Caledonia Historical Society

Volunteers are key at the Caledonia Historical Village CHV).  The Caledonia Historical Society (CHS) owns and operates the village located just east of Hwy 38 and 5 Mile Road as a 501(c)3 non-profit. 

The 1877 Caledonia Town Hall is now located in the CHV, and the preservation of the Town Hall was the impetus for the origination of the CHS.   Subsequently the CHS chose to preserve the 1902 Sturtevant Milwaukee Road Depot, the 1840’s Log Cabin, the 1927 Caboose, and the 1919 two story Machine Shed.  All of these structures were moved to the CHV.  All of the structures have been restored or are in process of being restored.  There are also many artifacts stored in the structures that epitomize the life of the early settlers who lived in the Caledonia area in the mid-1800’s through the 1920’s.  All of the buildings are open (except the machine shed) during the monthly open houses starting with May.  The open houses are the fourth Sunday of the month through September and the hours are 12 Noon to 4:00 pm.  There are many artifacts in the buildings for viewing also.

All CHS projects are completed by volunteers.  Volunteers also maintain the grounds and the upkeep of the structures. The current project is the 1919 Machine Shed.  Volunteers will be working on the shed once again as soon as weather permits.

MEMBERSHIP MEETING!

The CHS meets every month on the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm.  The location in the winter months is the Caledonia-Mt.Pleasant Park Building at 9614 Hwy K.  The March meeting will be held March 19th.  The April meeting will be held April 16th in the 1902 Milwaukee Road Depot at the Caledonia Historical Village. The public is welcome.  

NEED MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHS?

For more information, visit the various pages on this website or email: [email protected]

The Caledonia Historical Society is happy to announce that the next Fall Heritage Festival will be held on Saturday, September 7th and Sunday, September 8th from 10 am to 4 pm each day. The Fall Heritage Festival is held at the Caledonia Historical Village, 7300 5 Mile Rd (just east of HWY 38 on 5 Mile Rd).  The theme of this year’s festival is “Passport to the Past.”

The admission is free, but a donation for parking is suggested.  There will be heritage educational games and exhibits, food, music, pie auction, and crafts.  John Deere tractors will be available for you to test your tractor driving skills and hole digging skills with a small backhoe.  There will be spinning and weaving demonstrations.  There will be re-enactors with a civil war demonstration battle including cannons.  There is also a bake sale.  All of the baked items and craft items are hand made/home made.

All of the buildings will be open with docents available to answer questions.  There are many artifacts stored in the buildings as well as on the grounds of the Caledonia Historical Village.

There will be many activities that will interest children and adults.  Come and join the Caledonia Historical Society in celebrating our past.  Our past is who we are today.

Next Membership Meeting

The next Caledonia Historical Society membership meeting is Thursday, August 15th at 6:30 pm in the 1902 Milwaukee Road Depot at the Caledonia Historical Village.  The meeting is open to the public and everyone is welcome.

Events!

Please note that all upcoming events are posted on the calendar on this website.

Profit For You Tours has three upcoming tours in 2019.  A portion of the tour cost is donated to the CHS.  If you are interested in “The Amish Experience,” or “The Grand Hotel Mackinac Island,” or a “Smoky Mountain Tour,” contact Lori at 414-477-0155.  These tours are great!

Mark your calendars for May 18th.  The second annual big CHS rummage sale will be held on May 18th this year from 10 am to 4 pm.  The sale will be held in the buildings so the weather will not be a problem.  If you have donations for the rummage sale, contact Elveda Morrill at her email which is [email protected]  We do not accept clothing and all items must be in working condition, and you must be able to provide an expected sale price.  Donations can be dropped off on May 16th between 10 am and 4 pm or May 17th between 10 am and Noon.

Also mark your calendars for May 26th, the first open house of 2019 held at the Caledonia Historical Village, just east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd.  The buildings with docents will be open from 11 am to 3 pm, and admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Linwood and Linwood School!

Please note that the information provided here has been taken from the book, “Journey to a Village, Caledonia 1835-2008.”

Linwood was the most heavily forested part of Caledonia in the early 1800’s.  The Linwood pocket community straddled the course of the Root River’s path through the middle of Caledonia.

While the original settlers of this heavily wooded area were Yankees, English and Welsh, by 1850 a trickle of Bohemian  immigrants began to settle in the Linwood area.  Several hundred Bohemian families arrived during the 1854 to 1857 time period.  An 1887 map of Caledonia shows a nearly complete transformation of the Linwood area into a Bohemian settlement.

Linwood did not have a general store, but did have a post office, a school, the Holy Family Catholic Church, two cemeteries and Caledonia’s first town hall.  The 1877 Town Hall is now located in the Caledonia Historical Village where it was moved in 2003 and renovated by the Caledonia Historical Society.

The Linwood school was originally a wood-frame structure that was long ago demolished.  The first building was replaced by a brick structure which burned in 1929.  While the replacement building was being constructed, school was held in the Caledonia Town Hall.  That second school brick building is still standing and was taken over by the Lions Club in the 1960’s.

This is a picture of the second Linwood school that burned down in 1929.

The Caledonia Historical Society is dedicated to ensuring that present and future generations will not only know the significance of the area, but will also learn from the past and recognize the need to preserve the historical heritage bestowed upon them.  We are our history.  As John Steinbeck said, “How will we know it’s us without our past?”

Come Join Us!

The next CHS membership meeting is Thursday, May 16th, at 6:30 pm at the Caledonia Historical Village, 7330 5 Mile Rd.   The public is welcome.