Caledonia Historical Society

Volunteers!

Volunteers are always needed at the Caledonia Historical Village which is located just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd in Caledonia. The Caledonia Historical Society owns and operates the village as a 501(c)3 non-profit with only volunteers. Volunteers are needed to groom the grounds surrounding the village, to help maintain the buildings located in the village, and to renovate the early 1900’s Botting Road machine shed. Volunteers are normally in the village on Monday and Thursday mornings from 9 am to around 11:30 am. Come join them; learn about the history of the village; help preserve that history.

Events!

The CHS website is undergoing construction. Check the calendar for events and soon there will be an active events tab. The next monthly meeting will be held July 18th at 6:30 pm in the 1902 Milwaukee Road Depot located in the Caledonia Historical Village. The public is welcome.

History of Linwood Park!

Linwood Park today is a piece of property just east of the Caledonia Historical Village on the west bank of the Root River. The land was originally used by Caledonia as the town dump. Linwood Park was opened in 1965 and was the first park fully owned and operated by the Town of Caledonia. A naming contest for the park was held in 1968 and Mrs. Otto Lorence and Mrs. LeRoy Schmidt were declared the winners. They both suggested the name Linwood Park as a fitting testimony to the area’s large and influential Bohemian community. A shelter was added in 1989 and since then a number of benches have been added overlooking the Root river. Information provided from the book, “Journey To A Village, Caledonia 1835-2008.”

Come To The Cabin!

Yes, that time of year is quickly approaching.  The 1840 Cabin at the Caledonia Historical Village will once again be decorated for the Christmas Boutique thanks to Sherry Lou Martin of Chics with Chainsaws.  A percentage of her sales will be donated to the Caledonia Historical Society.

The 1902 Depot will also be decorated with a bake and craft sale on the inside and nativity scene on the outside.  All proceeds from the sales in the Depot go to the Caledonia Historical Society to support the CHS mission.

Watch for more information!  The dates are November 30 from 4 pm to 7 pm, December 1 from 12 pm to 7 pm and December 2 from 12 pm to 4 pm.

Fundraiser!

Mark this date on your calendar.  The Kenosha Chancery restaurant once again will donate a percentage of their sales on January 31, 2019 to the Caledonia Historical Society.  You must have a flyer stating this so contact this website or a CHS member for a flyer.

Thanks!

A grateful thank you to all of the businesses who have been willing to donate a percentage of their food sales on a specific fund raising day to the Caledonia Historical Society.  Thank you to Blaze Pizza, Dogs and Cream, and the Chancery.

A grateful thank you also goes out to World Wide Box and Packaging Company for the donation of a custom cover for the CHS railroad handcart, and to Absolute Construction Enterprises for the donation of 200 concrete blocks for the machine shed, and to Gleason Redi-Mix for the donation of 7 yards of concrete for the machine shed.

Let’s look At Small Historical Buildings!

We talk a lot about the larger structures housed at the Caledonia Historical Village just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd, but have you ever noticed that there are smaller historic buildings housed at the Village also.  There is the wooden outhouse.  Do you know why there is a Sears catalog in the outhouse?  This small building would have been used before indoor plumbing became prevalent.  There is also a double-walled brick ice house moved to the CHV from the Botting farm.   Before refrigeration, the ice house was used to store blocks of ice to keep perishable items cool during the summer months.

Come Join Us!

Annual Caledonia Historical Society Fall Festival!

Mark September 8th and 9th on your calendar.  It soon will be time for the CHS Fall Heritage Festival.   The theme for 2018 is “Early Caledonia.”  The hours are 10 am to 4 pm.  Admission is free but a parking donation is suggested.  The buildings located at the Caledonia Historical Village will be open with docents available.

There will be saw mill demonstrations, blacksmith demonstrations, canon demonstrations, civil war re-enactors, spinning wool and loom demonstrations, a tractor display, an antique car display,  a bake sale, a pie auction at 1 pm each day, a meat raffle thanks to the donation of Danny’s Meats,  and so much more.  Visit Sherry at  her Chix with Chainsaw work area and watch her create amazing chainsaw art.

Sunday Only–The Veteran’s Tiny House Travel Unit will be site and open for tours!

There will be lots of activities for the children:  barrel train rides, rope making, and other various era appropriate activities.

Tickets will be available at the Festival for purchase for a full chicken dinner that can be picked up at the Caledonia Historical Village on September 15th from 4 pm until 5 pm.  The dinner includes 4 pieces of fried chicken, German potato salad, cole slaw, rice krispie treat, and a drink of water, coke or sprite.  The chicken dinner is a bargain at $12 and you will be supporting the machine shed project.

Come to the CHS Open Houses at the Caledonia Historical Village! 

The Caledonia Historical Society invites everyone to the monthly open houses held the fourth Sunday of the month through September.  The next open house is September 23rd.  The buildings in the Caledonia Historical Village just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd will be open from 11 am to 3 pm.  Docents will be available in the buildings to share the history of the buildings and of Caledonia.  Bring the family, have a picnic, enjoy the historic atmosphere.  There are many historic artifacts housed in the buildings, and each building has an interesting history. The open houses are free to the public, but donations are appreciated so that the Village can be maintained.  The Caledonia Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit.

Artifacts Housed at the Caledonia Historical Village!

The CHS has many, many artifacts that are currently being inventoried.  One item of interest is this cast iron 20 inch trade mark sign for the Horlicks Malted Milk Corporation of Racine.  Brothers James and William Horlick of England moved to Racine for better opportunities.  They formed a company  in 1873 to manufacture their own brand of infant food.  Ten years later they earned a patent for a new formula enhanced with dried milk.  They trademarked the name “malted milk” in 1887.  Did you know that Admiral Richard E. Byrd named a mountain range in Antarctica after William Horlick?  Explorers appreciated the lightweight, non-perishable, high-calorie qualities of the malted milk and started carrying it on their treks worldwide.

Visit the CHV Garden, Visit the CHV Mural at Regency Mall!

The heritage garden next to the 1840’s Log Cabin is lovely and very productive.  Stop to view the interesting foods and flowers including blueberries and blackberries.

The Regency Mall has updated the interior walls with murals.  One of the murals is a display from pictures taken at the Caledonia Historical Village.  Stop and take a look!

Come Join Us!

The Caledonia Historical Society meets the third Thursday of every month, and the next meeting is September 20th at 6:30 pm at the 1902 Milwaukee Road Depot in the Caledonia Historical Village just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd.

The meetings are open to the public, and everyone is welcome.  Become a CHS member and envelop yourself in the history of Caledonia.  Help CHS spread the word!  Membership forms can be downloaded from the ABOUT page on this website.