Caledonia Historical Society

MEET A CHS VOLUNTEER

Wende Zinda became a member of the Caledonia Historical Society in October 2021.  She spotted the information about a CHS meeting in the Racine Journal Times, came to a meeting, met a longtime member, Nancy Nelson, and decided to join.

Wende has a long history of volunteering:

At her children’s schools when they were young

At the hospital outreach program where she worked as a cardiac nurse.

As a master naturalist which led to her leading field trips for the Caledonia Conservancy, Wehr Nature Center, and the Riverbend Nature Center.

As a collector of data on fireflies and pollinators and birds.

Wende has already volunteered many hours with the Caledonia Historical Society as a docent and helping with the special events.

THE 1877 CALEDONIA TOWN HALL

The 1877 Caledonia Town Hall was originally located just south of 5 Mile Rd along what is now Highway 38.  After the Town Hall was no longer in service, the property ownership changed several times.  In 1999 the deteriorating structure was sold back to Caledonia.  In 2001 a small group of stalwart citizens got together to save the structure from being destroyed.  The group formed the beginning of the  Caledonia Historical Society (CHS).

After years of preparation that included removing all the damaged plaster and lath from the wall and adding enough  interior support to ensure the building would withstand the journey, the building slowly moved a quarter mile down the highway very early in the morning of December 4, 2003.

The Town Hall underwent two years of restoration with a celebration of the completion of the restoration on August 26, 2007.

The Caledonia Historical Society became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2003 and has established the Caledonia Historical Village which is just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd.  The 1877 Town Hall is the foundation of the CHS preservation efforts.

MEMBERSHIP FORMS AND DONATIONS

The link for the membership form and donation information can be found on the ABOUT page.  You need to scroll down the page.  You can donate either by mailing a check or online.  The CHS is a 501(c)3.

VISIT THE BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS OF THE CALEDONIA HISTORICAL VILLAGE

The grounds are open from dawn to dusk.  If you use the CHV grounds for special event photography, please make a donation.   The CHV is owned and operated by the volunteers of the Caledonia Historical Society with funding coming from membership dues, donations, grants and fund raising activities.  There is no funding from a governmental source.

CHS MEETINGS

The CHS meets the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm.  The October and November meetings will be held at the Franksville Park Building, 9614 Hwy K.   The December, 2022 through March, 2023 regular monthly meetings have been temporarily suspended.  However, CHS Board meetings will be held on a regular basis and are open to the public.  The Board Meetings will be posted on the calendar page.  If you wish to be notified when a board meeting is going to be held, use the CONTACT US page on this website.

OPEN HOUSE SPRING FLING!

The first CHS open house of the season at the Caledonia Historical Village will be May 15h from 10 am to 4 pm.  There will be many activities for the whole family.  There will be a bouncy house and rope making for the children as well as hot dogs, popcorn and soda.  There will be live music.  There will be a bake sale  All of the buildings will be open with docents available.  Free admission.

MAY 11TH CHS FUND RAISER AT CULVER’S ON DOUGLAS

May 11^th from 4 pm to 9 pm the Culver’s at 4542 Douglas will donate a percentage of sales to the Caledonia Historical Society (CHS).  The CHS operates and maintains the Caledonia Historical Village.  Whether using the drive-through or dine-in option at Culver’s hand the receipt back to a staff member so that the CHS receives a donation.

TECHNOLOGY GRANT FROM RACINE UNITED WAY

The Caledonia Historical Society was awarded  a technology grant under the Untitled Way of Racine County’s Training and Technology Fund.  The grant was used to purchase equipment that will allow the CHS to encourage the sharing of history with the public by providing a means of expanding the availability of information.  If anyone is interested in sharing their local family history which will be videoed and shown at CHS events, please contact the CHS via email at [email protected] or via the contact page at this website.

THE CALEDONIA HISTORICAL VILLAGE

The Caledonia Historical Village is located just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd.  The grounds are open from dawn to dusk.     If you use the CHV grounds for special event photography, please make a donation to the Caledonia Historical Society.  The CHV is owned and operated by the volunteers of the CHS with funding coming from donations, membership, and grants.

DONATIONS

Donations can be made to the CHS online by visiting the right side of this Home page or the About page of the website.  The CHS is a 501(c)3.  A check can be mailed to the CHS mailing address of 5043 Chester Lane, Racine, WI 53402.

MEETINGS

The CHS meets the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm.  The public is welcome.  The meeting site for January through May 2022 will be at the Franksville Memorial Park, 9614 Hwy K, Franksville.

BAKE/CRAFT AND CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE PICTURES

Learn the history of Caledonia.  Preserve the history of Caledonia.  Share the history of Caledonia.  The Caledonia Historical Society (CHS)  is a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing materials and information relating to the history of Caledonia.  The CHS promotes the understanding of the history through the buildings located in the Caledonia Historical Village(CHV)and the artifacts contained within them.

Donations can now be made to the CHS online by visiting the right side of this Home page or the About page of this website.  The CHS is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and the operation of the CHV is all accomplished by volunteers.  Donations are welcome to help with the maintenance of the buildings and artifacts.

The grounds of the CHV are open from dawn to dusk, but the buildings will not be open.  Please observe safe distance practices while enjoying the CHV environs.  

HOLIDAY CRAFT AND BAKE SALE

The CHS will be holding a holiday craft and bake sale in the 1877 Town Hall in conjunction with the “Christmas at the Cabin” held by Sherry Lou Martin.  The location is the Caledonia Historical Village located just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd, 

The event will be held December 3rd from 4 pm to 7 pm, December 4th from 12 pm to 4 pm, and December 5th from 11 am to 4 pm.  All proceeds from the craft and bake sale will be used to maintain the historic buildings in the Caledonia Historical Village.

WHERE DID THOSE CREAM CITY BRICKS COME FROM?

The heavy clay soil of the southeastern portion of Caledonia was a curse to the farmers of the region, but it was a boon for George Erskine who lived in the Wind Point area in the 1870s.  The nature of the soil,  just inland from the shore of Lake Michigan, provided Erskine with the raw materials needed to make excellent bricks. Later in the century Adolph and William Hilker would purchase the Erskine property which included the brick factory.  The brothers used a large, cream-colored stain of the clay to make bricks there for many years.

Towards the end of the 19th century many of Caledonia’s and Racine’s public buildings were being remodeled or rebuilt in brick.  The Wind Point clay was excellent raw material for the production of large quantities of bricks, most with he distinctive yellowish cast that became known as “Racine” or “Cream City” brick. 

The information provided here was taken from the book, “Journey to a Village, Caledonia 1835-2008.”