OUR MISSION

Char and Herb Mueller help out at the 150th anniversary celebration in 2011.

The mission of the Egg Harbor Historical Society is to make Egg Harbor History come alive for future generations through the collection, preservation and sharing of the heritage of Egg Harbor.

Prior to 2009 there was no organization dedicated to historical preservation of the community of Egg Harbor, but there were several independent efforts with preserved photographs and documents, written historical narratives, art, preserved structures and even video presentations.

Our mission is to bring these efforts out into the open by collaborating with those who have an interest in Egg harbor history and initiating our own efforts where there is a need for financial resources and collaborative ventures.

THE BOARD

President:  Myles Dannhausen, Sr.
Vice President: Gaylord (Giz) Herbst
Secretary:  Pam Krauel
Treasurer:  Char Mueller
Members at Large:  Judi Dexheimer, Glen Tanck

HOW WE ARE ORGANIZED

The Egg Harbor Historical Society is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation.   This process was completed in early 2010 under the supervision of an experienced non-profit attorney, Steven Kase.  A non-profit structure provides for tax deductible donations, affiliation with the State Historical Society and organized fund raising efforts to support historical activities.

The corporate documents provide for a small Board of Directors (7) whose responsibilities include fund raising, financial management and coordination of heritage activities throughout the community.  The amount of funds that were anticipated to support historical efforts was uncertain at the onset of the society.  Because of unprecedented generosity, municipal seed money and a  contributions from the Town of Egg Harbor, the association board began the process of organizing a broader range of historic projects and programs in 2010.

More than 500 people turned out for our 150th Anniversary celebration at Horseshoe Bay Farms in 2011.

To date these resources and fundraising efforts have allowed us to:

• Develop a Website

• Create of a two-volume Family History book

• Design walking and driving Historical Tours of the Egg Harbor community

• Sponsor an annual celebration

• Collect recorded oral histories

• Work with the State Historical Society and the Door County Community Foundation

We recognize that cataloging and presenting the history of our community is a task that is long overdue and that expeditious efforts are required to preserve our history before memories fade and documents are lost.  This requires a level of financial support that exceeds that which results from small membership contributions.  To attract donations and grants our association needs an enhanced level of competence in the administration of its resources.

OUR COLLABORATIVE PROCESS

One of the great benefits of our heritage is that we already have highly skilled people who are actively engage in historic preservation efforts.  The need is to organize these efforts into a cohesive whole, fund activities which require financial resources, fill gaps in technical expertise and initiate new historical efforts where needed.   To this end we have identified individuals who had an interest in or were already collecting historical information and organized committees.

Committees

• Oral Histories

The Oral History Committee is collecting video interviews of persons with knowledge of the early history of Egg Harbor.   Interviews are digitally recorded and are currently stored on a hard drive with the anticipation that they will eventually be available for viewing and historical research.  The Chair of this committee is Sandra Dirks. Contact here at sandradirks19@gmail.com.

• Historic Buildings and Sites

This Committee is collecting information on historic buildings, sites and schools for as resource material for self guided historical tours of Egg Harbor.  Annually updated walking tour of the Village of Egg Harbor and a Driving tour of the outlying areas.  To date, 24 buildings or sites have been identified for each of these tours.  In addition, the committee has been able to identify and obtain photographs of all but one or two of the schools that were scattered throughout the area.   Class pictures dating back to 1895 have also been collected and are being placed on our website.  The Chair of this committee is Judy Haen Dexheimer.  Contact her at  jdexheimer@dcwis.com.

• Family Histories

The family history committee published a two-volume set of family histories.  The volumes entitled “A Patchwork of Families” and “More Family Memories” contain more than 60 family histories as well as histories of our schools and churches.

• Newsletter and Information Sharing

One of our most important functions is to keep the community informed on our progress.  In March of 2011 we published our first printed newsletter.  We also regularly send Email updates and notices using Constant Contact.  To assist with information sharing efforts or to make sure you are “in the loop” contact Myles Dannhausen myles@baypointinn.com  or Jim Petersen jpetersen1711@charter.net.

• Photo and Document online archive

We are progressing with the enormous task of scanning and formatting photos and documents for presentation on this website.  A letter sized scanner has been donated and the Village of Egg Harbor has graciously volunteered its large format scanner for by appointment scanning.  After the scans are created content information needs to be documented and the image has to be formatted to a size suitable for presentation on the web.  The original scans will be archived in their original state.  To contribute photos and documents contact Giz atyoreplace@gmail.com”

• “Taste of Egg Harbor” Celebration

Our fourth annual Taste of Egg Harbor celebration will be held at Harbor View Park Aug. 23 as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the village. For complete event information click here>>