What Is The CHS And The CHV And What Is The CHS Mission?

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 the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials and information relating to the history of Caledonia. The Society promotes the understanding of the history of the Village through a number of buildings and the artifacts within them.

The Caledonia Historical Village (CHV) located on 5 Mile Road just east of Hwy 38 is owned and operated by the Caledonia Historical Society (CHS).  The Caledonia Historical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and all members are volunteers.  Therefore all renovations, all maintenance, all activities at the Caledonia Historical Village are undertaken by those volunteers.  All funding of those renovations, maintenance and activities is through donations, grants, membership and fund raising.

The CHS not only wants to share the history of Caledonia, but also wants the community to share their history (story)  with the CHS.  When did your family settle in the Caledonia area?  Were they early settlers in the area?  Have you traced the family genealogy?  Would you be willing to share that history with the CHS at a monthly meeting?  Contact the CHS President, Chuck Miles at [email protected].

Fund Raising!

Thanks to everyone, the CHS volunteers, the community business supporters, and the donors for several successful bake sales held by the CHS in December at the 1877 Town Hall and at the Educators Credit Union on Rapids Drive.

The next fund raiser is a special opportunity offered by the Chancery restaurant at 11900 108th St in Pleasant Prairie.  Dine at the Chancery on January 25th and present a special flyer and 25% of all food sales will be donated to the CHS.  The flyer is available by contacting the CHS on the Contact Us page on this website or by contacting Lori Pribek at [email protected].

More fund raising events will be coming soon so stay in touch with this website.

The Beginning of CHS

By preserving historical structures and artifacts from our past, we can enjoy them in the present and the future. The Society shares Caledonia’s history with its residents and visitors to enrich our appreciation of who we are and where we have been.  The Caledonia Historical Society began in 2001 as a loose association of individuals and officially became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2003.  As described previously, the beginning of the CHS was the desire to save the original 1877 Caledonia Town Hall.

Here is the final installment of the history of the CHS.   Another “Old Building”, completed in September of 2012, is the “Myers Museum” in honor of Royse and Barbara Myers, generous members of the CHS. The building is representative of a 19th century livery stable and built with materials recycled from disassembled barns and factories.  It houses a blacksmith shop and a huge hand-carved diorama created by Joe Fotjik, Sr.

Our latest acquisition is a turn of the century machine shed from the Botting farmstead. Because of its size, this 24’ by 70’ two-story machine shed is an anomaly among sheds built during this era. Moved in 2015 in two pieces (upper and lower segments), the shed is on its new foundation and the restoration process is underway.  We also have a double-walled brick icehouse used to keep meat and milk cool, especially during the summer months. Two walls with a layer of air between them insulated the blocks of ice that kept the perishable items cold.

COME JOIN US!

The Caledonia Historical Society meets the third Thursday of every month, and the next meeting is January 18th at 6:30 pm at the Caledonia-Mt. Pleasant Memorial Park, 9416 Northwestern Ave.

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.

THE CHV IS CLOSED FOR THE SEASON! 

The buildings are closed up until Spring, 2018 but special arrangements can always be made to rent the park and the buildings for that special occasion.  Hold your wedding or family reunion while enjoying a historic vista.  For more information, use the Contact Us page on this website or contact Chuck Miles , the CHS President at [email protected] .  What could be better than the beautiful back drop of the Caledonia Historical Village located at 5 Mile Road and Hwy 38 for your special occasion.

CHS IS EVERYWHERE!

The Caledonia Historical Society is on Facebook.  Like CHS at Caledonia Historical Society.  The Caledonia Historical Society is on Twitter.  Follow CHS at Caledonia Historical.  Check this website for updates regarding CHS events.  Visit the Caledonia Historical Village, east of Hwy 38 on 5 Mile Rd.  Contact the CHS through the Contact Us page on this website or via email at [email protected].