Liberty Grove Historical Society

06/01/2026

Please enjoy this June edition of the LGHS eNewsletter. Lots of information about the 2026 Season Opening!

05/26/2026

DIG INTO THE PAST

The PAST is always PRESENT-- especially when preserved and shared at your local historical society. Each of us is influenced by many things that in turn make us unique. But it takes “a village” dig up the treasures of the past!

UNDER WATER This month the Wisconsin Historical Society was successful in gaining State Historic Place recognition of the Tostenson Pier Archaeological District in the waters of Hedgehog Harbor due to research of the WHS Archaeology Staff. LGHS is looking for descendants of the Tostenson, Weborg and Voight families. Learn more at the 21 June 2027 LGHS Program.

UNDERGROUND We don’t need to be professional archaeologists to discover treasures when we till a garden or explore our back lots. Some people have fun with their metal detectors and others stumble on unusual stone arrangements.

OLD STRUCTURES The iconic Klenke Gas Station in Ellison Bay produced unique details to the business and family life as did the Weborg fishing dock buildings, garages, pickers shacks, schools, etc. What buildings are on your property that might bring stories to light?

PHOTO ALBUMS (and today in the Cloud) Downsizing the heirlooms passed down through the generations is always a challenge. LGHS has many family albums, letters and ephemera that help capture daily life in Liberty Grove.

STORIES & LORE Summer family reunions often generate booklets, newspaper articles and new clues about Liberty Grove. Record or write them down. Then preserve them in the LGHS Archives.

This summer LGHS encourages you to DIG IN!
SHARE your discoveries and PRESERVE your treasures to help LGHS tell the history of Liberty Grove.

05/19/2026

REMEMBERANCE: The Past is always Present

How do we honor those who have sacrificed their lives and their family’s lives in pursuit of freedom for our nation?

We REMEMBER the past.

We KEEP stories of service and valor alive.

We TEACH the next generation to honor those who came before them to preserve the American way of life.

This Monday PAUSE for a minute at 3 pm wherever you are and stop whatever you are doing during the National Moment of Remembrance.

VISIT the LGHS Veterans Memorial Circle of Honor and Heritage Walkway to REFLECT on the many citizens who have enabled us to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation.

INVEST in a brick to document your family heritage and legacy.

We are each the LEGACY of those who served and died over 10 generations. A family generation is considered 20-30 years long while a societal generation lasts 15-20 years.

05/12/2026

THE BEAT GOES ON VIA ARTIFACTS

Virginia Kramer Hanson loved music and history. After her passing on 15 May 2022, Virginia’s passions continue to live in the LGHS Farmhouse master bedroom.

Virginia moved into the Johnson-Hanson Farmhouse as a nineteen-year-old bride in the fall of 1943. She and husband Russ updated the aging homestead to fit the needs of their growing family. Think back to the many technological advances in our daily lives after World War II like indoor plumbing.

A visit this summer might stimulate memories of the music in your heart whether marching, singing in church, taking piano lessons, going to a wedding or dancing to an accordion or violin.

Do artifacts come alive in your memory and in your heart?
The Beat Goes On throughout the campus on Ellison Bay hill from the Farmhouse to the music of the bees in the Klenke Cottage to the player piano, concertina and violins in the Log House.

05/09/2026

The past is always present even for those of you who work out. This morning we deep curtsied 10 times on the right and 10 times on the left.

As an historian I celebrated that I did not have to wear a corset and many layers of petticoats. Sure happy my ancestors settled in the rural Midwest!

And then the instructor had us tossing imaginary hay bales to the left and right. It had me thinking that I could eat a big farm dinner. Oops, I guess that’s why we need to work out more in today’s world.

05/05/2026

HORSEPOWER

Horsepower was available if you could afford to buy or rent it. Horses were available in all seasons whether wooing, working, delivering mail or the doctor, and taking the family to church or the market. Families saw their horses as friends and even playmates.

Your horse was an investment, as a car is today. Google AI reports that a usable mount in the West could be found for as low as $10 while a dependable work horse cost between $120 (1861) and $185 (1865). New immigrants in Liberty Grove usually relied on human power or pooled resources with their neighbors.

Did you or your ancestors have a family horse?

05/03/2026

Daffodil season in Door County!

Spring showing up in all the right places 🌼

Daffodils in bloom at this historic Century Farm in Ellison Bay, family owned since 1873, and still just as beautiful today. Northern Door County doing what it does best.

05/01/2026

Please open the May 2026 edition of the eNewsletter to see what we have in store for the new season at LGHS. There is a link to our newsletter, which includes detailed information about our calendar of events and volunteer opportunities.

04/28/2026

KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE!

It is not too early to mark your calendars!!
Join the Liberty Grove Historical Society for HISTORY WEEK in the big white barn.
Discover how we protect our dark skies in Liberty Grove on Monday, June 15.
Dine at the annual Lake to Table traditional fish boil on Thursday, June 18.
See new Season Opening Day exhibits on Saturday, June 20.

Over sixty years ago the traditional Liberty Grove tourist season opening began in 1966 when the Ellison Bay Men’s Club organized Ellison Bay’s 100th Anniversary celebration on the last weekend of June. The Ellison Bay Women’s Club also helped and the two organizations eventually merged to become the Service Club of Ellison Bay.

In 1969 the Men’s Club decided to build on the success of the earlier anniversary party and created the tradition of Olde Ellison Bay Days. When the LGHS was organized 30 years later, it participated by hosting a traditional Fish Boil at the Viking in 2002, a booth at the community festivities and a parade entry until the celebration was discontinued in 2018.

It is one thing to have a big party, but if the story is not captured in photos and memories, it is soon forgotten. Chief Roy Oshkosh of the Menominee Tribe helped parade viewers and Door County Advocate (1966-06-30) readers remember the first people in Liberty Grove. Scandinavian Dancers honored early immigrants and local businesses and organizations joined the fun. Gust and Magdelene Klenke’s granddaughter Gwen Czepulonis Mickelson recently donated photos she took of the celebration at age 15.

The Centennial Historical Committee co-chaired by Grace Parnell Grasse (1915-2018) and Lorraine Pfeil Varnell published “A Century in God’s Country, 1866-1966” to capture some of Ellison Bay’s story and characters. They were helped by their committee and many community members who shared information and pictures. The LGHS 20th anniversary updated version, “Living in God’s Country”, is now available for $20.

Help capture and preserve the past! We are interested in Old Ellison Bay Day photos and memorabilia for a future exhibit. Please contact Karen at [email protected] or 520-730-0436.

Explore Liberty Grove’s History in the LGHS historic buildings on Opening Day June 20th!
Join the fun! Help keep the OEBD parade tradition alive June 27th!