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.
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Guided Tours at Horseshoe Bay Farms
Horseshoe Bay Farms will host tours June 18, 1 pm; and June 19, 10 am. During the approximately one-and-a-half-hour tours, a guide will walk visitors around the property and into select historical barns to share the nonprofit’s rich history and vision for the future. The tours at 7212 Horseshoe Bay Road in Egg Harbor are […]
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Raffle, New Exhibits at Maritime Museum
Tickets are on sale for the Door County Maritime Museum’s (DCMM, dcmm.org) annual wooden-boat raffle – this year for a 17-foot Rangeley lake boat, handcrafted by the instructors and students in the museum’s 2020-21 Wooden Boatbuilding Class. This one-of-a-kind wooden boat comes with a trailer donated by American Marine and Motor Sports. Raffle-ticket purchases support the […]
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Tour Horseshoe Bay Farms June 12
Horseshoe Bay Farms will host a guided tour June 12, 1 pm. During the approximately one-hour tour, a guide will lead participants around the property and into select historical barns to share the nonprofit’s rich history and future vision. The tour at 7212 Horseshoe Bay Road in Egg Harbor is limited to 10 participants. Tickets […]
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This Old Store: Lodl’s Grocery at Maple and Lansing
During the late 1920s, Minnie and Herman Tess had a grocery store at 86 W. Maple St. on Sturgeon Bay’s west side, and they lived on the second floor with their daughter, Linda. The business was later owned by Cyril (Cy) and Emily Malcore, who had previously owned a meat market in Brussels that they […]
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Tour Horseshoe Bay Farms June 5
Horseshoe Bay Farms will host a one-hour farm tour June 5, 10 am, during which a guide will walk participants around the property and into select historical barns, sharing the nonprofit’s rich history and vision for the future. The cost is $7 for ages 13 and older, and free for ages 12 and younger. The […]
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EHF Nominates Helen Hoeppner Sohns and Warren Davis as Changemakers
The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) has accepted the Ephraim Historical Foundation’s (EHF) nomination of Helen Hoeppner Sohns and Warren Davis as Changemakers: one of three nomination categories in WHS’s 175 Campaign (wisconsinhistory.org/175#changemakers). To celebrate its 175th year of collecting and sharing history, WHS will post inspiring, true stories of influential people throughout the year. Sohns, an […]
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THIS OLD STORE: Frank’s Superette Lives On through Sausage Daze
Frank and Sarah Hobart bought Sig Anderson’s grocery store on Maple Street near Corpus Christi School (now St. John Bosco) in Sturgeon Bay in 1961, when Barb and Jim, their two older children, were in high school. Frank had previously worked as the head butcher at Trodahl’s Grocery Store at Madison and Maple. Treiva Wiltering […]
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A Dark Night, a Lost Son of Sister Bay
An airman remembers Curtis Mickelson On March 26, 1951, Charlie Wright was in the ready room at the Naval Air Station off Cape Henry in Norfolk, Virginia, waiting to be sent out to relieve a team of two aircraft flown by friends who had been on patrol for almost three hours. All three men were […]
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Door County’s Memorials to Veterans
by Betsy Iversen Although the Memorial Day weekend signifies the unofficial beginning of summer, it is the most solemn of holidays because of what it represents. More than 1.3 million military personnel have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in American wars. Permanent war and veterans’ memorials are visible reminders of the sacrifices […]
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Memorial Day Ceremonies Set for May 30 and 31
Door County will host many ceremonies to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country while serving in the armed forces. “Memorial Day ceremonies have been a long-standing tradition in Door County, and it’s wonderful that it’s been handed down through the generations,” said Beth Wartella, a Navy veteran and Door County’s veterans […]
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Tour Horseshoe Bay Farms May 29
Horseshoe Bay Farms (horseshoebayfarms.org) will host a tour of its grounds May 29, 1 pm. During the one-hour tour, a guide will share the property, select historical barns, the nonprofit’s rich history and its vision for the future. The tour is free for ages 12 and younger, $7 for ages 13 and older, and limited […]
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This Old Store: Frank’s Superette Lives On through Annual Sausage Daze
Frank and Sarah Hobart bought Sig Anderson’s grocery store on Maple Street near Corpus Christi School (now St. John Bosco) in Sturgeon Bay in 1961, when Barb and Jim, their two older children, were in high school. Frank had previously worked as the head butcher at Trodahl’s Grocery Store at Madison and Maple. Treiva Wiltering […]
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The hidden history of the Nelson’s hardware property
Hardware stores have contributed to the American do-it-yourself spirit since the pioneer days. A tour with Gary Nelson inside the Nelson Shopping Center buildings that he’s selling to the Town of Baileys Harbor offered a glimpse into just how much his dad, Gordy, celebrated that DIY enthusiasm. Additions and alterations made for business and family […]
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Maritime Museum to Christen Lighthouse Tower
The Door County Maritime Museum will christen Sturgeon Bay’s newest landmark – the Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower – on May 22, 11 am, in the museum’s parking lot. Please maintain a safe distance from those who are not in your group, and wear a face mask inside the museum. This waterfront attraction will educate and […]
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Door County Historical Museum to Open for Season May 1
The Door County Historical Museum will open for the 2021 season May 1, 10 am – 4:30 pm daily, and curators are working hard to prepare the museum for the summer season. In 2020, the pandemic closed the museum, but it reopened in July by appointment only. Health and safety will still come first: masks and […]
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History Mystery from the Ephraim Historical Foundation
Do you recognize the men in this photo from the mid-20th century? How about the fish? According to DNR fisheries biologist Nick Legler, “The medium-sized lineup of fish on the top are definitely bass. A couple of the fish almost look like largemouth bass, but I’ll guess they’re probably all smallmouth. And, the biggest three […]
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Rice Becomes Historical Museum’s New Archives Manager
The Door County Historical Museum and Archives has hired Steven Rice as its new archives manager. For the past two years, he’s served as the Door County Library’s archives researcher, working with the Door County Archives collection to fulfill research requests from the public and spearhead special projects, including the Door County Speaks oral-history initiative. […]
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In the March 19 Peninsula Pulse story “If These Walls Could Talk: Life above the Baileys Harbor Town Hall” by Patty Williamson, edits were made that incorrectly referred to Leann Despots as the wife of Victor Meyer. We apologize for the error, which was no fault of the writer.
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Coyote Roadhouse: 117 Years of Change
In January 2000, Carol and Warren Groth and Howard and Darlene Bailey – friends and partners in DC Ventures – bought the Coyote Roadhouse at the west end of the Kangaroo Lake causeway. Before they bought the business, they’d all been visitors to Door County. The four of them ran the restaurant until 2009, when Warren […]
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Wisconsin Historical Society Press Director Discusses Publishing
Join the Ephraim Historical Foundation (EHF) on April 14, 10 am, for a virtual History Speaks presentation featuring Kate Thompson, director of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press in Madison. She’ll discuss challenges and opportunities in today’s publishing world, what sets the press apart, ways in which current events affect publishing and how the EHF’s status […]