Door County, Wis. (June 9, 2022) – For the first time ever, cultural institutions in Door County have come together for Door County History Days, a weeklong celebration of history and heritage throughout the Peninsula. From Monday, June 20th to Sunday, June 26th, 14 institutions will be hosting more than 30 special programs across the county. From the Belgian Heritage Center in Southern Door County to Jacobsens Museum on Washington Island, history will be on display for all to enjoy.
Door County History Days will showcase the many organizations throughout the peninsula that actively preserve Door County’s vibrant historical heritage, and also highlight the meaningful impact these organizations have for residents, tourism, and the economy. As a key partner in the event, Destination Door County will host a schedule of events on their site. Information about participating institutions, special programs, and more can be found on social media.
The official start of Door County History Days will be commemorated with a kickoff event at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay on Monday, June 20th. Representatives from participating organizations throughout Door County, members of the media, and other stakeholders will gather for a Meet & Greet, the debut of the Door County Heritage Map, and remarks by Heritage Alliance of Door County Chair Cody Schreck, Destination Door County CEO Julie Gilbert, and Wisconsin Historical Society Director Christian Øverland.
The organizer, the Heritage Alliance of Door County, is a collaborative group made up of museums, historical societies, and educational institutions in Door County. The group exists to facilitate cooperation, collaboration and mutual promotion within the Door County historical community and is open to all historically interested individuals in Door County, Wisconsin, regardless of membership in any other entity or association.
Facebook: @heritageallianceofdoorcounty
Heritage Alliance of Door County 2022 Door County History Days Participants
Belgian Heritage Center
Gibraltar Historical Association
Door County Historical Museum
Horseshoe Bay Farms
Door County Historical Society
Jacobsen Museum
Door County Maritime Museum
Liberty Grove Historical Society
Door County Library
Miller Art Museum
Egg Harbor Historical Society
Sister Bay Historical Society
Ephraim Historical Foundation
Washington Island Art & Nature Center
Door County Historical Museum
Gibraltar Historical Association
Horseshoe Bay Farms
Jacobsens Museum
Liberty Grove Historical Society
Miller Art Museum
Sister Bay Historical Society
Washington Island Art & Nature Center
DAY 1
Monday, June 20:
9 am-10 am Kick Off Event – Door County Maritime Museum. The official start of Door County History Days will feature a kickoff event at the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay on Monday, June 20th. Representatives from participating organizations throughout Door County, members of the media, and other stakeholders will gather for a Meet & Greet, the debut of the Door County Heritage Map, and remarks by Heritage Alliance of Door County Chair Cody Schreck, Destination Door County CEO Julie Gilbert, and Wisconsin Historical Society Director Christian Øverland.
8 am-4 pm Kress History Center Displays, Egg Harbor Historical Society – Kress Pavilion & Library; Monday-Thursday. The Center houses and displays historic photos and text covering history related to the Egg Harbor Township including Carlsville to the south, the Village to the north as well as Sunny Point and Horseshoe Bay in between. Enjoy photo display of historic Door County Bookmobile that the Egg Harbor Historical Society owns and is restoring. Two continuously-looping historic videos will also be playing.
10:30 am – Miller Art Museum, “Still Life: Storytelling & Secret Messages”. Highlighting works from the Miller Art Museum’s permanent collection, as they relate to master works, Curator Helen del Guidice takes us on the journey of still life through time.
Explore how the art of visual storytelling through arranged objects has endured, been explored by art movements throughout history and remains relevant today.
2 pm-3:30 pm Virtual Book Talk and Panel Discussion: We Will Always Be Here with DC Historical Museum. Featured book: We Will Always Be Here. A guide to exploring and understanding the history of LGBTQ+ Activism in Wisconsin, by Jenny Kalvaitis & Kristen Whitson and published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Explore Wisconsin’s history of LGBTQ+ Activism with a rich collection of examples of individuals across a wide spectrum of identities who have helped to empower others to make a positive change in the word. The panel will include author, Kristen Whitson, researcher, and archivist with Recollection Wisconsin; author, Jenny Kalvaitis, historian and educator on gender and women’s history; and Debra Anderson, director of UW-Green Bay’s Archives and Area Research Center.
6:30-8 pm History of Ida Bay Preserve – Crossroads at Big Creek, in Collins Learning Center.
Crossroads at Big Creek joins the Door County Heritage Alliance and the Door County Historical Society in celebrating Door County History Days with a program the Crossroads Ida Bay Preserve which has been a First Nations seasonal encampment, a logging site, a quarry, a farm, an orchard, a migrant camp, a shop, and a resort. This property is a microcosm of the cultural heritage of Door County. Research for the program was made possible with grants from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, the Door County Community
Foundation, and the Maihaugen Foundation. Lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center. Free and open to the public.
7 pm Program on Rural Family Farm Life – Liberty Grove Historical Society. A life on Lakeview, the Charney Family: A Conversation with Family and Friends. A limited edition of the book titled “A Life on Lakeview” written by Cynthia Oliver and Marie Skrobot will be available for a $10 donation courtesy of Marie Skrobot.
Join Ron Charney, Joyce Charney, Marie Skrobot, and Mary Ackerman as they reminisce about the Charney Family, who called the south end of Lakeview Road their home.
DAY 2
Tuesday, June 21:
8 am-4 pm Kress History Center Displays, Egg Harbor Historical Society – Kress Pavilion & Library; Monday–Thursday. The Center houses the digital collections of the Egg Harbor Society along with select artifacts and rotational displays. Physical materials, documents, oral histories, and artifacts are catalogues and archived here. Manuscripts and historical volumes are available for research and viewing in the History Room along with a computer and wall monitor at access archives.
9:30-10:30 am – M3 (Miller Art Museum’s satellite location: 142 S. 3rd Ave) Tuesday Craft Hour: Spirit Sticks. Take an ordinary piece of wood and turn it into an exuberant expression of yourself. Paint and embellishments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.
10 am – Door County Library in Sturgeon Bay, History Talks: “Door County Granary Project”
Join Tim Stone to learn more about the history, preservation, and future of this historic building.
In Door County, the Teweles and Brandeis families aspired to the American dream, building a local grain elevator in 1901 that helped launch the family’s adventures in the new world. The Door County Granary is being preserved to learn about the time and place that helped America and the Midwest move from log cabin settlements that concentrated on feeding people locally to a world food power.
Once a community stronghold, the rehabilitated Door County Granary will be given life as a cultural center for the community.
10 am-3 pm “A House in Mourning” – Alexander Noble House Museum w/ the Gibraltar Historical Association. Victorian mourning etiquette is very interesting. White handkerchiefs etched in black lace, mourning attire, dearly departed cards, and all the customs associated with the proper funeral will be displayed. Many of the customs have vanished, but interestingly, they still influence our culture in small ways today. Stop for a visit at Fish Creek’s oldest wood frame residence.
11 am Horseshoe Bay Program, Egg Harbor Historical Society – History Center at the Kress Pavilion & Library. A program on Horseshoe Bay. Please note, seating is limited to 20 people.
An hour-long video presentation of historic videos of the Horseshoe Bay Farms and related history.
1-3 pm History Kayak Tour: Ephraim’s History from the water
1:30-3 pm Historical Farm Tour – Horseshoe Bay Farms
Learn about this nonprofit’s rich history and vision for the future.
2 pm Alpine History Program. Egg Harbor Historical Society – History Center at the Kress Pavilion & Library a program on Alpine Resort. Please note, the seating is limited to 20 people.
An hour-long video of historic photos of the Alpine Resort, narrated by Bill Bertschinger.
5-6:30 pm – Miller Art Museum. The Artist Signature: an open discussion w/ Curator Helen del Guidice and Artist Craig Blietz. Do you sign your artwork? Where and why? Enjoy entertaining anecdotes about the signatures of notable figures like Pablo Picasso and Michelangelo. Contribute your point of view about how various art media approach the artist signature; from printmaking to painting, from ceramic to sculpture. This is an open forum discussion, free and open to the public. Join Curator Helen del Guidice and artist Craig Blietz as they discuss the complicated history of the artist signature.
DAY 3
Wednesday, June 22:
8 am-4 pm Kress History Center Displays, Egg Harbor Historical Society – Kress Pavilion & Library; Monday-Thursday. The Center houses the digital collections of the Egg Harbor Society along with select artifacts and rotational displays. Physical materials, documents, oral histories, and artifacts are catalogues and archived here. Manuscripts and historical volumes are available for research and viewing in the History Room along with a computer and wall monitor at access archives.
10 am-3 pm “A House in Mourning” – Alexander Noble House Museum w/ the Gibraltar Historical Association. Victorian mourning etiquette is very interesting. White handkerchiefs etched in black lace, mourning attire, dearly departed cards, and all the customs associated with the proper funeral will be displayed. Many of the customs have vanished, but they still influence our culture in small ways today.
Stop for a visit to Fish Creek’s oldest wood frame residence.
10 am-5 pm – Death’s Door Maritime Museum. Guided Tours available.
10:30 am – M3, the Boynton Chapel: Pop-up Exhibit and open discussion
Winifred Boynton created the Boynton Chapel as a way of perpetuating peace in the world. Detailed drawings by Boynton will be on display to show guests a closer glimpse of the artistic process in creating this legendary Door County landmark. This event is free and open to the public.
1-2 pm Ephraim Historical Foundations’ Curator Exhibit Tour: Wrecked. Ephraim’s Maritime Triumphs and Tragedies.
Come learn about the five known shipwrecks off the shores of Ephraim and see how the lake has impacted thousands of years of human history in Eagle Harbor.
2-4 pm ‘An Afternoon with Jens & Jeannie’ – Jacobsen Museum.
Join us as we welcome retired docent Jeannie Hutchins back to Jacobsen Museum on her 89th birthday.
DAY 4
Thursday, June 23:
8 am-4 pm Kress History Center Displays, Egg Harbor Historical Society – Kress Pavilion & Library; Monday-Thursday. The Center houses the digital collections of the Egg Harbor Society along with select artifacts and rotational displays. Physical materials, documents, oral histories, and artifacts are catalogues and archived here. Manuscripts and historical volumes are available for research and viewing in the History Room along with a computer and wall monitor at access archives.
10 am-3 pm “A House in Mourning” – Alexander Noble House Museum w/ the Gibraltar Historical Association. Victorian mourning etiquette is very interesting. White handkerchiefs etched in black lace, mourning attire, dearly departed cards, and all the customs associated with the proper funeral will be displayed. Many customs have vanished, but they still influence our culture in small ways today.
Stop for a visit to Fish Creek’s oldest wood frame residence.
10 am-4 pm ‘The Boats of Jens Jacobsen’ – Jacobsen Museum
Jacobsen Museum founder, Jens Jacobsen, started making boat models while staffing the Potawatomi Lighthouse on Rock Island in his 20s. With information leaflet, available at the museum today, learn what we know about the stories of these sailing vessels.
10 am-5 pm – Cana Island Lighthouse. Guide Tours available.
10:30-11:30 am – Ephraim Village Hall w/ Ephraim Historical Foundation, “History Speaks: Sport – Ship Dog of the Great Lakes.” Free fun bag for families (while supplies last). Books available for sale.
Free and open to the public. Advance registration appreciated so that staff can set up socially distanced seating. Please call 920-854-9688 to register.
Discover the true story of Sport from author Pamela Cameron. Sport, a dog, sailed aboard the lighthouse tender Hyacinth in the early 1900s, visiting lighthouses like Eagle Bluff in Peninsula State Park.
11 pm Alpine History Program, Egg Harbor Historical Society. History Center at the Kress Pavilion & Library. A program on Alpine Resort. Please note, the seating is limited to 20 people.
An hour-long video of historic photos of the Alpine Resort, narrated by Bill Bertschinger.
1-2:30 pm Historical Farm Tour – Horseshoe Bay Farms. Register through HSBF website. https://www.horseshoebayfarms.org/
Learn about this non-profit’s rich history and vision for the future.
2 pm Horseshoe Bay Program, Egg Harbor Historical Society. History Center at the Kress Pavilion & Library a program on Horseshoe Bay. Please note, seating is limited to 20 people.
An hour-long video presentation of historic videos of the Horseshoe Bay Farms and related history.
4-8 pm – Liberty Grove Historical Society, Annual Fish Boil Fundraiser. Your donation toward this event helps to support our preservation efforts.
5-6:30 pm – M3, Mocktails and Miller Stories: Share your favorite Gerhard CF Miller Story. Everyone in Door County has a Gerhard CF Miller story! Join us at M3 to get social and share yours. This event is free and open to the public.
7 pm – Sister Bay Stories: History of Bunda’s Department Store – Corner of the Past Museum in the Koessl Barn. 130 years and counting, an amazing family history surrounds the corner building of North Bay Shore Drive (Hwy 42) and Maple Drive.
This talk will bring to life a founding Sister Bay family, Mary & Wenzel Bunda, and the year will be 1888.
DAY 5
Friday, June 24:
8 am-2 pm Kress History Center Displays, Egg Harbor Historical Society – Kress Pavilion & Library; Monday-Thursday. The Center houses the digital collections of the Egg Harbor Society along with select artifacts and rotational displays. Physical materials, documents, oral histories, and artifacts are catalogues and archived here. Manuscripts and historical volumes are available for research and viewing in the History Room along with a computer and wall monitor at access archives.
10 am-3 pm “A House in Mourning” – Alexander Noble House Museum w/ the Gibraltar Historical Association. Victorian mourning etiquette is very interesting. White handkerchiefs etched in black lace, mourning attire, dearly departed cards, and all the customs associated with the proper funeral will be displayed. Many of the customs have vanished, but interestingly, they still influence our culture in small ways today. Stop for a visit to Fish Creek’s oldest wood frame residence.
10:30 am-12 pm Historical Farm Tour – Horseshoe Bay Farms
Learn about this nonprofit’s rich history and vision for the future. Register through HSBF website. https://www.horseshoebayfarms.org/
11 am-2 pm – Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay.
Book Signing: ‘Sport: Ship Dog of the Great Lakes’
1-2 pm Ephraim Historical Foundations’ Curator Exhibit Tour: Wrecked-Ephraim’s Maritime Triumphs and Tragedies
Come learn about the five known shipwrecks off the shores of Ephraim and see how the lake has impacted thousands of years of human history in Eagle Harbor.
1-5 pm – M3, What’s My Pride Pop-up Photography Exhibit and interactive selfie station
Everyone has something to be proud of, share yours and document it at the selfie station. Take a stroll around the gallery to view the What’s My Pride? exhibit on display, in partnership with Open Door Pride at M3 every Saturday from 10am-2pm in the month of June.
DAY 6
Saturday, June 25:
10 am-3 pm Hanson House Open, Interpreter & Demos – Door County Historical Society.
10 am-3 pm “A House in Mourning” – Alexander Noble House Museum. Gibraltar Historical Association. Victorian mourning etiquette is very interesting. White handkerchiefs etched in black lace, mourning attire, dearly departed cards, and all the customs associated with the proper funeral will be displayed. Many of the customs have vanished, but interestingly, they still influence our culture in small ways today. Stop for a visit at Fish Creek’s oldest wood frame residence.
10 am-3 pm – Door County Historical Museum. Taxidermy Live.
Join Master Taxidermist Mike Orthober, who will be demonstrating taxidermy.
10 am-4 pm – Liberty Grove Historical Society-Museum Season Opener
Docents available and special guest. Gust Klenke Bee Keeping Exhibit & Self-guided Fallow Field Hike in conjunction with the Door County North Fair.
Book Release and signing for “Living in God’s Country”
1-3 pm History Kayak Tour: Ephraim’s History from the water. Experience Ephraim and its history from the water on this 2-hour guided kayak tour of Eagle Harbor. Reservations can be made through Peninsula Kayak Company website.
Learn about shipwrecks, forgotten docks, and much more!
DAY 7
Sunday, June 26:
10 am-3 pm “A House in Mourning” – Alexander Noble House Museum w/ the Gibraltar Historical Association. Victorian mourning etiquette is very interesting. White handkerchiefs etched in black lace, mourning attire, dearly departed cards, and all the customs associated with the proper funeral will be displayed. Many of the customs have vanished, but they still influence our culture in small ways today.
Stop for a visit at Fish Creek’s oldest wood frame residence.
11 am-1 pm – Belgian Heritage Center is featuring a Bread and Booyah Event. Included: booyah, bread, dessert, and a beverage $12 adults, $8 children (4-12).
Premiere of the ‘Belgian Booyah in Wisconsin: A Brief History” video showing from 11am-1pm in the schoolhouse and at 1pm in the Center. Address: 1255 County Road DK, Brussels, Wisconsin 54204