ford with “Northern Light Fish Co.,” the name of his business, painted on the side for advertising. His truck had an old-timey earpiercing horn – “KA-CHOOOOOHAAA.” He would drive in parades, smiling, waving and
Robby was a goodhearted free spirit. He wasn’t very tall but he was built strong and had big hands. He had a deep laugh and a wide grin. One afternoon in January 1963 he had driven out to make a lift, out near the shoals by Sister Islands. He had two helpers with him and the back half of the truck was filled with nets and heavy with fish equipment. There was black ice on the surface and people said he should have known better… the front of the truck broke through the thin ice. Then his brother Eddie, in the back, jumped safely clear. The passenger in the cab was Evert Sitte – that door was always left open in case of trouble. His door was open and Evert hit the water but was able to swim and slide himself back onto the hard
ice with Eddie’s help. However (not unusual among fishermen), Robbie couldn’t swim and as he struggled, he tangled himself in the nets with his big heavy rubber boots, boots that were now catching the nets with their buckles.
The truck and Robbie and the whole load went down into the dark water. The survivors quickly caught hold of the net and with great effort pulled him out of the water and up on the ice. It was just horrid, as he had already drowned. What makes the story even sadder today is that if guys back then were trained and knew about CPR, they could have possibly saved him. The undertaker said he had only been in the water about two minutes. The town lost an iconic personality and the whole of northern Door mourned his loss.
Originally published in Sister Bay Centennial/1912-2012, available from Sister Bay Historical Society (sisterbayhistoricalsociety@gmail.com; sisterbayhistory.org; 920.854.7680).
Fishermen take a break.
Robbie Kodanko.
Fisherman cleaning chubs.
Gretna Johns and Elaine Johnson.
History on the Shore
Heritage map and publication Produced with support from:
Destination Door County is proud to help sponsor Door County History Days. We support and appreciate all local organizations and individuals that work tirelessly to preserve the history of our area’s most cherished traditions, industries, buildings, artifacts, foods, and especially our residents. Sharing the stories of those that have inspired change, shaped local culture and protected this place we call home is how we can honor the past and work towards a bright and more sustainable future.
Door County History Days and the Heritage Alliance of Door County gratefully acknowledge and thank our sponsors for their support!
Destination Door County
Peninsula Pulse
Washington Island Ferry Line
Door County Medical Center
Door County Piggly Wiggly
Jackson Harbor Soup
The Peninsula Pulse thanks the historical organizations of Door County for all they do to preserve and share the history of our peninsula. Their work is an invaluable resource for our writers as we tell the stories of the peninsula from yesterday and today in the pages of the Peninsula Pulse and Door County Living.
