Granary Project to Receive $100,000 Grant from 1923 Fund

The Door County Granary was moved 80 feet forward to its final resting place in April of this year. Photo by Rachel Lukas.

The Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation will receive a $100,000 donation from the 1923 Fund, to be used in its rehabilitation of the national and state historic-registered grain elevator, known as the Door County Granary. 

“The incredible generosity and support of the 1923 Fund puts us one step closer to our goal of creating a public cultural center and agricultural museum on Sturgeon Bay’s West Waterfront,” said Beth Renstrom, executive director for the Door County Granary project. “While wooden grain elevators were once ubiquitous and played a huge role in establishing the United States as a food superpower, very few remain standing. As far as we know, ours will be the only interpreted granary on the Great Lakes and quite possibly the country.”

The grant will be awarded May 13, 2 pm, at the Door County Granary near the new West Waterfront Promenade. David Ward, 1923 Fund trustee and mayor of Sturgeon Bay, will present the donation. 

“The 1923 Fund is proud to be a partner in celebrating Sturgeon Bay and Door County’s unique history,” Ward said. “We are looking forward to the Granary taking its place on the West Waterfront next to the Door County Maritime Museum and the promenade, combining to create a unique public space in Door County and the state of Wisconsin.”

The 1923 Fund was founded in 1996 and has provided funding to support the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum and the Weidner Center at UW-Green Bay, the Door County Maritime Museum, Crossroads at Big Creek in Sturgeon Bay, the Harn Museum in Florida and many other efforts.