Caledonia Historical Society

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.”

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].