But how do we repair the building? Our Manitowoc County Historical Society and A.C.E. Building Service met with many different folks, including an Amish group, Red Maple Sales, to figure out the best plan going forward. We also worked with Legacy Architecture in Sheboygan to ensure the repairs would provide for a structurally safe building.

Built in the 1890s, the dance hall is unique in its eight sided shape.  The building stood at the corner of Highway XX and West View Road in Cleveland before it was moved to its new site in 2003.

For many people, when they imagine archives or museum collections, they think of old dusty books, kept in a locked room either underground or in some secret part of an institution. Or collections are something that some intrepid explorer finds and brings back to the Museum to be kept behind glass. Hollywood has done an excellent job at glamourizing what it looks like to work in an archive or collection; except perhaps in the cases of the biggest museums, or biggest archive collections. Glamourized collection rooms are big, towering bookcases filled with tomes of the historic and unknown, waiting to be rifled through by the right researcher in order to discover a long lost secret. These depictions are cool and exciting, but not close to real life for 90% of museums, historical societies or other similar institutions.

Did you know? The Niles Church, located just to the west of our Village Green, was moved to our Pinecrest Village in March of 1972. The building was transported in three sections: steeple, fellowship area and sanctuary. The building was moved 16 miles from its original location on Highway 151, west of Valders. Considered a prime example of Gothic Revival architecture, the Niles Church continues to play a prominent role in the activities at Pinecrest as it did in the Niles community.

The Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Council for Local History are pleased to announce that 18 affiliated local historical societies received a total of $10,433.99 through the 2024 mini-grant program. Funding for the mini-grant program is supported by an endowment managed by the Wisconsin Historical Foundation, which supports local history and education programs across the state of Wisconsin. The Manitowoc County Historical Society has received a mini-grant to support the museum's Past Perfect Web Edition project. 

In December, we were honored to receive a message from Valders Elementary School 4th Grade teacher Cheryl Glaser. She was happy to share the news that the Valders 4th Grade classes had raised money for our museum through a grade-wide coin challenge.

Originally located on State Highway 151 about 5 miles west of the City of Manitowoc, the Shadyside School served School District Number One in the Town of Manitowoc Rapids. Known at various times as the “Irish School” and the “Trainor School” by district residents, it was given the official name “Shadyside” because of the many box elder trees that the shaded the school yard.

While the Covid 19 pandemic put a halt to many plans, it allowed for volunteers to focus attention on museum buildings and restoration efforts. Volunteer and Mid-Lakes Rustic Iron Member Bill Pauwels shares his story.

“Someone had a dream and today we see partial fulfillment of that dream,” declared Armand Kueter in opening remarks of Sunday’s dedication of Pinecrest Historical Society on Highway JJ, at the junction of Pine Crest Road, west of Manitowoc.

Eugene E. Durben, from left, looks on as Bob Coenen and George Baldwin hone their blacksmithing skills at the Manitowoc County Historical Society’s Pinecrest Historical Village, just west of Manitowoc. Photo by Suzanne Weiss

The last time Jim Steuer had laid eyes on the whistle was more than 50 years ago as a student in Lawrence Bohn’s metals class at Lincoln High School in Manitowoc. The class was assigned to make the whistle for Pinecrest’s 1880s steam engine.