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Remembering the Great Fire

The Belgian Heritage Center will host a day of remembrance for the Great Fire of 1871 on Oct. 8, the anniversary of the fire. On that day, fires 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. This is a story of courage, suffering and rebuilding after one of the nation’s worst natural disasters. 

Barb Chisholm

At 10:30 am and 2:30 pm, Barb (Englebert) Chisholm will reenact the survival story of her great-grandmother, Emerence (Gaspard) Englebert. At 12:30 pm, Capt. David Siegel of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department will speak about the unusual nature of the Great Fire and why it was deadly for so many.

David Siegel

A lunch of Belgian trippe and Salmon’s hot dogs will be available for purchase during the event at the Belgian Heritage Center, 1255 Cty DK in Brussels. Visit belgianheritagecenter.org to get more details.

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