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Category: History

Door County is rich in history, from its most prominent founding citizens to the business leaders who embraced tourism to make it the destination it is today. It’s a history of orchards, farming, and fishermen, but also of potters, artists, and writers. But more than anything, it’s a history told in the lives of the remarkable people who’ve called it home for a spell or a lifetime. Door County Pulse tells them all.

  • Commemorating the Great Fire of 1871

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    The Belgian Heritage Center will host three days of programming to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Great Fire of 1871. Fires on Oct. 8 devastated the landscape on both sides of the bay of Green Bay, including a large part of the Belgian settlement area in Door, Brown and Kewaunee counties, and forever changed […]

  • THIS OLD STORE: Fontaine’s Store Served Namur for Decades

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    William Struck built his store and cheese factory in 1916 near the big curve on Highway 57 just south of Namur (then known as Fairland). The building, the big curve and Namur are still there, but the store closed more than 50 years ago and Highway 57 now bypasses Namur on the east. To learn […]

  • Program Shares Memories of Childhood in Jacksonport

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    What was it like for children living in Jacksonport during the mid-20th century? What were their days and school days like? These questions are the focus of “Growing Up and Going to School in Jacksonport,” a Jacksonport Historical Society program to be held Sept. 15, 7 pm, at the Jacksonport Town Hall, 3365 Cty V […]

  • Door County Unitarian Universalists Celebrate Milestone Anniversary

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    An ad appeared in a Door County newspaper 25 years ago that asked those who were interested in establishing a church to call. The ad bore a photo of a flaming chalice, the official symbol of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) church.  People such as Door County resident Helene Di Iulio answered the ad, as did […]

  • Plum Island Fog-Signal Roofing Project Complete

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    The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands (FOPPI) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are announcing the completion of the $14,000 Plum Island fog-signal building roofing project, which a grant from the Raibrook Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FOPPI donors made possible. A few years ago, Jim Robinson of Shoreline Charters […]

  • Shipyards Open Their Doors Sept. 11

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    Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, CenterPointe Yacht Services and the U.S. Coast Guard will open their doors for public tours this weekend – tours that were rescheduled from the first Saturday in May because of pandemic concerns. The tours benefit the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay and Rotary Youth Interact. “This is the one time of year when […]

  • Stepping Up to Preserve Door County’s Maritime Heritage

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    story and photos by Tim Sweet Some people are destined to make a positive difference during their lifetime, and Paul Schumacher is one of those special individuals. Schumacher, 70, serves as the volunteer leader for the Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands’ (FOPPI) historic preservation committee. A retired engineer, he devotes seemingly countless hours to […]

  • Late 1800s, Early 1900s Come to Life at Noble House

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    After closing the doors of Fish Creek’s Alexander Noble House (historicnoble.org) in 2020, workers packed away 23 wedding gowns, carefully cleaned the museum and placed interesting pieces to reveal Fish Creek’s past. Now the museum is open again for the season and is displaying artifacts of Fish Creek life from the late 1800s into the […]

  • The Florian II Property: 136 Years of History

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    The site that’s now the Florian II Lakeshore Supper Club in Baileys Harbor was first occupied by a stagecoach inn that Carl Hendricks built in 1885. The rooms on the second floor were heated with small, wood-burning stoves, and there was an adjacent stable for horses.  In about 1900, it was sold to Soren Hansen, […]

  • First Range Light Repairs Completed, More Planned

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    The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands (FOPPI) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have completed Phase I of repairs, rehabilitation and restoration of both of the historical range lights.  This eight-week, $235,000 project was made possible by FOPPI donors, as well as grants from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund […]

  • Program Chronicles Door County’s Cherry Heyday

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    The Egg Harbor Historical Society will present “Where Were You When the Cherries Needed to Be Picked?” on Aug. 10, 7 pm, at the Kress Pavilion, 7845 Church St in Egg Harbor. The heyday of Door County’s cherry industry was the 1940s and ’50s, when 700 growers produced up to 50 million pounds of cherries […]

  • Discover Wisconsin’s Rich Entertainment History

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    Did you know that Wisconsin is not only the home of legendary stars of the stage and screen, but that it also has one of the world’s major research centers for entertainment history?  The Ephraim Historical Foundation will welcome Mary Huelsbeck, assistant director of the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research at UW-Madison, to […]

  • Pulse of Philanthropy: Why I Choose to Love the Granary

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    For a long time, I couldn’t get excited about the Teweles and Brandeis granary in Sturgeon Bay. A few years ago, many people I admire were vehement about the need to save this 120-year-old structure from destruction, yet others I respect were equally certain that it has no place in our future. Frankly, I just […]

  • Maritime Week Kicks Off in Sturgeon Bay

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    It’s time once again to salute the U.S. Coast Guard during Sturgeon Bay’s Maritime Week. Events began Aug. 5 with a golf outing at Idlewild Golf Course and will continue through Aug. 15. Want to see everything the event has to offer? This guide will get you started. Aug. 6: Coast Guard vs. City Allstars […]

  • Horseshoe Bay Farms Tour Offers Glimpses of Past, Future

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    Nestled below the Niagara Escarpment and overlooking Horseshoe Bay just east of Horseshoe Bay Road, farm structures painted in a rare combination of gray and white were already shining examples of historical innovation. Now, even more ambitious plans await the century-plus-old farmstead, which transitioned to a nonprofit in 2018. Horseshoe Bay Farms is the largest […]

  • Taxidermy Demonstration at Historical Museum

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    The Door County Historical Museum will host its second free, live taxidermy demonstration with master taxidermist Mike Orthober on July 31, 10 am – 4 pm; and its third demonstration Aug. 28. Orthober – the creator of the museum’s Seasons of Life diorama and a member of the Taxidermy Hall of Fame – will demonstrate his skills […]

  • Learn How to Preserve Photos, Memorabilia

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    Learn how to preserve family photos and memorabilia during the Ephraim Historical Foundation’s next History Speaks program Aug. 4, 7:30-8:30 pm, at the Ephraim Village Hall, 9996 Hwy 42. Cody Schreck, curator of the Ephraim Historical Foundation, will present this free program. Visit ephraim.org or call 920.854.9688 to learn more.

  • Explore The Clearing during Interpretive Hikes

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    The 86-year history, folklore and landscape of The Clearing Folk School are the subjects of free, interpretive hikes to the historical campus and buildings led by volunteer docents on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 31. The two-hour hiking tours begin at 1 pm at the Jens Jensen Visitor Center, 12171 Garrett Bay Road in Ellison […]

  • Learn the History of Northern Sky Theater

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    The Ephraim Historical Foundation welcomes Holly Feldman, Northern Sky Theater’s director of development and public relations, as its next History Speaks program presenter July 28, 7:30-8:30 pm. She’ll share an insider’s look at Northern Sky: how it began and how it has thrived for the past 50 years.  Northern Sky Theater shares American culture through […]

  • 150 Years of the Door County Fair

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    When the carnival rides hum to life, the sweet smell of funnel cakes wafts through the air, and the county’s youth unload their pigs, cows, and crafts along the midway at the Door County Fairgrounds on July 28, the 150-year legacy of the Door County Fair will live on. Behind the entertainment and thrills rests […]