Next Yesteryear Program Looks at Sturgeon Bay’s West Side, Sept. 9

The Door County Historical Society will host its yesteryear program “The West Side of Sturgeon Bay,” presented by Ann Jinkins and Maggie Weir, on Sept. 9 at 2 pm in the Collins Learning Center, adjacent to the Heritage Village at 2041 Michigan Street in Sturgeon Bay.

This discussion will highlight Sturgeon Bay’s west side in photographs. Guests will see a then-and-now comparison of what “some old-timers still refer to as Sawyer.” Sawyer was annexed into the city of Sturgeon Bay in 1894, and has a rich history of businesses, churches, schools and waterfront industry. Images from the past will be displayed along with contemporary views of the same sites. The discussion will also explain the ferries and bridges that connected the West and East sides of Sturgeon Bay.

Working several years at the Door County Historical Museum, both Jinkins and Weir became familiar with photographs of the West Side. Noticing both differences and similarities between the modern sites and the historic photographs led the two women to explore the history of that side. By researching the historic businesses and townspeople, Jinkins and Weir could further illustrate the history represented in the museum’s photographs.

This program does not have an admission fee, but a freewill offering will be taken to support the restoration and accessibility of the Vignes School. Heritage Village is an interpretive site of the Door County Historical Society and is open prior to the presentation. Adult Heritage Village admission is $6. For more information, call 920.421.2332 or visit DoorCountyHistoricalSociety.org.